GEEF

Background and Rationale

Global Engagement & Empowerment Forum (GEEF) will be held from February 4th to 5th of 2021 under the theme “3Ps(Peace, Prosperity, and Partnership) Beyond Security.” These three key concepts have been chosen since they address the most urgent issues our world faces today.

In March of 2020, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for a global ceasefire “to put armed conflict on lockdown and focus together on the true fight of our lives,” the coronavirus pandemic. The disease threatens our peace as it exacerbates drivers of conflict and insecurity, such as cross-border tensions, climate emergencies, social unrest, and eroding trust in institutions. Moreover, it has also reversed years of effort devoted to promote shared prosperity, especially among the bottom 40% of the population. According to the latest Sustainable Development Goals Report 2020, it is estimated that the pandemic will push 71 million people back into extreme poverty. Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic has presented major challenges to both the public and private sector, as the global society witnessed further fragmentation of the social fabric at local, national and regional scales. Some countries have had difficulties in promoting voluntary quarantine measures and medical treatment of COVID-19.

Under these circumstances, this Forum plans to shed light on the importance and necessity of the multilateral partnership and multisectoral responses to COVID-19. As the international community coordinated responses to COVID-19, we have at first hand realized the vulnerabilities of existing partnerships centered on a few developed countries. Consequently, the need for global solidarity and support among governments, businesses, and civil society organizations has become more important than ever.

Therefore, GEEF 2021 will discuss and explore ways of effective partnerships that go beyond the existing limitations. In particular, the round table session will be held to explore global partnership through multilateral cooperation and multisectoral partnerships to combat COVID-19. The Programme for GEEF 2021 will prioritize four key areas in six featured sessions:

• Monitoring and Evaluation of UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as the blueprint for Sustainable Development through 1) Redesign Our Future: The UN SDGs, 5 Years and the Next 10 Years
• Science, Technology and Innovation for SDGs through 2) A.I. for better Engagement & Empowerment
• Society for SDGs on through 3) Creative Solutions for a Sustainable Society and 4) Health
• Partnerships for Healthy Lives and Well-being through 5) Global Partnership and Higher Education and 6) Future of Higher Education, Higher Education of the Future

Previously, GEEF has invited global leaders and experts from various fields as speakers to discuss the direction we should take to achieve the SDGs. Held in 2018, the inaugural GEEF invited 65 speakers under the theme "Putting People and Planet at the Center." These in-depth dialogues focused on partnerships, climate change and health for common prosperity, and other topics, such as water, education, sustainable production and consumption, were also addressed in parallel sessions. Following the successful hosting of the first GEEF, the 2019 session invited 106 speakers and Panelists from 27 countries and main sessions on SDGs 3, 5 and 11 were offered. More than 2,000 participants from over 80 countries attended the second iteration of the Forum. GEEF has served as a platform to foster free flow of ideas among stakeholders on the SDGs to make a better world and lay the groundwork for a global cooperative society.

It is our hope that discussions offered through parallel sessions at GEEF 2021 on how to improve partnerships would lead to shared prosperity and promote peaceful societies. The concept of ‘Security’ can be extended to cover not only diplomacy and national defense, but also various dimensions that can lead to transnational insecurity, e.g., climate change, mass migration, widening inequalities, water scarcity, biodiversity loss, and deforestation. GEEF 2021 hopes that this year’s forum will serve as a venue for the global community to discuss how to build 3Ps beyond security to rebuild our society’s resilience for the post-COVID 19 era.

Session obj!ectives

• Share emerging issues and pressing challenges to tackle as a global community
• Discuss future directions and actions speakers will take in 2021
• Offer suggestions on what the audience should think and act upon in 2021

Background and Rationale

The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated once again that multilateral cooperation, multisectoral partnerships, and global solidarity will be essential to guarantee resilience for the global community. The range of activities that require coordination to combat COVID-19 pandemic is wide; cooperation is needed not just for the development of vaccines but also for sharing lessons learned from systematic programs for short-run relief programs and medium-run post-COVID19 recovery plans. Moreover, the social and economic shock brought upon by COVID-19 has put the entire world a step backward on its endeavor to pursue the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Consequently, there is an urgent need for discussion on how to move forward despite what we experienced in year 2020.

The importance of multisectoral partnerships and collaboration is highlighted by the impact of COVID-19 on sectors beyond health. According to the World Bank, economic growth has slowed down globally as various economic activities were suspended due to physical barriers caused by COVID-19. Under-employment and unemployment issues are exacerbated, putting a halt on efforts for poverty reduction. The FAO showed concerns and started initiatives on the agricultural sector as it is also hit by the economic crisis, threatening global food security. As the United Nations reports, developing countries without adequate IT infrastructure are failing to provide suitable online education. Schools in underdeveloped regions were not just places for education, but often acted as the bridge to gender equality and healthy life. With the closure of schools around the world, children of the most vulnerable countries are in danger of being neglected. International organizations such as UNICEF, WHO, and the World Bank are already forming multisectoral programs to address these issues. In order to mitigate the negative impact of COVID-19 in various areas including public health, forming a rigid system of response to global challenges through multisectoral partnerships is needed.

Multisectoral partnerships, however, must be accompanied by multilateral cooperation as actors on various levels need to be engaged to create a collective impact. World leaders at the 75th UN General Assembly showed strong support for multilateralism, recognizing the role of multilateral cooperation in addressing global threats. COVID-19 is neither the first nor the only challenge that global society faces together. Preexisting issues such as climate change and various inequalities require coordinated responses. COVID-19 is a reminder to the global society that multilateral and multisectoral cooperation is the most effective system to tackle global threats. As numerous scholars anticipate, post-COVID-19 era will be vastly different and require a change in the paradigm of global partnerships. Reforming the multilateral and multisectoral cooperation system will be essential to build a resilient society

Session obj!ectives

• Discuss key barriers that have prevented constructive multilateral cooperation and multisectoral partnerships.
• Allow speakers to communicate examples of innovation they have attempted to facilitate partnerships by engaging stakeholders.
• Suggest how multilateral cooperation could alleviate the increasing conflicts and polarization among countries due to secure enough COVID-19 vaccines for their citizens.
• Highlight which SDGs may need to be prioritized to build resilience in the post COVID-19 era.
• Provide specific guidelines on how to lead a healthy life in 2021 during and after COVID-19.

Background and Rationale

The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated once again that multilateral cooperation and global solidarity will be essential to guarantee youth empowerment. As the Special Envoy Angelina Jolie noted, the pandemic has exacerbated various dimensions of inequities in our global society and the resulting setback is as much a threat to our interests as it is an affront to our values. The social and economic shock brought upon by COVID-19 has put the entire world a step backward on its endeavor to pursue the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In the face of these challenges, cooperation is needed not just for the development of vaccines but also for sharing lessons on how to ensure youth are not left behind to reach their full potential. Consequently, there is an urgent need for discussions on how to move forward and recover despite what we experienced in the year 2020.

Session obj!ectives

• How can we inspire the younger generation to confront and address these global challenges?
• How can we recover youth and education programs in the post-COVID-19 era?
• What are some critical areas to focus on?
• Who are the most vulnerable among youth?
• How has COVID-19 attributed to worsen their conditions?
• How can they be supported effectively?

Related Data (Covid-19 and the vulnerable)

Background and Rationale

Many countries in the world have faced challenges in implementing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) since their establishment in 2015. The purpose of this session is to disseminate the recently released Ban Ki-moon Foundation Report Redesign Our Future: The UN SDGs, 5 Years and the Next 10 Years. This report includes five key messages (realigning interactions among the SDGs; rebalancing among SDG stakeholders; empowering and engaging stakeholders; monitoring and reviewing SDG implementation; and sharing experiences) from the 8th UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to take stock of the achievements of the SDGs during the past five years based on obj!ective measurements and a concrete implementation plan for the next ten years. This report covers engagement with multiple stakeholders, including government, the private sector, NGOs, civil society, and international organizations. Furthermore, cooperation with relevant institutions and associations is analyzed. This report also reviews the current progress of achieving the SDGs in both quantitative and qualitative dimensions. By applying quantitative methods in selected countries, this paper draws meaningful implications to support the five key messages to the world. 

G17 

Session obj!ectives

1) Problem identification: Sizing up the Challenge

2) Solution finding:

• Re-aligning interactions among the SDGs
• Assessing COVID-19 and the implications on the SDGs
• Rebalancing among SDGs stakeholders
• Empowering and engaging stakeholders
• Monitoring and evaluating SDGs implementation
• Sharing experience

3) Prospect: The way forward

Background and Rationale

As the global society changed its consumption, production, travel, and transport patterns during the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020, we have observed noticeable decreases in greenhouse gas emissions. However, these reductions would be temporary if we were to go back to business-as-usual practices. If countries allow COVID-19 to steer their attention and endeavors away from carbon-neutral initiatives, the world will soon face another threat from severe environmental degradation on every aspect of human life in terms of individual health, society, and the economy. Therefore, it would be essential to integrate carbon-reduction obj!ectives along with other economic and social initiatives within the COVID-19 recovery plans.

Amid the pandemic, some countries have acknowledged this unmet need and pledged to become carbon neutral. Early last March, the European Commission presented a legally binding commitment to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 under the Climate Law. Moreover, China, the world’s largest emitter-accountable for approximately 28 percent of global emissions -, has announced to become carbon neutral by 2060 at the 75th session of the UN General Assembly last year. In accordance, a month later both South Korea and Japan declared national carbon neutrality projects by 2050. It is anticipated that the US will also take part in carbon-free production via the Biden Administration’s climate plan and return to the Paris Agreement once Joe Biden is sworn into office.

However, despite all the dedications, further discussion is needed as many countries lack the specifics on how they would achieve the obj!ectives and it will be inevitable that challenges would arise during the process. For instance, governments face dilemma over a suite of policy options to choose from, e.g. carbon tax schemes and permit systems. As a result, mistargeting could lead to negative market distortions resulting in either overpricing or inflation of carbon allowances targeted to power industries. In addition, inconsistent trade and investment policies against carbon-neutral goals may confuse stakeholders in the private sector, creating obstacles for renewable energy development. Another drawback arises from potentially conflicting interests of the social sector concerning land use and job losses in the fossil fuel industries. Therefore, countries should share their experiences and future schemes on binding strong partnerships among the public, private, and social sectors to peacefully reach carbon neutrality.

Furthermore, roles of developing countries would be as critical as that of the developed countries as greenhouse gas emissions is a transboundary problem requiring dedication from all countries. However, the physical distancing and economic uncertainty resulting from COVID-19 are hindering progressive investments and green energy projects all around the world. On top of that, developing countries may find participating in the caron neutral agenda overwhelming due to the enormous challenges of controlling the infectious disease and securing sufficient medical care, along with measurements for economic recovery. Therefore, it would be essential to discuss means of empowering developing countries so that they can also actively engage in net-zero carbon emissions. Consequently, the call and need for multilateralism to act upon environmental stewardship to achieve carbon neutrality will be even more pertinent and urgent as we enter the third decade of the 21st century.

Session obj!ectives

• How can we achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 or 2060?
• Discuss policy challenges and lessons of COVID-19 that can be applied for carbon neutrality.
• Suggest action points for one or more stakeholders to act upon in 2021 to achieve carbon neutrality.
• Share ideas on how multilateral partnerships can overcome short-term oriented nature of domestic policymaking and policy procrastination.
• Provide opinions on innovative solutions that can accelerate carbon-neutrality in the post-COVID-19 era taking into account the burdens countries may face due to health and economic difficulties as an aftermath of COVID-19.
• Explore means to stabilize climate finance and to increase the proportion of COVID-19 recovery packages allocated to “green” initiatives that decrease carbon emissions.

Related SDGs

• SDG 4. Quality Education
  
  • Target 4.7 By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development
• SDG 13. Climate Action
  
  • Target 13.2 Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning
  • Target 13.3 Improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning
• SDG 9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation
  
  • Target 9.4: By 2030, upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable, with increased resource-use efficiency and greater adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies and industrial processes, with all countries taking action in accordance with their respective capabilities
• SDG 12. Responsible Consumption and Production
  
  • Target 12.C Rationalize inefficient fossil-fuel subsidies that encourage wasteful consumption by removing market distortions, in accordance with national circumstances, including by restructuring taxation and phasing out those harmful subsidies, where they exist, to reflect their environmental impacts, taking fully into account the specific needs and conditions of developing countries and minimizing the possible adverse impacts on their development in a manner that protects the poor and the affected communities