Call for proposals for side events

Background

The Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development (ARFSD)  is an intergovernmental platform convened annually by the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) in collaboration with the African Union Commission (AUC), the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the United Nations system to review progress, share experiences and lessons learned and build a consensus on policy options and actions in the form of key messages to accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Agenda 2063. Accordingly, the Forum serves as an important mechanism to ensure integrated monitoring and evaluation of the impact and supporting countries in unlocking bottlenecks in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and Agenda 2063 as stipulated in the AU – UN Framework on implementation of the two agendas.

The Regional Forum adopts as its outcome key messages that serve as Africa’s collective input to the annual sessions of the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, and the forthcoming SDG Summit 2025.  It, therefore, serves as an important mechanism, not only for tracking progress in implementation at the regional level but also for keeping all stakeholders mobilized and engaged in strengthening their commitment to concerted action and in garnering international support for efforts to translate the Sustainable Development Goals into measurable and shared prosperity that benefits the planet and its people.

The eleventh session of the Regional Forum (ARFSD-11) will be held in Kampala, Uganda from 9 to 11 April 2025.  It is being organized jointly by ECA and the Government of Uganda, in collaboration with the AUC, AfDB and entities in the UN system.

The theme of ARFSD-11 is “Driving job creation and economic growth through sustainable, inclusive, science and evidence-based solutions for the 2030 Agenda and Agenda 2063”. This theme is aligned with that of the 2025 High-Level Political Forum which is “Advancing Sustainable, inclusive science and evidence-based solutions for the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals for Leaving no one behind”.

  1. To review progress, challenges, and opportunities in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and Agenda 2063. In line with the 2025 HLPF, ARFSD-11 will conduct an in-depth review of implementation in Africa of SDG 3 (good health and well-being); 5 (gender equality); 8 (decent work and economic growth); 14 (life below water) and 17 (partnerships for the goals) and the corresponding goals of Agenda 2063 with a special focus on its second ten-year implementation plan (STYIP).
  2. To strengthen learning and advocate effective policy measures and actions including sustainable, inclusive, science-and evidence-based solutions to scale up financing for, and advance implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Goals of Agenda 2063 at national, regional and global level.
  3. To follow-up and take forward the outcomes of the Summit of the Future.
  4. To serve as Africa regional preparatory meeting for the HLPF to be held in New York in July 2025 and the Second World Summit for Social Development to be held in Qatar from 4 to 6 November 2025.
  5. Reach consensus and adopt Forum outcome documents, namely:
    1. Summary and key messages of the Forum comprised of Africa’s priorities and key policy options and recommendations to inform and spur actions at subnational, national, regional, and global levels to dramatically increase economic growth, job creation and the pace and scale of implementation of the SDGs and Goals of Agenda 2063.
    2. The Kampala Declaration on sustainable, inclusive, science-and evidence-based solutions to increase economic growth and job creation, and advance implementation of SDGs and Goals of Agenda 2063.

The Regional Forum will bring together ministers and other high-level policymakers and experts from Governments and intergovernmental organizations, the private sector, civil society organizations and other major groups, and international development partners.

The Regional Forum will be held in a hybrid format, allowing for both in-person and online participation. The details for both options will be made available as soon as they are finalized. Further information on the Regional Forum, including technical reports and electronic resources, will be posted at the ARFSD main website: https://www.uneca.org/arfsd2025 and https://sdgs.opm.go.ug/arfsd-11/

Call for proposals for Side Events 

As an open space for the exchange of cutting-edge ideas, experiences and lessons learned in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and Agenda 2063, the Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development is a unique opportunity for various stakeholders to organize side-events that have a clear focus on the themes and subthemes of the Forum and that will feed into its deliberations.

Member States, United Nations organizations and major groups and stakeholders are invited to submit their proposals for side events using the online platform at https://www.uneca.org/content/pre-events by 14 February 2025.

Please note that, in accordance with the structure planned for the ARFSD-11, side events will be organized from  9 to 11 April 2025 both virtually and face to face. Also note that these events should be organized with the objective of sharing experiences, best practices and innovative perspectives on the themes and subthemes of the Forum and should strengthen partnerships and the means of Goal implementation.

The events can focus on two or more of the subthemes of the Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development, considering integrated approaches to transformation towards sustainable and resilient societies.

Selection Criteria:

Any entity interested in organizing a side event during the Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development can submit a proposal. Owing to space and other considerations, however, each organizer cannot be involved in more than one side event. Please use the online form to submit, attaching a one-page description of the event, which outlines the organizers, partners, panelists and speakers, and how the event would contribute to discussions on the main theme or one or more of the subthemes of the Forum.

The basic criteria for selection include the following:

  1. Given the inclusive nature of the Goals in general and of SDG17 in particular, priority will be given to side events organized by groups of three or more partners, sponsors or participants, or any combination thereof;
  2. The theme of the side event should relate to at least two of the subthemes provided above or be cross-cutting in nature;
  3. Consideration should be given to gender balance and geography (including local government) in the choice of speakers and panelists;
  4. The format of the side event should ensure broad stakeholder participation, including that of the private sector and major groups, and actively involve the audience;
  5. The outcome of the side event should inform the overall outcome of ARFSD-11, through parallel discussions;
  6. The side event should last no longer than 1 and 1/2 hours and should not overlap with the main sessions of the Forum.

Event organizers will be informed of the results of the selection process and a list of all registered pre-events and side events will be published after the registration process has been completed.

Template for Submissions (ONE PAGE)

  1. Title: 
  2. Brief Background (2-5 sentences):
  3. Side Event Objective:
  4. Contributions to objectives of the Regional Forum:
  5. Topics (questions) of the interactive discussion
  6. Who is the target audience for the side event? 
  7. Tentative list of speakers? 
  8. Does the session engage new stakeholders or less visible stakeholders in the implementation and Follow-up of SDGs?
  9. Organizing Partner(s) including regional representation:
  10. Main Focal Point (only one):

Responsibility of the organizers: 

The logistics of the side events, such as room and virtual platform allocation and the setting up of audiovisual equipment, need to be arranged in collaboration with the side events coordinator. The organizers of the side events will be responsible for the following:

  1. Inviting speakers and panelists and handling their visa and travel arrangements (if applicable); 
  2. Inviting participants from member States, major groups and other stakeholders;
  3. Preparing a summary report on the event and sharing it with the secretariat of the Forum;
  4. Publicity, reproduction of materials and media coverage; 
  5. Any costs related to the venue, equipment and services;
  6. Any catering services that may be required must be arranged through the designated caterers of the Forum and fully covered by the organizers (if applicable);
  7. Events should be conducted in English or French. Arrangements for simultaneous interpretation will be the responsibility of the organizers.

Communication:

All queries relating to side events should be addressed to the following:

The side event organization committee

Email: eca-arfsd-sideevents@un.org

Mamusa Siyunyi

Email: siyunyi@un.org

Mr/Ms. ….
SDG Secretariat, Office of the Prime Minister, Uganda

Email: sdg.ug-secretariat@opm.go.ug

 

 

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