The 2023 High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), convened under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council from 10 to 14 July 2023 in New York, had numerous meetings, working sessions, and side-events sponsored by Member States, the UN system, intergovernmental organizations, and other stakeholders.
The Science Day at HLPF 2023 offered an opportunity for decision makers, diplomats, UN officials, scientists, and other stakeholders to discuss science-based SDG achievement. Participants exchanged views on potential strategies to ensure the acceleration of SDG implementation and showcased scientific findings, methodologies, and tools that can help support SDGs. BAI is particularly interested in science and technology discussions as our organization is focused on the promotion of sustainable and inclusive development through the use of new information and communication technologies, such as blockchain and Web3.
BAI followed several side-events to learn about the achievements and challenges faced by different countries that presented their National Voluntary Reviews (NVR) and discussed the general theme of the HLPF and the implementation of SDGs 9 on industry, innovation and infrastructure, and 17 on partnerships for the SDGs.
The exhibition of Saudi Arabia with the theme “Zero Gravity Urbanism – Principles for a New Livability” showcased the implementation of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and the progress achieved in the construction of NEOM, an ambitious project launched in 2017. BAI President, Ambassador Cujba, had a conversation with Mr. Paul Jessup, Head of Sales and Marketing at The Line – NEOM’s flagship city. They talked about the digital and technological aspects of the project and the roleof cognitive technology to build an ecosystem of disruptive, sustainable solutions. Ambassador Cujba was particularly pleased to learn about NEOM’s progress, as he organized at the United Nations a side event in the fall 2018 where NEOM was presented.
The Singapore exhibition highlighted the national holistic approach for a Better and Greener Future – the Green Plan 2030 – a whole-of-nation movement to advance Singapore’s national agenda on sustainable development. The forthcoming participation at the Singapore MetaEra Summit will offer BAI an opportunity to learn first-hand about the use of emerging technologies in achieving SDGs in Singapore.
