Major groups and other stakeholders play an essential role in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. They strengthen inclusion by giving voice to voiceless, marginalized and vulnerable population groups; promote accountability, transparency and responsiveness; engage in capacity-building; share their experiences and knowledge during planning, implementation and review processes; and bolster the participation of diverse communities in national and subnational development processes and community ownership of those processes.
The 2030 Agenda includes the requirement for major groups and other relevant stakeholders to participate in the follow-up and review processes established for monitoring the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. At the regional level, moreover, civil society organizations and other major groups are engaged in implementing, monitoring and evaluating Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want, of the African Union, which is being implemented in coordination with the 2030 Agenda.
Nine years after the adoption, in 2015, of the 2030 Agenda, the world is falling short of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and related targets. Globally, only 16 per cent of the measurable targets under the Goals will be achieved by 2030. In Africa, only 10 of 144 targets (7 per cent) are expected to be achieved by 2030, with a further 106 targets requiring accelerated action and another 28 showing signs of regression.
It is against this backdrop that the eleventh session of the Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development will be held in Kampala, from 9 to 11 April 2025, under the theme “Driving job creation and economic growth through sustainable, inclusive, science-based and evidence-based solutions for implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want, of the African Union”. The Forum will conduct an in-depth review of the progress made in achieving five of the Sustainable Development Goals in Africa: Goal 3 (good health and well-being); Goal 5 (gender equality); Goal 8 (decent work and economic growth); Goal 14 (life below water); and Goal 17 (partnerships for the Goals).
As one of the preliminary events of the Forum, the Economic Commission for Africa and the Africa Regional Mechanism of the Major Groups and other Stakeholders are organizing a preparatory and capacity-development workshop for major groups and other stakeholders in Africa on 8 April 2025. In line with the theme of the Forum, the workshop will be focused on the role of science-based and evidence-based solutions, as well as that of major groups and other stakeholders, in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and the corresponding aspirations, goals and targets under Agenda 2063.
Documents
Concept Note [English] | [French]
Programme of Work [English] | [French]