SDG Lab: multi-stakeholder innovation and collaboration for the 2030 Agenda

Since 2015, all UN agencies are working towards reaching of the SDGs and their targets. Still, systemic change and transformative approaches are needed and require innovation, experimentation and acceleration.

As an important operational hub of the 2030 Agenda home to 33 international organisations, 181 Missions of governments, 750 NGOs, renowned academic centers and a strong private sector, Geneva is a dense ecosystem of involved aëtors. There is a great potential to strengthen collaboration, innovation and systemic approaches towards the SDGs. Switzerland’s contribution to the SDG Lab strengthens Geneva’s unique position and potential by fostering initiatives helping to achieving the SDGs and promoting Switzerland's and Geneva’s important role for sustainable development.

The overall goal is to accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda by hamessing the potential of the multi-stakeholder ecosystem in Geneva and beyond.

SDG Lab mission:
The SDG Lab’s mission is to be a laboratory for new ideas and new partnerships for the SDGs. The SDG Lab communicates knowledge around the SDGs, identifies opportunities for meaningful collaboration, convenes diverse stakeholders around common challenges, facilitates innovation for new approaches and methods and fosters new multi-stakeholder partnerships to address SDG challenges.

Resultados previstos:  

1. Geneva 2030 Ecosystem of SDG actors further strengthened
2. New multi-stakeholder partnerships or other forms of collaboration formed around indepth focus areas
3. New approaches, concepts and methods developed within in-depth focus areas
4. New solutions to specific in-country challenges developed
5. Knowledge and awareness of the SDGs among actors in Geneva is enhanced
6. SDG “Entry Point” sustained

Resultados de las fases anteriores:  

Key achievements 2017-2021 include:

• Providing an entry point to the SDG agenda in Geneva
• Convening diverse partners from across the spectrum around issue-based dialogue related to the SDGs
• Maintaining and sustaining the Geneva Ecosystem
• Joining up partners from across the private sector, UN, civil society and academia through the appropriately-named Building Bridges initiative
• Building connections with partner countries to help them further their SDG goals

The SDG Lab supports UN reforms, it coordinates with UN projects and actors, and with other stakeholders in Geneva and beyond.

It supports involvement of the Geneva-based actors in the monitoring and review mechanism of the 2030 Agenda.