Canada reaffirms its commitment to the 2030 Agenda at the United Nations High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development

The COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare widespread socio-economic inequalities worldwide. The 2030 Agenda and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals provide Canada and the world with a framework for an inclusive and resilient recovery that leaves no one behind.

In support of Canada’s ongoing commitment to the 2030 Agenda, Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, along with Karina Gould, Minister of International Development and Maninder Sidhu, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Development, participated in the 2021 United Nations High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, which was held online from July 6-15.

Minister Hussen and Minister Gould partnered with Chief Wilton Littlechild, Yukon Minister of Education Jeanie McLean, Mayor of Montréal Valérie Plante, and youth representative Peace Olanipekun to deliver a unified National Statement to the United Nations. The National Statement addressed the urgency of dismantling barriers to prosperity and inclusion faced by marginalized populations, as well as the opportunities that arise from a green and inclusive recovery. Together, the speakers highlighted the importance of partnership and coordinated action.

Additionally, Minister Hussen and Minister Gould co-hosted Canada’s official side-event “Overcoming social barriers in the care economy for an inclusive and resilient recovery: growth that supports everyone.” Co-sponsored by Bangladesh, Vietnam and UN Women, and featuring expert panelists from the International Labour Organization, the Overseas Development Institute, the Atkinson Foundation, and the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto, the event looked at ways to address barriers in the care sector and the burden of unpaid work on women and girls. Participants explored ways to facilitate women’s equal participation in the economy including through investments in early learning and childcare, where the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed significant gaps and challenges.

Canada remains steadfast in its commitment to the 2030 Agenda and to working with our domestic and international partners through the UN Decade of Action to accelerate and achieve progress on the Sustainable Development Goals. By championing a whole-of-society approach, Canada’s 2030 Agenda National Strategy seeks to advance progress on all of the Sustainable Development Goals recognizing that everyone has a role in achieving sustainable development.  

Quotes

“Canada is committed to moving the 2030 Agenda forward, and tackling head-on the systemic discrimination and socio-economic inequalities that continue to persist. Together we will ensure that everyone can share equally in Canada’s economic, social and environmental prosperity and that no one is left behind.”

– Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development

“The Sustainable Development goals provide the blueprint for all of us—as individuals, as communities, as countries, and as an international community—to take concrete actions to build a brighter future. Canada is committed to the 2030 Agenda, and to working together to build a healthier, greener, more equitable world.”

– Karina Gould, Minister of International Development

Quick facts

•  The High-level Political Forum is the United Nations’ main platform on sustainable development and has a central role in the follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals at the global level. It provides an opportunity for countries and organizations to showcase how they are supporting the achievement of the SDGs. This year’s theme was “Sustainable and resilient recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic that promotes the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development.“