PMUN welcomes Presbyterian Young Adult Delegation to UN high-level gathering
Forum focuses on the progress and challenges of reaching the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals
LOUISVILLE — The Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations (PMUN) is hosting nearly a dozen young people this week for a high-level UN gathering in New York focused on Sustainable Development Goals that were adopted in 2015 to spur global progress toward ending poverty, protecting the planet, achieving peace and ensuring prosperity and partnership worldwide.
The first Presbyterian Young Adult Delegation to the UN High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) is comprised of participants nominated by their churches and presbyteries to observe the UN discussions and to take part in events organized by PMUN and its partners.
“We have a strong delegation from all across the country,” said Sue Rheem, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) representative to the UN and manager of the PMUN office. “We are grateful to the mid council and church leaders for their support in getting the word out and to the Church of the Covenant in New York City for providing housing accommodations with generous support from the Presbytery of New York City.”
The forum, which began Monday and concludes next week, brings together ministerial and high-level representatives of governments, as well as other experts and stakeholders, to discuss the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted at the UN Sustainable Development Summit a decade ago.
Members of the Presbyterian delegation hail from churches and presbyteries spanning from Newark, New Jersey to Southern California.
“The forum is an opportunity for young people to come to the UN to learn about sustainable development, to meet others from around the world who are working for change to live more sustainably, and be part of the solution to create a world that is more just and equitable,” Rheem said.
The theme of this year’s forum is “Advancing sustainable, inclusive, science- and evidence-based solutions for the 2030 Agenda and its SDGs for leaving no one behind.”
The goals being reviewed in-depth are Good Health and Well-Being, Gender Equality, Decent Work and Economic Growth, Life Below Water, and Partnerships for the Goals, Rheem said.
With the deadline to reach the goals just five years away, the UN released a report on Monday that indicates that the SDGs have improved millions of lives, but change isn’t occurring fast enough to fully achieve every goal by 2030.
Despite gains such as increased access to education, electricity and the internet, “we are not where we need to be,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres said during a press conference. “Only 35% of SDG targets are on track or making moderate progress. Nearly half are moving too slowly, and 18% are going in reverse. We are in a global development emergency — an emergency measured in the over 800 million people still living in extreme poverty, in intensifying climate impacts, and in relentless debt service, draining the resources that countries need to invest in their people.”
He also stressed the importance of peace, acknowledging the deep links between underdevelopment and conflicts and stressing the importance of continuing to work for peace in places like Sudan, Ukraine and the Middle East.
“We need an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the immediate release of all hostages and unimpeded humanitarian access as a first step to achieve the two-state solution,” he said. Also, “from the DRC to Somalia, from the Sahel to Myanmar, we know that sustainable peace requires sustainable development.”
Delegates following this week’s discussions include Rae Brock, a member of First Presbyterian Church of Hickory in the Presbytery of Western North Carolina.
“Last year, I served as a YAAD (Young Adult Advisory Delegate) on the International Engagement Committee at the 226th GA (General Assembly), and at HLPF I am learning more about how our PC(USA) policy and the resolutions we worked on last year are part of a greater global mission to create a more just and sustainable world,” said Brock, 20. “Although the UN Sustainable Development Goals are rooted in universal, secular values, I see them as a reflection of how I as a Christian believe we are called to live, love and serve as Christ did.”
PMUN Advocacy Associate Clare Balsan and Rheem are excited to walk alongside the delegates.
"We are so thrilled to welcome our inaugural Young Adult Delegation to the UN's High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development,” Balsan said. “Our young people are bright, enthusiastic and committed to justice, and we couldn’t wait to … introduce them to the work of our office and the UN, while also learning from them and their experiences being advocates in their home churches and communities."
Follow PC(USA) social media for more on the delegation.
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