The Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations (PMUN) hosted nearly a dozen young people this week for a high-level U.N. gathering in New York focused on Sustainable Development Goals that were adopted in 2015 to spur global progress toward ending poverty, protecting the planet, achieving peace and ensuring prosperity and partnership worldwide.
The first Presbyterian Young Adult Delegation to the U.N. High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) was comprised of participants nominated by their churches and presbyteries to observe the U.N. discussions and to take part in events organized by PMUN and its partners.
Sue Rheem, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) representative to the U.N. and manager of the PMUN office, said the delegation from around the country was strong and that she was “grateful to the mid council and church leaders for their support in getting the word out and to the Church of the Covenant in New York City for providing housing accommodations with generous support from the Presbytery of New York City.”
The forum brought together ministerial and high-level representatives of governments, as well as other experts and stakeholders, to discuss the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted at the U.N. Sustainable Development Summit a decade ago.
Members of the Presbyterian delegation hailed from churches and presbyteries spanning from Newark, New Jersey, to Southern California.
The forum was “an opportunity for young people to come to the U.N. to learn about sustainable development, to meet others from around the world who are working for change to live more sustainably and be part of the solution to create a world that is more just and equitable,” Rheem said.
The theme of this year’s forum was “Advancing sustainable, inclusive, science- and evidence-based solutions for the 2030 Agenda and its SDGs for leaving no one behind.”
The goals being reviewed in-depth were Good Health and Well-Being, Gender Equality, Decent Work and Economic Growth, Life Below Water, and Partnerships for the Goals, Rheem said.
With the deadline to reach the goals just five years away, the U.N. recently released a report that indicated that the SDGs have improved millions of lives, but change isn’t occurring fast enough to fully achieve every goal by 2030.
Despite gains such as increased access to education, electricity and the internet, “we are not where we need to be,” U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said during a news conference. “Only 35% of SDG targets are on track or making moderate progress. Nearly half are moving too slowly, and 18% are going in reverse. We are in a global development emergency — an emergency measured in the over 800 million people still living in extreme poverty, in intensifying climate impacts, and in relentless debt service, draining the resources that countries need to invest in their people.”
He also stressed the importance of peace, acknowledging the deep links between underdevelopment and conflicts and stressing the importance of continuing to work for peace in places like Sudan, Ukraine and the Middle East.
“We need an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the immediate release of all hostages and unimpeded humanitarian access as a first step to achieve the two-state solution,” he said. Also, “from the DRC to Somalia, from the Sahel to Myanmar, we know that sustainable peace requires sustainable development.”
Darla Carter, Communications Strategist, Interim Unified Agency (Click here to read original PNS Story)
Let us join in prayer for:
Lemuel Garcia, Stewardship Officer, Stewardship and Major Gift Officers, Administrative Services Group
Ruth Gardner, Director, Human Resources, Administrative Services Group
Let us pray:
Gracious God, grant us the wisdom as we explore new ways of serving. Though none follow your path perfectly, we know your grace goes with us on the journey. Help us to serve others along the way. Amen.
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