Hope for 2030
During this year’s Sustainability Week, our goal has been to spread hope for 2030.
It has rarely been more important to find hope for the future than now. In 2030, the UN's 17 sustainability goals must be achieved. Extreme poverty must be abolished, climate change halted, ecosystems in the sea and on land saved. All children should have free education, and no one should go hungry. How are we going to achieve these goals? And how can Norway contribute so that we can reach the SDGs on time?
These questions and many more were the topics of events held in our new offices right in the heart of Oslo.
Events during the Sustainability Week
COVID 19 – An excuse to choke civil society?
“The pandemic also became a crisis for civil society”, said Ines Pousadela, senior researcher at Civicus, during her introduction of panel discussion with Nancy Njenge, activist from the student association Zinasu in Zimbabwe, and Ingrid Rostad, expert advisor at ForUM and coordinator of the NGO Major Group in UN Environment Programme (UNEP).
The pandemic made lockdowns and limited gatherings commonplace around the world. These measures slowed down the contagion, but also became useful tools for authoritarian leaders as a new arsenal of measures to use against troublesome voices. During the panel discussion we learned more about how we as Norwegian civil society can contribute to strengthening the room for action of the global civil society.
From left: Ingrid Rostad, expert advisor at ForUM, Nancy Njenge, activist from Zimbabwe, and Aron Halfen, leader for politics at ForUM
Is there hope for the Paris Agreement? What do a professor, a grandparent and a youth say?
In our work to reach the SDGs by 2030, it is an important but difficult task to hold on to hope. But where is hope in 2022? To help us find it, we invited a researcher, a grandparent and a youth to tell us what gives them hope for the Paris Agreement.
In the panel we listened to interesting thoughts of Karen O' Brien, world-leading social geographer and professor at the University of Oslo. She participated in the UN climate panel five times and has been referred to as "the researcher who still thinks things can go well". O' Brien was joined by Linda Rundquist Parr, chairman of The Norwegian Grandparents Climate Campaign, and Matilde Angeltveit, youth delegate to the climate negotiations from The Norwegian Children and Youth Council.
From decision to reality: Everyone has a right to a livable environment. But will everyone enjoy it?
This summer, the UN General Assembly adopted the resolution recognizing the right to a livable, healthy and sustainable environment as a human right, to great cheers from civil society. In collaboration with organizations from all over the world, ForUM has closely followed the work on the relationship between human rights, climate and the environment.
We invited Sébastien Duyck, lawyer and head of the work on human rights and climate at CIEL, and Ingrid Rostad, expert advisor on nature at ForUM and coordinator of the NGO Major Group in UN Environment Programme (UNEP), to discuss how we can ensure that this resolution has practical consequences for people's access to human rights.
Sébastien Duyck, lawyer and head of the work on human rights and climate at CIEL, held an interesting lecture on the right to a livable environment.
What gives hope to our partners?
In addition to hosting events in-house, ForUM launched a social media campaign showcasing what many of our member organizations and partners are hopeful for when it comes to Agenda 2030. The campaign took place on ForUM's Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube profiles.
Alejandro Luque, a youth activist from Ecuador, believes educating our younger generations is the number one key in giving us environmentally sustainable skills for a greener future.
"If we are to reach the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, we must stop talking and start acting", says Djatougbe Aziaka, president of Welfare Togo.
Writing contest for young people
In partnership with online newspapers Framtida and Magasinett, ForUM organized a writing contest for youths under 25 on how we can reach the Sustainability Development Goals within 2030. The winning opinion peace which focused on climate crisis and Norway's oil production was published on Framtida and ForUM's websites, and the author received a cash price.
The jury consisted of Andrea Rygg Nøttveit, editor at Framtida, Kathrine Sund-Henriksen, executive director at ForUM, and Isaac Elstad Røssnes, leader at Press - Save the Children Youth Norway.
Read more about the campaign "Bærekraftsuka" (in Norwegian)
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