February 2021 newsletter
Virtual business conference summary: The Global Goals in the Heart of Recovery
On 10 February the APPG, in partnership with the International Chamber of Commerce, hosted 350 delegates from 44 countries at our second annual business conference. It was a call to action for businesses and governments to engage and ensure we use the SDG framework to deliver better outcomes for the future from the crises we now face.
We heard from Amina Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Sanda Ojiambo, Executive Director of the UN Global Compact, John Denton, Secretary General of the International Chamber of Commerce, and some remarkable business leaders on concrete initiatives to deliver on the SDGs and the importance of collective action if we are to secure a sustainable future for the planet.
Keep an eye out on our website and twitter feed for a recording of the event.
Championing the Goals in parliament and beyond
In addition to hosting our own APPG events, APPG Co-Chairs, Theo Clarke MP and Lord Jack McConnell, also raise the importance of the Global Goals and their commitment to them on other occasions.
Earlier this month, Theo Clarke MP spoke at an event co-hosted by the Coalition for Global Prosperity and Conservative Young Women to discuss the role the UK can play in ensuring equal rights for women and girls. Additionally, at an evidence session of the International Development Select Committee in early February, Theo questioned the Foreign Secretary on how the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is embedding the SDGs within all its work and how it is measuring its progress on this critical agenda.
Recently, Lord McConnell was invited to attend an Evidence Session for the Trade and Export Promotion APPG. The session was collecting evidence on the UK’s Trade Strategy, with a focus on what constitutes good trade strategy and how the overall trade policy and climate strategy should function. Lord McConnell highlighted important points made by the High Commissioners of Kenya and Bangladesh in our APPG Inquiry Report that surmised the UK’s approach to trade with their countries was far more consequential than the UK’s approach to aid. Lord McConnell expressed the need for any and all trade frameworks to align themselves with the targets of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Annual General Meeting summary
The APPG held its Annual General Meeting on 22 February 2021 via Zoom. It was a virtual event to elect our 2021 Office Bearers, review our activity over the past year, and set out our plans for 2021.
We are delighted since our inception in 2015, we welcome new members to the group year-upon-year. Our members help the APPG continue to grow and connect with individuals and organisations across sectors. We give special thanks to all our members and partner organisations for their support over the past year.
The APPG’s 2021 Office Bearers are:
Chair: Theo Clarke MP
Co-Chair: Lord Jack McConnell
Vice-Chairs: Baroness Hodgson, Lord Loomba, Pauline Latham MP, Baroness Northover, Lord Chidgey, Lisa Cameron MP, Anna McMorrin MP, Lord Bird, Harriett Baldwin MP, Lord Waverly, Virendra Sharma MP, Barry Sheerman MP.
With the UK playing host to both the G7 in June and COP26 in November, 2021 is set to be a significant year for development. At the AGM, the APPG agreed it would strive to advocate at all opportunity the need to embed the Global Goals within all policy and strategy, from the local to the national to the international. As we enter the second year of the Decade of Action on the back of a global pandemic, there is no blueprint more suitable than the Global Goals to truly #BuildBackBetter and ensure no one is left behind.
Upcoming events
We have a range of very exciting events planned between now and the summer. Here are just a few:
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. Date: Mid/Late March
Event with Lord Ahmad, Minister of State at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office to discuss the government’s response to the APPG’s report Build Back Better: The SDGs as a roadmap for recovery, as well as a look ahead at the government’s priorities in 2021 and beyond. Date: March/April
Event with the UN Global Compact on local action and the SDGs, focusing on good examples from both UK regional governments and local authorities as well as an international case study on best practice. Date: May
We will share more information on each of these events and others in due course.