Our History

Since 2015 the APPG for the UN Global Goals for Sustainable Development has brought Parliamentarians together from across the political spectrum to promote and monitor the progress of the SDGs. It has striven to inform and engage Members of the House of Commons and House of Lords with the SDGs and to provide a forum for liaising with Government Ministers, cross-sector external organisations including the private sector, experts in their fields of international development and discussions with high level speakers from the international community.

2015

The APPG was founded by Wendy Morton MP and Rt Hon Lord Jack McConnell to promote debate in advance of the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals at the United Nations, and to monitor their implementation in the years that followed.

The APPG hosted two inaugural events in parliament:

  • A parliamentary discussion with Rt Hon Helen Clark, Head of the United Nations Development Programme

  • A parliamentary discussions with Secretary of State for International Development Rt Hon Justine Greening MP following the adoption of the Global Goals for Sustainable Development

2016

The APPG hosted four events with parliamentarians:

  • A panel discussion with Commissioner Neven Mimica, European Commission for International Cooperation and Development

  • A Labour Party parliamentary briefing at the CDC

  • An evening discussion on young people, leadership and the SDG’s with Secretary of State for International Development Rt Hon Rory Stewart MP OBE

  • A high-level panel discussion with Dr David Nabarro, UN Special Advisor on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

2017

The APPG hosted an event on post-Brexit trade with developing countries in partnership with Traidcraft.

The APPG also conducted a study visit to the High-Level Political Forum at the UN in New York. This trip allowed members of the APPG to meet with individuals responsible for implementing Agenda 2030.

2018

The APPG hosted three events in parliament:

  • An event on Global Goal 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions in partnership with the APPG on Women, Peace and Security.

  • An event with the DFID Secretary of State, Rt. Hon Penny Mordaunt MP, and UN Advocate for the SDGs, Richard Curtis CBE to help galvanize support for the implementation of the SDGs in the UK in advance of the VNR in 2019.

  • Bringing Peace and Women Together: how the UK Government can deliver on the SDGs and the WPS Agenda in partnership with the APPG on Women, Peace and Security.

2019

The APPG hosted five events in parliament:

  • A roundtable co-hosted with UKBEAG to better understand the ways in which the built environment professions are engaging with the SDGs and to consider collaborative ways of working to contribute to the challenges of climate change and rapid urbanisation.

  • An event with DFID Secretary of State, Rt. Hon Penny Mordaunt MP and DFID Minister Rt Hon Lord Bates to introduce the VNR and the government’s emerging findings. The Secretary of State outlined the Government’s vision for the VNR and laid out the post-VNR steps in partnership with the APPG and other organisations.

  • A briefing for parliamentarians with the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for International Development Baroness Sugg CBE, following the United Nations High Level Political Forum and the UK’s VNR presentation

  • An event on China and ‘Global Britain’. This meeting was co-hosted by the APPG on China, the APPG on the United Nations Global Goals for Sustainable Development and the Institute of Development Studies and brought together policy makers with sustainable development and financial experts to consider the opportunities and challenges that the BRI provides.

  • An event in partnership with CAFOD to explore how the Commonwealth Development Corporation (CDC) is contributing to the SDGs.

The APPG also sent a parliamentary delegation to the United Nations High Level Political Forum and UK’s Voluntary National Review Presentation in July 2019. With logistical support from Save the Children, a delegation of three UK parliamentarians and APPG members attended the UN HLPF and side-events, meeting with senior UN officials including Amina Mohamad and Achim Steiner.

2020

The APPG hosted seven parliamentary events:

  • A half-day conference on business and the Global Goals, in partnership with Coalition for Global Prosperity, ICC and Project Everyone. The event included keynote speeches from Sir John Denton, Secretary General of the International Chamber of Commerce, and Matthew Rycroft, DfID Permanent Private Secretary.

  • An event co-hosted by Mercy Corps UK to discuss COVID-19 as a threat multiplier in fragile and conflict-affected states.

  • An event with the UN Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed on the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on the achievement of the Goals, as well as the UK’s overall commitment to the Global Goals agenda.

  • An event with the Secretary of State for International Development to discuss the UK’s progress on the SDGs since the United Nations High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) in July 2019 and plans for the future..

  • An event co-hosted by Mercy Corps UK to discuss the impact of Covid-19 in fragile and conflict affected states six months into the pandemic.

  • An event co-hosted by International Alert on the critical role of SDG16: Peace Justice and Strong Institutions in achieving the SDGs in the wake of Covid-19.

  • An event co-hosted by the British Council to discuss the contribution of culture to the achievement of the SDGs.

The APPG also ran inquiry to investigate the impact of Covid-19 on the achievement of the SDGs to ensure the goals are at the centre of recovery efforts in 2020 and beyond. The report reflected diverse evidence from over 50 organisations and individuals, from civil society to the private sector, and trade unions to academics, as well as the High Commissioners of Kenya and Bangladesh. It was launched at a virtual parliamentary event in September 2020. You can read the report here.

2021

The APPG hosted eleven parliamentary events:

  • A half-day conference on business and the Global Goals, in partnership with the International Chamber of Commerce.

  • Event with DAI on how SDG16 been operationalised at the regional and local levels, focusing on a case study of a UK project in Morocco.

  • Private Parliamentarian Briefing with UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner

  • Event with Make My Money Matter on changing individual and company policies and decisions on investment

  • Event with the FCDO Minister Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, to discuss the impact of Covid-19 on the achievement of the Goals and the UK’s response.

  • A joint event with the APPG on Nutrition for Growth on SDG2: Zero Hunger, preventing the next famine and how the G7 can be a catalyst for action

  • A joint event with the APPG on Women, Peace and Security on gender and the SDGs, with a specific focus on the Generation Equality Forum.

  • An event co-hosted by Mercy Corps UK to discuss the impact of Covid-19 in fragile and conflict affected states.

  • Event with the UN Global Compact Network UK on local action and the SDGs, looking at how the SDGs can be used as the framework to tackle the Levelling Up challenges currently facing the UK as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic

  • An event to launch our report on climate and the SDGs ahead of the COP26 Summit in Glasgow. The report was the culmination of an inquiry conducted with the Sussex Sustainability Research Programme (SSRP) at the University of Sussex to investigate actions that achieve both climate goals and the SDGs. The report outlines the actions that governments, businesses and civil society can take to simultaneously advance both of these important agendas.

  • An event with Hiro Mizuno, UNSG Special Envoy on Innovative Finance and Sustainable Investments, on investing in climate finance.

2022

In 2022 the APPG hosted several parliamentary events:

  • A business-focused event in partnership with the International Chamber of Commerce on scaling up a sustainable transition including a keynote address from Mark Carney, UN Special Envoy on Climate Action and Finance and the Prime Minister’s Finance Adviser for COP26.

  • An event with CEPI CEO Dr Richard Hatchett to reflect on the CEPI Summit and discuss what is needed to end the Covid-19 pandemic everywhere and protect us from future pandemics.

  • Private Parliamentarian Briefing with UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner.

  • An event ahead on global education with GPE to reflect on what has been achieved and what more can be done through increased funding to global education

  • A summer reception with Bond and the UN Global Compact Network UK ahead of the United Nations High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development which brought together parliamentarians, NGOs, businesses and domestic actors to reflect on the UK’s progress on the Goals since its last Voluntary National Review of the SDGs in 2019.