On July 23, an event organized by the UN Association of Russia (UNA-Russia) was held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York as part of the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF).

The key topic of the event was to discuss the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals in the Russian Federation, review best practices, assess progress, and present a Voluntary Local Review of the Republic of Tatarstan.

The event was held with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, the Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the UN in New York, MGIMO University of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the UN Information Center in Moscow, the Republic of Tatarstan, and the Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation for Relations with International Organizations to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, Mr. Boris Titov.

Among speakers was Andrey Cheshev, Deputy General Director of the V.I. Vernadsky Foundation, who presented the Foundation's projects included in the Report "The Russian Federation and Sustainable Development: an Overview of Achievements, initiatives of regions, business and the civil sector (2020-2025)" prepared by the UNA - Russia and MGIMO University.

Among the Foundation's projects reflected in the Report, first of all, were projects in the field of environmental education, life-long environmental education and support for "young science": the All-Russian Conference on Environmental Education, the Vernadsky Foundation Scholarship Program, the "ECOLEADER School" public education project, the All-Russian Course on Hydrogen Energy, and the cycle interactive lectures "Marathon of Eco-Discoveries". Andrey Cheshev noted that the implementation of these projects became possible thanks to cross-sectoral ties i.e. cooperation with the Foundation's partners from the business sector, science and education, as well as the public sector and state authorities.

"The implementation of our educational and awareness-raising projects would not have been possible without the support provided by and participation of leading Russian companies, such as subsidiaries of Gazprom PJSC, Rosatom State Corporation, NOVATEK PJSC, UC RUSAL, EN+ GROUP PISC, etc. Their active participation has allowed us to scale up our programs and ensure their sustainability," he underscored.

In his presentation, Andrey Cheshev focused on how the Foundation's projects facilitate achieving Sustainable developments goals (SDGs) stated in the UN global agenda.

The Organization's activities cover a wide range of areas, from the implementation of educational programs in line with SDG 4 ("Quality education") to the comprehensive solution of tasks related to climate change adaptation and the conservation of biological diversity, which is directly related to the implementation of SDGs 13, 14 and 15.

At each stage, the Foundation is guided by the principles of partnership, involving business, science, education and the expert community in the implementation of initiatives that fully reflect the spirit of SDG 17 - "Partnership for Sustainable Development."

This is how the synergy of environmental, social and economic aspects of sustainable development is achieved, and a systematic approach to the formation of an ecological culture is being formed in Russia and abroad.

At the end of his presentation, Andrey Cheshev stated: "We intend to further promote sustainable development in Russia by actively participating in both domestic and international discussions, sharing our accumulated experience, and expanding cooperation with scientific, business, and government agencies."

Reference:

Since 2003, the Vernadsky Foundation has been in consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). In 2015, the Foundation was granted a privileged partnership (consultative) status with UNESCO. In 2018, the Foundation received the status of an observer organization of the UNFCCC, and participates regularly in the Conferences of the Parties to the UNFCCC on climate change.

The text of the report is available from the link