The Cycle “Spain and the Health SDGs: Practical Implications of an Equity and Sustainability Agenda” Kicks Off

Are we making progress towards the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals? The first session of the cycle “Spain and the Health SDGs: practical implications of an equity and sustainability agenda” took place on January 25th, co-organised by ISGlobal and the “la Caixa” Foundation with the collaboration of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN). The cycle, consisting of three work seminars and three conferences for the public, aims at analysing progress made in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda – namely the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – in the context of Spanish policies and the role of different social actors (public and private sector, civil society and academia).

The session, which took place at the Palau Macaya, included the seminar “The 2030 Agenda: the role of health in sustainable development”, in which 13 experts from different fields discussed progress made on the implementation of the agenda in Spain, and the interplay between health and the other SDGs.   

In the afternoon, Teresa Ribera, director of the Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations (IDDRI) in Paris, gave a conference on “The 2030 Agenda: an identity for Europe?” Ribera, who is also chair of the REDS Advisory Board, made a powerful plea for the urgency in implementing the sustainable development agenda and of Europe’s opportunity to place this issue at the core of its global strategy. For this, the lack of trust towards the SDG must be overcome.

The next session of the cycle will take place on March 6 and foresees a debate on urban health challenges, while the last session on May 8 will focus on poverty-related diseases.