2030 Agenda and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals

Click to download the SDGs People’s Report here

At Hui E! we recognise that the 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are grounded in international human rights commitments. Hui E!’s work in the space has been driven by the belief that the community sector and wider civil society are fundamental in the implementation and delivery of the SDGs in Aotearoa New Zealand.

The COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented wake-up call, laying bare deep inequalities and exposing precisely the failures that are addressed in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on climate change.

Leveraging this moment of crisis, when usual policies and social norms have been disrupted, bold steps can steer the world back on track towards the SDGs. This is the time for change, for a profound systemic shift to a more sustainable economy that works for both people and the planet.

The SDGs are vital for a recovery that leads to greener, more inclusive economies, and stronger, more resilient societies. Read more on the SDGs framework for COVID-19 recovery.

For more info on how the SDGs relate to human rights, check out this Human Rights Guide to the Sustainable Development Goals.

Hui E! continues to work with a wide range of agencies and organisations to build awareness of, and engagement with, the SDGs in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Collaboration for a better future – an SDG Alliance in Aotearoa New Zealand

Hui E! at the forefront of measuring NZ progress of the SDGs 

The first People’s Report on the 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals for Aotearoa New Zealand was developed in parallel with the New Zealand Government’s progress report in 2019. The report’s intention has been to provide a unique and inclusive community perspective. The Report considered the collective voices of NGOs, researchers, unions, businesses, young people and community organisations.

Published in November 2019, the final report was disseminated by Hui E! to government agencies and Members of Parliament. The Government report and a final draft of the People’s Report were presented to the UN High Level Political Forum in July 2019.

The first New Zealand People’s Report on the SDGs identifies areas such as persistent inequality, the major loss of New Zealand biodiversity and marine life, and the pollution of freshwater sources. The poorer outcomes for Māori, the indigenous people, in particular, demonstrate the effects of many years of neglect and post colonial racism.

NGOs and others in civil society are making concrete contributions in areas encompassed by the goals. The Report shows that there is inconsistent engagement between government and civil society, lack of collaborative planning, sustainable funding and resourcing.

The formation of the People’s Report

The project came to fruition after the significant efforts of a cross sector steering group established and chaired by Hui E! It followed a series of SDG-focused hui with the community sector in Wellington and then nationally, and meetings with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Led by Hui E!’s Ronja Ievers, the steering group was responsible for overall oversight and strategic decision making for the report.

The report was sponsored by the NZ National Commission for UNESCO, Wellington Community Trust, PPTA and TEU. Its report’s completion was also due, in part, to in-kind and a significant amount of voluntary contributions.

Co-edited by Dr Gill Greer, an international leader with a wealth of experience in not-for-profit organisations, and Moko Morris, Te Aitanga-a-Mahaki, Te Atiawa, and Hua Parakore advocate, the report has provided essential te ao Māori perspectives to ongoing SDG work.

The reflections detailed in the report reflect a diversity of views and activities. They demonstrate that collaboration across generations, government, business sectors and civil society are essential if the vision of a more just, equal and sustainable world is to be achieved.

Hui E! at the United Nations High-Level Political Forum

Attending the United Nation’s major platform for review of the 2030 Agenda and SDGs, the High-Level Political Forum 2019 was an important milestone for the People’s Report on the Agenda 2030 and SDG.

It was held in July 2019 in New York and attended by Hui E! and the two co-editors of the report, with financial support from the Minister’s Discretionary Fund.

Their attendance enabled an important community perspective to be heard at an international stage, and the report attracted much interest from foreign governments, the United Nations Secretariat, and international civil society colleagues.

Hui E!’s reflections and key learnings from the HLPF were documented and shared with the wider sector, as well as captured in this interview with Access Radio. 

Hui E! delivered a civil society statement in response to NZ’s Voluntary National Report presentation at the United Nations High Level Segment (17 July 2019)