NYC Junior Ambassadors: Creating Global Diplomats, locally - United Nations Partnerships for SDGs platform

#SDGAction30666

NYC Junior Ambassadors: Creating Global Diplomats, locally

Description of Good Practice
SDGs & Targets
Resources mobilized

Introduction

Created in 2015 by the NYC Mayor’s Office for International Affairs (IA), NYC Junior Ambassadors (NYCJA) leverages the United Nations as a resource for seventh graders and empowers students and educators across the five boroughs to become actively engaged with the UN and its mission of addressing some of the most pressing challenges in the world. The program uses the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as the framework through which youth and educators understand challenges facing their communities and the world. NYCJA has served over 2,000 youth and educators. The program also has a robust alumni network.

Objective of the practice

In many communities around the world, youth are seen as the leaders of tomorrow not those of today. They are often excluded from decision making and not provided the right support to create change in their lives. These young people are also exposed to messages promoting exclusion over inclusion.

Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration and particularly our office have been at the forefront of combating these harmful messages while reinforcing the values of equity, inclusion, and sustainability. We’ve worked over the past 5 years to develop initiatives and programs that create strong links between the UN and New Yorkers as a way of highlighting the value of localizing action and the benefits of diversity and cooperation. Finally, we have strived to equip young New Yorkers with the tools to be leaders of today and tomorrow.

NYCJA targets New York City 7th graders at a critical time in their personal and intellectual growth and seeks to help them understand the real connections between themselves, their communities, and the world. In order to ensure equity of access, the application is geared toward educators in schools (public, private, charter), after-school and non-profit programs. This ensures that youth, regardless of their socio-economic backgrounds are able to benefit from the program. Particularly, it ensures the inclusion of youth with special needs and those that stem from low-income households or are new English language learners.

The final cohort of 20 classrooms is chosen by a Selection Committee comprised of local and global leaders. Educators in the program are required to include the United Nations and the Sustainable Development Goals in their classroom/afterschool curriculum. The specific SDG/topic is chosen at the discretion of the educator and builds on the interest of the 7th graders.

The NYC Junior Ambassadors has 5 key objectives:
1. Engage NYC youth with the United Nations Headquarters and the work of the UN through the SDGs
2. Increase the knowledge and understanding of the United Nations/SDGs among participants
3. Increase the capacity of educators to teach about the United Nations/SDGs
4. Increase members of the UN community exposure to and engagement with NYC
5. Build strong local and international partnerships to empower NYC youth

The program transforms the way that people, especially youth, are able to connect their lives and experiences to the SDGs. Though the Member States agreed to the SDGs, the Global Goals belong to the people. NYCJA gives New Yorkers the capacity to identify ways they can take local actions to make a global impact. The program promotes inter-generational conversations about the importance of the UN and SDGs in households across NYC.

Key stakeholders and partnerships

NYCJA is made possible through partnerships with the United Nations, the NYC Department of Education, the NYC Department of Youth and Community Development and the United Nations Foundation. Our office also works with key collaborators in the program including UNICEF and WE. In addition, we work with other local and global entities to give youth platforms to express their views and ways they are working to achieve the SDGs. Finally, we collaborate with various Missions/UN Departments to secure the participation of Permanent Representatives and senior UN officials in classroom visits.

Implementation of the Project/Activity

Each NYCJA cycle runs for approximately six to seven months. We use quantitative and qualitative mechanisms to measure the success of the program including the number of people reached, level of knowledge about the UN/SDGs, and the impact of actions.

Most educators accepted in the program are teaching about the UN/SDGs for the first time. As such, the Mayor’s Office for International Affairs offers professional development opportunities and helps strengthen educators’ strategies for teaching about the UN/SDGs. Specifically, at the first educator meeting, NYCJA program partners led sessions to discuss teaching resources available to educators. We also provide each educator with a resource binder customized based on curricular/SDG of focus. We give broad discretion to educators and their students in determining how to incorporate the UN and SDGs into their chosen curriculum. On average, students are engaged in learning in the classroom on a weekly basis.

Through a partnership with the UN, each classroom takes part in a curated and guided visit of the UN Headquarters. There are two key goals associated with these visits. The first goal is to give youth and educators an opportunity to visit a site of importance to NYC and the world. The second goal is to engage with experts on the SDG/issue they have learned about in their classrooms through an hour-long briefing. Classrooms also receive school visits from senior United Nations diplomats who engage students on their role and the classroom’s curricular area of interest. These visits create an opportunity for international dignitaries to visit New York City schools and to build a connection with the school community. Finally, youth have the opportunity to share their experiences and the knowledge acquired in the program through a final group project. This project is showcased at a year-end event celebration where youth also receive certificates of participation. The year-end event is an opportunity for NYC youth, educators, and members of their community to interact with local and international leaders. The majority of NYCJA youth proceed to also teach other students in their school about the SDGs through peer to peer engagement.

As stated above, the NYCJA program also engages UN community members at various levels and helps build closer connections to NYC. Through curated and guided tours of the United Nations, UN tour guides and UN SDG subject matter experts participate in exchanges with NYC students and educators, learning about topics that interest them. Through the classroom visits, senior UN diplomats and their staff visit different parts of NYC and engage with NYC schools around the SDGs. As participants in NYCJA, Ambassadors and their staff travel to outer boroughs and to neighborhoods they have never visited before. They meet with numerous school administrators and learn about the operation of NYC schools. Ambassadors also have the opportunity to take tours of the schools and review the SDG learning taking place in the classroom. Other senior UN diplomats have also hosted program participants in their Mission.

Results/Outputs/Impacts

The NYC Junior Ambassadors program has been extremely successful since its launch in 2015. The program continues to achieve all stated objectives. Over 2,000 youth and educators have directly learned about the United Nations and its work through the SDGs. Thousands of additional youth and New Yorkers have been impacted indirectly through peer to peer learning and campaigns by our office and the students. Our participants have also welcomed senior diplomatic representatives in their classrooms from over 30 countries.

In the Bronx, a group of Junior Ambassadors organized a gender carnival in their school to teach hundreds of their peers about SDG 5 and the importance of promoting gender equity. In Brooklyn, our students drew art and created murals to raise awareness about climate action. In Manhattan, another group worked on SDG 2 and promoted healthy eating for people who benefit from government programs such as SNAP. The cohorts of NYC Junior Ambassadors over the years have also organized walks, fundraisers, and other events to benefit causes in their communities and around the world. For example, they raised funds for UNICEF. Our NYCJA educators have also received awards celebrating their work to teach about the UN and the SDGs. Finally, our youth participate at high-level events to share the importance of youth voices and to raise awareness about the SDGs. Last summer, students from Brooklyn were invited to the UN SG’s historic speech on climate action where they shared their art. Finally, our office developed an NYCJA campaign that was posted at LinkNYC kiosks across the city thereby amplifying the program and the SDGs to New Yorkers.

The program has helped youth develop their self-concept and identity as global citizens. Educators reported that their students felt more connected to the world because they understood their power to resolve key issues. Participation in the program was also integral to helping youth develop a sense of responsibility for their wellbeing, those of their communities and the world in general. Educators in the program report feeling empowered to engage their administrators in continuing to teach about the UN/SDGs beyond the program. They also mentioned that they became more dedicated to global citizenship because they saw the growth and complexity in the thinking of their students. NYCJA also helps partners fulfill their mandate toward youth and the SDGs. It provides partners with access to NYC youth and educators. The program also gives them visibility in terms of ensuring New Yorkers are aware of their work toward achieving the SDGs. Many Ambassadors have continued to engage with the program because it enables them to better understand NYC’s efforts to localize the SDGs.

This year, we are working with a new cohort of nearly 600 youth and educators. We also continue to leverage our alumni network by providing opportunities for engagement around the SDGs through partners such as UNICEF and the UN Department of Global Communications. Finally, we share best practices with cities and organizations interested in implementing their own versions of NYCJA.

Enabling factors and constraints

NYC is home to the UN headquarters and the largest diplomatic community in the world. The city is also one of the most diverse in the world. As such, our office recognizes the importance of promoting diversity, inclusion, and global citizenship. We also know that the success of the Global Goals requires actions from all stakeholders.

NYCJA is a program that is cost effective. We use existing staff lines to operate the program. Due to the limited budget, we identified key partners that could help us achieve our objectives by providing the services and tools needed.

The partnership of the United Nations is critical to implementing the guided and curated tours of the UN campus. Staff members in the United Nations Department of Global Communications develop a calendar for the visits and identify speakers for each briefing. They also help to find UN-related tools for inclusion in the educator resource binders. Additionally, they attend the educator meetings and provide training for educators on engaging their youth around the UN/SDGs. The NYC Department of Education (DOE) provides access to NYC youth and educators and helps to amplify the call for applications through postings in various educator newsletters. The Chancellor of the DOE also serves on the NYCJA Selection Committee. Members of the DOE also provide guidance on various issues including transportation to the UN for the guided tours and to the year-end event. The NYC Department of Youth & Community Development (DYCD) provides support during the application outreach process. They target their outreach to afterschool programs and post the call for applications on their website and social media platforms. Commissioner Bill Chong actively serves on the Selection Committee. Finally, the United Nations Foundation (UNF) identifies customized tools for educators. Ms. Kathy Calvin, President of UNF, serves on the NYCJA Selection Committee.

As the program has continued to evolve, our office also built partnerships with various UN and local entities. The UN SDG Action Campaign provided opportunities for students to use their virtual reality masks to learn about the Syrian refugee crisis and SDG 16. The UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs partnered to exhibit the final projects of two NYCJA students at the United Nations during the meeting of the UN High-Level Political Forum in July 2016. These students also met with the Prime Minister of Norway and the Vice President of Vietnam. At the local level, collaboration with community organizations, school officials and the offices of NYC elected officials – including NYC Council Members and Borough Presidents – has been critical to spreading information about the program and the SDGs during the application process.

Sustainability and replicability

Youth engagement in the SDGs is critical. Our office has proven through NYC Junior Ambassadors that cities can be important partners to the UN in mobilizing people around the SDGs. NYCJA is sustainable and replicable because it’s a program that is cost effective. The tools we use are easily accessible and the partnerships we’ve built can be replicated by other cities.

At the inception of NYCJA, our office focused on 7th graders experience with the UN and the SDGs. Though this focus is still a priority, the program has evolved into an experience for all stakeholders. NYCJA has fostered a community of people that are deeply committed to the SDGs because they’ve seen through our program the direct impact of their actions. The program has continued to grow with the youth and educators. Our original cohort of students is now in high school. Yet, they continue to work on the SDGs and to advocate for their issues. Some educators have also relocated to different schools and continued teaching about the SDGs and the UN thereby opening the program to new audiences.
NYCJA will continue to grow with our participants thereby multiplying and sustaining our impact.

We have shared the best practices we’ve learned with partners and external stakeholders interested in replicating our program. Because the program is rooted in service learning and driven by the students and educators, cities and national government can easily implement it. We are in continuous conversations with partners to leverage technology for these efforts. For example, we are open to connecting schools internationally to our classrooms to promote a global conversation on the SDGs. The workbooks we’ve developed for the program can also be translated and used by educators worldwide.

Conclusions

NYCJA is in its fourth cohort year and our office continues to demonstrate the power people can have in achieving the SDGs. The Mayor’s Office for International Affairs will continue to innovate with the program. Demand for NYCJA is still high because more people have learned about the program. NYCJA successfully deepens youth and educators’ knowledge of the UN/SDGs by facilitating their learning and engagements. Program participants become “specialists” on the SDGs while also building a strong foundational understanding of the UN, therefore providing them with the basic tools for understanding international affairs.

NYCJA can serve as a strong model. The program mobilized various local and global stakeholder groups in order to promote all 17 Goals. We will continue the simple application process in order to foster diversity in participants. Being selected for this award will help us share our best practices more widely. It will also help us continue creating platforms for our participants to create change. Finally, our selection will show to other cities that engaging people in the SDGs does not require millions in funding; it simply requires creative use of available resources and partnerships.

We hope you will select us and join us in creating global diplomats, locally!

Other sources of information

Program website: nyc.gov/nycja
Mayor de Blasio and International Commissioner Abeywardena Announce New Participants Selected for the NYC Junior Ambassadors Program, November 20, 2018
Over 500 Seventh-grade Students Graduate From 2017-2018 NYC Junior Ambassadors Program At Historic Queens Museum, June 18, 2018
NYC Junior Ambassadors Program Educators Win Excellence in Education Awards, April 9, 2018
5 Middle School Girls Explain How Young People Can Change the World, October 12, 2017, Teen Vogue
Support Girls’ Empowerment Today, October 10, 2017, United Nations Medium
India's ambassador to UN visits Bronx students, June 5, 2017, New 12 The Bronx
Creating global diplomats, locally, April 9, 2017, United Nations Medium
Queens Students Learn to Think from an International Perspective, March 9, 2017, NY 1 News
Bronx school starts 'Pledge For Peace' campaign, April 3, 2017, Bronx Times
U.N. Ambassador Visits Staten Island School, June 1, 2016, NY1 Staten Island
Mayor Bill de Blasio Announces Inaugural Student Cohort of NYC Junior Ambassadors, January 29, 2016
My Wish On World Children’s Day: https://medium.com/@globalnyc/my-wish-on-world-childrens-day-3b947a5eb49e

NYCJA educators on Medium: https://medium.com/@globalnyc/from-the-global-stage-to-the-classroom-local-educators-reflect-on-nyc-junior-ambassadors-program-f5b5456c241

Goal 1

1.1 - By 2030, eradicate extreme poverty for all people everywhere, currently measured as people living on less than $1.25 a day

1.2 - By 2030, reduce at least by half the proportion of men, women and children of all ages living in poverty in all its dimensions according to national definitions

1.3 - Implement nationally appropriate social protection systems and measures for all, including floors, and by 2030 achieve substantial coverage of the poor and the vulnerable

1.4 - By 2030, ensure that all men and women, in particular the poor and the vulnerable, have equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to basic services, ownership and control over land and other forms of property, inheritance, natural resources, appropriate new technology and financial services, including microfinance

1.5 - By 2030, build the resilience of the poor and those in vulnerable situations and reduce their exposure and vulnerability to climate-related extreme events and other economic, social and environmental shocks and disasters

1.a - Ensure significant mobilization of resources from a variety of sources, including through enhanced development cooperation, in order to provide adequate and predictable means for developing countries, in particular least developed countries, to implement programmes and policies to end poverty in all its dimensions

1.b - Create sound policy frameworks at the national, regional and international levels, based on pro-poor and gender-sensitive development strategies, to support accelerated investment in poverty eradication actions

Goal 2

2.1 - By 2030, end hunger and ensure access by all people, in particular the poor and people in vulnerable situations, including infants, to safe, nutritious and sufficient food all year round

2.2 - By 2030, end all forms of malnutrition, including achieving, by 2025, the internationally agreed targets on stunting and wasting in children under 5 years of age, and address the nutritional needs of adolescent girls, pregnant and lactating women and older persons

2.3 - By 2030, double the agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers, in particular women, indigenous peoples, family farmers, pastoralists and fishers, including through secure and equal access to land, other productive resources and inputs, knowledge, financial services, markets and opportunities for value addition and non-farm employment

2.4 - By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding and other disasters and that progressively improve land and soil quality

2.5 - By 2020, maintain the genetic diversity of seeds, cultivated plants and farmed and domesticated animals and their related wild species, including through soundly managed and diversified seed and plant banks at the national, regional and international levels, and promote access to and fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge, as internationally agreed

2.a - Increase investment, including through enhanced international cooperation, in rural infrastructure, agricultural research and extension services, technology development and plant and livestock gene banks in order to enhance agricultural productive capacity in developing countries, in particular least developed countries

2.b - Correct and prevent trade restrictions and distortions in world agricultural markets, including through the parallel elimination of all forms of agricultural export subsidies and all export measures with equivalent effect, in accordance with the mandate of the Doha Development Round

2.c - Adopt measures to ensure the proper functioning of food commodity markets and their derivatives and facilitate timely access to market information, including on food reserves, in order to help limit extreme food price volatility

Goal 3

3.1 - By 2030, reduce the global maternal mortality ratio to less than 70 per 100,000 live births

3.2 - By 2030, end preventable deaths of newborns and children under 5 years of age, with all countries aiming to reduce neonatal mortality to at least as low as 12 per 1,000 live births and under-5 mortality to at least as low as 25 per 1,000 live births

3.3 - By 2030, end the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and neglected tropical diseases and combat hepatitis, water-borne diseases and other communicable diseases

3.4 - By 2030, reduce by one third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through prevention and treatment and promote mental health and well-being

3.5 - Strengthen the prevention and treatment of substance abuse, including narcotic drug abuse and harmful use of alcohol

3.6 - By 2020, halve the number of global deaths and injuries from road traffic accidents

3.7 - By 2030, ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health-care services, including for family planning, information and education, and the integration of reproductive health into national strategies and programmes

3.8 - Achieve universal health coverage, including financial risk protection, access to quality essential health-care services and access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all

3.9 - By 2030, substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water and soil pollution and contamination

3.a - Strengthen the implementation of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in all countries, as appropriate

3.b - Support the research and development of vaccines and medicines for the communicable and non-communicable diseases that primarily affect developing countries, provide access to affordable essential medicines and vaccines, in accordance with the Doha Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health, which affirms the right of developing countries to use to the full the provisions in the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights regarding flexibilities to protect public health, and, in particular, provide access to medicines for all

3.c - Substantially increase health financing and the recruitment, development, training and retention of the health workforce in developing countries, especially in least developed countries and small island developing States

3.d - Strengthen the capacity of all countries, in particular developing countries, for early warning, risk reduction and management of national and global health risks

Goal 4

4.1 - By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes

4.2 - By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education so that they are ready for primary education

4.3 - By 2030, ensure equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education, including university

4.4 - By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship

4.5 - By 2030, eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access to all levels of education and vocational training for the vulnerable, including persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples and children in vulnerable situations

4.6 - By 2030, ensure that all youth and a substantial proportion of adults, both men and women, achieve literacy and numeracy

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

4.a - Build and upgrade education facilities that are child, disability and gender sensitive and provide safe, non-violent, inclusive and effective learning environments for all

4.b - By 2020, substantially expand globally the number of scholarships available to developing countries, in particular least developed countries, small island developing States and African countries, for enrolment in higher education, including vocational training and information and communications technology, technical, engineering and scientific programmes, in developed countries and other developing countries

4.c - By 2030, substantially increase the supply of qualified teachers, including through international cooperation for teacher training in developing countries, especially least developed countries and small island developing States

Goal 5

5.1 - End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere

5.2 - Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation

5.3 - Eliminate all harmful practices, such as child, early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation

5.4 - Recognize and value unpaid care and domestic work through the provision of public services, infrastructure and social protection policies and the promotion of shared responsibility within the household and the family as nationally appropriate

5.5 - Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life

5.6 - Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights as agreed in accordance with the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and the Beijing Platform for Action and the outcome documents of their review conferences

5.a - Undertake reforms to give women equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to ownership and control over land and other forms of property, financial services, inheritance and natural resources, in accordance with national laws

5.b - Enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology, to promote the empowerment of women

5.c - Adopt and strengthen sound policies and enforceable legislation for the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls at all levels

Goal 6

6.1 - By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all

6.2 - By 2030, achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations

6.3 - By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse globally

6.4 - By 2030, substantially increase water-use efficiency across all sectors and ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address water scarcity and substantially reduce the number of people suffering from water scarcity

6.5 - By 2030, implement integrated water resources management at all levels, including through transboundary cooperation as appropriate

6.6 - By 2020, protect and restore water-related ecosystems, including mountains, forests, wetlands, rivers, aquifers and lakes

6.a - By 2030, expand international cooperation and capacity-building support to developing countries in water- and sanitation-related activities and programmes, including water harvesting, desalination, water efficiency, wastewater treatment, recycling and reuse technologies

6.b - Support and strengthen the participation of local communities in improving water and sanitation management

Goal 7

7.1 - By 2030, ensure universal access to affordable, reliable and modern energy services

7.2 - By 2030, increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix

7.3 - By 2030, double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency

7.a - By 2030, enhance international cooperation to facilitate access to clean energy research and technology, including renewable energy, energy efficiency and advanced and cleaner fossil-fuel technology, and promote investment in energy infrastructure and clean energy technology

7.b - By 2030, expand infrastructure and upgrade technology for supplying modern and sustainable energy services for all in developing countries, in particular least developed countries, small island developing States, and land-locked developing countries, in accordance with their respective programmes of support

Goal 8

8.1 - Sustain per capita economic growth in accordance with national circumstances and, in particular, at least 7 per cent gross domestic product growth per annum in the least developed countries

8.2 - Achieve higher levels of economic productivity through diversification, technological upgrading and innovation, including through a focus on high-value added and labour-intensive sectors

8.3 - Promote development-oriented policies that support productive activities, decent job creation, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation, and encourage the formalization and growth of micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises, including through access to financial services

8.4 - Improve progressively, through 2030, global resource efficiency in consumption and production and endeavour to decouple economic growth from environmental degradation, in accordance with the 10-year framework of programmes on sustainable consumption and production, with developed countries taking the lead

8.5 - By 2030, achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men, including for young people and persons with disabilities, and equal pay for work of equal value

8.6 - By 2020, substantially reduce the proportion of youth not in employment, education or training

8.7 - Take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour, including recruitment and use of child soldiers, and by 2025 end child labour in all its forms

8.8 - Protect labour rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers, including migrant workers, in particular women migrants, and those in precarious employment

8.9 - By 2030, devise and implement policies to promote sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and products

8.10 - Strengthen the capacity of domestic financial institutions to encourage and expand access to banking, insurance and financial services for all

8.a - Increase Aid for Trade support for developing countries, in particular least developed countries, including through the Enhanced Integrated Framework for Trade-Related Technical Assistance to Least Developed Countries

8.b - By 2020, develop and operationalize a global strategy for youth employment and implement the Global Jobs Pact of the International Labour Organization

Goal 9

9.1 - Develop quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure, including regional and transborder infrastructure, to support economic development and human well-being, with a focus on affordable and equitable access for all

9.2 - Promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and, by 2030, significantly raise industry’s share of employment and gross domestic product, in line with national circumstances, and double its share in least developed countries

9.3 - Increase the access of small-scale industrial and other enterprises, in particular in developing countries, to financial services, including affordable credit, and their integration into value chains and markets

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

9.5 - Enhance scientific research, upgrade the technological capabilities of industrial sectors in all countries, in particular developing countries, including, by 2030, encouraging innovation and substantially increasing the number of research and development workers per 1 million people and public and private research and development spending

9.a - Facilitate sustainable and resilient infrastructure development in developing countries through enhanced financial, technological and technical support to African countries, least developed countries, landlocked developing countries and small island developing States

9.b - Support domestic technology development, research and innovation in developing countries, including by ensuring a conducive policy environment for, inter alia, industrial diversification and value addition to commodities

9.c - Significantly increase access to information and communications technology and strive to provide universal and affordable access to the Internet in least developed countries by 2020

Goal 10

10.1 - By 2030, progressively achieve and sustain income growth of the bottom 40 per cent of the population at a rate higher than the national average

10.2 - By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status

10.3 - Ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome, including by eliminating discriminatory laws, policies and practices and promoting appropriate legislation, policies and action in this regard

10.4 - Adopt policies, especially fiscal, wage and social protection policies, and progressively achieve greater equality

10.5 - Improve the regulation and monitoring of global financial markets and institutions and strengthen the implementation of such regulations

10.6 - Ensure enhanced representation and voice for developing countries in decision-making in global international economic and financial institutions in order to deliver more effective, credible, accountable and legitimate institutions

10.7 - Facilitate orderly, safe, regular and responsible migration and mobility of people, including through the implementation of planned and well-managed migration policies

10.a - Implement the principle of special and differential treatment for developing countries, in particular least developed countries, in accordance with World Trade Organization agreements

10.b - Encourage official development assistance and financial flows, including foreign direct investment, to States where the need is greatest, in particular least developed countries, African countries, small island developing States and landlocked developing countries, in accordance with their national plans and programmes

10.c - By 2030, reduce to less than 3 per cent the transaction costs of migrant remittances and eliminate remittance corridors with costs higher than 5 per cent

Goal 11

11.1 - By 2030, ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums

11.2 - By 2030, provide access to safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable transport systems for all, improving road safety, notably by expanding public transport, with special attention to the needs of those in vulnerable situations, women, children, persons with disabilities and older persons

11.3 - By 2030, enhance inclusive and sustainable urbanization and capacity for participatory, integrated and sustainable human settlement planning and management in all countries

11.4 - Strengthen efforts to protect and safeguard the world’s cultural and natural heritage

11.5 - By 2030, significantly reduce the number of deaths and the number of people affected and substantially decrease the direct economic losses relative to global gross domestic product caused by disasters, including water-related disasters, with a focus on protecting the poor and people in vulnerable situations

11.6 - By 2030, reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to air quality and municipal and other waste management

11.7 - By 2030, provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces, in particular for women and children, older persons and persons with disabilities

11.a - Support positive economic, social and environmental links between urban, peri-urban and rural areas by strengthening national and regional development planning

11.b - By 2020, substantially increase the number of cities and human settlements adopting and implementing integrated policies and plans towards inclusion, resource efficiency, mitigation and adaptation to climate change, resilience to disasters, and develop and implement, in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, holistic disaster risk management at all levels

11.c - Support least developed countries, including through financial and technical assistance, in building sustainable and resilient buildings utilizing local materials

Goal 12

12.1 - Implement the 10-year framework of programmes on sustainable consumption and production, all countries taking action, with developed countries taking the lead, taking into account the development and capabilities of developing countries

12.2 - By 2030, achieve the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources

12.3 - By 2030, halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses

12.4 - By 2020, achieve the environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle, in accordance with agreed international frameworks, and significantly reduce their release to air, water and soil in order to minimize their adverse impacts on human health and the environment

12.5 - By 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse

12.6 - Encourage companies, especially large and transnational companies, to adopt sustainable practices and to integrate sustainability information into their reporting cycle

12.7 - Promote public procurement practices that are sustainable, in accordance with national policies and priorities

12.8 - By 2030, ensure that people everywhere have the relevant information and awareness for sustainable development and lifestyles in harmony with nature

12.a - Support developing countries to strengthen their scientific and technological capacity to move towards more sustainable patterns of consumption and production

12.b - Develop and implement tools to monitor sustainable development impacts for sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and products

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

Goal 13

13.1 - Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries

13.2 - Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning

13.3 - Improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning

13.a - Implement the commitment undertaken by developed-country parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to a goal of mobilizing jointly $100 billion annually by 2020 from all sources to address the needs of developing countries in the context of meaningful mitigation actions and transparency on implementation and fully operationalize the Green Climate Fund through its capitalization as soon as possible

13.b - Promote mechanisms for raising capacity for effective climate change-related planning and management in least developed countries and small island developing States, including focusing on women, youth and local and marginalized communities

* Acknowledging that the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is the primary international,
intergovernmental forum for negotiating the global response to climate change.

Goal 14

14.1 - By 2025, prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, in particular from land-based activities, including marine debris and nutrient pollution

14.2 - By 2020, sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems to avoid significant adverse impacts, including by strengthening their resilience, and take action for their restoration in order to achieve healthy and productive oceans

14.3 - Minimize and address the impacts of ocean acidification, including through enhanced scientific cooperation at all levels

14.4 - By 2020, effectively regulate harvesting and end overfishing, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and destructive fishing practices and implement science-based management plans, in order to restore fish stocks in the shortest time feasible, at least to levels that can produce maximum sustainable yield as determined by their biological characteristics

14.5 - By 2020, conserve at least 10 per cent of coastal and marine areas, consistent with national and international law and based on the best available scientific information

14.6 - By 2020, prohibit certain forms of fisheries subsidies which contribute to overcapacity and overfishing, eliminate subsidies that contribute to illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and refrain from introducing new such subsidies, recognizing that appropriate and effective special and differential treatment for developing and least developed countries should be an integral part of the World Trade Organization fisheries subsidies negotiation

14.7 - By 2030, increase the economic benefits to Small Island developing States and least developed countries from the sustainable use of marine resources, including through sustainable management of fisheries, aquaculture and tourism

14.a - Increase scientific knowledge, develop research capacity and transfer marine technology, taking into account the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission Criteria and Guidelines on the Transfer of Marine Technology, in order to improve ocean health and to enhance the contribution of marine biodiversity to the development of developing countries, in particular small island developing States and least developed countries

14.b - Provide access for small-scale artisanal fishers to marine resources and markets

14.c - Enhance the conservation and sustainable use of oceans and their resources by implementing international law as reflected in UNCLOS, which provides the legal framework for the conservation and sustainable use of oceans and their resources, as recalled in paragraph 158 of The Future We Want

Goal 15

15.1 - By 2020, ensure the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services, in particular forests, wetlands, mountains and drylands, in line with obligations under international agreements

15.2 - By 2020, promote the implementation of sustainable management of all types of forests, halt deforestation, restore degraded forests and substantially increase afforestation and reforestation globally

15.3 - By 2030, combat desertification, restore degraded land and soil, including land affected by desertification, drought and floods, and strive to achieve a land degradation-neutral world

15.4 - By 2030, ensure the conservation of mountain ecosystems, including their biodiversity, in order to enhance their capacity to provide benefits that are essential for sustainable development

15.5 - Take urgent and significant action to reduce the degradation of natural habitats, halt the loss of biodiversity and, by 2020, protect and prevent the extinction of threatened species

15.6 - Promote fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources and promote appropriate access to such resources, as internationally agreed

15.7 - Take urgent action to end poaching and trafficking of protected species of flora and fauna and address both demand and supply of illegal wildlife products

15.8 - By 2020, introduce measures to prevent the introduction and significantly reduce the impact of invasive alien species on land and water ecosystems and control or eradicate the priority species

15.9 - By 2020, integrate ecosystem and biodiversity values into national and local planning, development processes, poverty reduction strategies and accounts

15.a - Mobilize and significantly increase financial resources from all sources to conserve and sustainably use biodiversity and ecosystems

15.b - Mobilize significant resources from all sources and at all levels to finance sustainable forest management and provide adequate incentives to developing countries to advance such management, including for conservation and reforestation

15.c - Enhance global support for efforts to combat poaching and trafficking of protected species, including by increasing the capacity of local communities to pursue sustainable livelihood opportunities

Goal 16

16.1 - Significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates everywhere

16.2 - End abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence against and torture of children

16.3 - Promote the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensure equal access to justice for all

16.4 - By 2030, significantly reduce illicit financial and arms flows, strengthen the recovery and return of stolen assets and combat all forms of organized crime

16.5 - Substantially reduce corruption and bribery in all their forms

16.6 - Develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels

16.7 - Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels

16.8 - Broaden and strengthen the participation of developing countries in the institutions of global governance

16.9 - By 2030, provide legal identity for all, including birth registration

16.10 - Ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms, in accordance with national legislation and international agreements

16.a - Strengthen relevant national institutions, including through international cooperation, for building capacity at all levels, in particular in developing countries, to prevent violence and combat terrorism and crime

16.b - Promote and enforce non-discriminatory laws and policies for sustainable development

Goal 17

17.1 - Strengthen domestic resource mobilization, including through international support to developing countries, to improve domestic capacity for tax and other revenue collection

17.2 - Developed countries to implement fully their official development assistance commitments, including the commitment by many developed countries to achieve the target of 0.7 per cent of ODA/GNI to developing countries and 0.15 to 0.20 per cent of ODA/GNI to least developed countries; ODA providers are encouraged to consider setting a target to provide at least 0.20 per cent of ODA/GNI to least developed countries

17.3 - Mobilize additional financial resources for developing countries from multiple sources

17.4 - Assist developing countries in attaining long-term debt sustainability through coordinated policies aimed at fostering debt financing, debt relief and debt restructuring, as appropriate, and address the external debt of highly indebted poor countries to reduce debt distress

17.5 - Adopt and implement investment promotion regimes for least developed countries

17.6 - Enhance North-South, South-South and triangular regional and international cooperation on and access to science, technology and innovation and enhance knowledge sharing on mutually agreed terms, including through improved coordination among existing mechanisms, in particular at the United Nations level, and through a global technology facilitation mechanism

17.7 - Promote the development, transfer, dissemination and diffusion of environmentally sound technologies to developing countries on favourable terms, including on concessional and preferential terms, as mutually agreed

17.8 - Fully operationalize the technology bank and science, technology and innovation capacity-building mechanism for least developed countries by 2017 and enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology

17.9 - Enhance international support for implementing effective and targeted capacity-building in developing countries to support national plans to implement all the sustainable development goals, including through North-South, South-South and triangular cooperation

17.10 - Promote a universal, rules-based, open, non-discriminatory and equitable multilateral trading system under the World Trade Organization, including through the conclusion of negotiations under its Doha Development Agenda

17.11 - Significantly increase the exports of developing countries, in particular with a view to doubling the least developed countries’ share of global exports by 2020

17.12 - Realize timely implementation of duty-free and quota-free market access on a lasting basis for all least developed countries, consistent with World Trade Organization decisions, including by ensuring that preferential rules of origin applicable to imports from least developed countries are transparent and simple, and contribute to facilitating market access

17.13 - Enhance global macroeconomic stability, including through policy coordination and policy coherence

17.14 - Enhance policy coherence for sustainable development

17.15 - Respect each country’s policy space and leadership to establish and implement policies for poverty eradication and sustainable development

Multi-stakeholder partnerships

17.16 - Enhance the global partnership for sustainable development, complemented by multi-stakeholder partnerships that mobilize and share knowledge, expertise, technology and financial resources, to support the achievement of the sustainable development goals in all countries, in particular developing countries

17.17 - Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships

Data, monitoring and accountability

17.18 - By 2020, enhance capacity-building support to developing countries, including for least developed countries and small island developing States, to increase significantly the availability of high-quality, timely and reliable data disaggregated by income, gender, age, race, ethnicity, migratory status, disability, geographic location and other characteristics relevant in national contexts

17.19 - By 2030, build on existing initiatives to develop measurements of progress on sustainable development that complement gross domestic product, and support statistical capacity-building in developing countries

Staff / Technical expertise

NYC Mayor’s Office continuously partners with various UN entities and local New York City agencies to further strengthen the program.

Basic information

Start: 01 January, 2015

Completion: 01 January, 0001

Ongoing? no

Region

North America

Countries

United States of America

Geographical Coverage

Throughout New York City

Entity

NYC Mayor’s Office for International Affairs
Type: Civil society organization

Contact information

Christie Saint-Vil, Strategic Relationships Manager, csaintvil2@cityhall.nyc.gov, (212) 319-9435

Photos

No photo was provided

No photo was provided

No photo was provided