CGP at Liberal Democrats Party Conference 2023

CGP were delighted to kick off Party Conference season with a panel at Liberal Democrats Party Conference in Bournemouth in partnership with Lib Dems in International Development (LDID) and BOND, to talk about the progress on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals as we approach the mid-point to 2030.

On the panel were Baron Jonny Oates (Chief Executive of United Against Malnutrition & Hunger), Lord Jeremy Purvis (Liberal Democrat Lords Spokesman for Foreign Affairs, Development and International Trade), Lilei Chow (SDG Lead at Save the Children) and Paul Abernethy (Political Advocacy Lead at BOND).

The discussion focused on the importance of driving forward further action on the SDGs in the context of slow progress or in certain cases, regression. As it currently stands, less than 15% of SDGs are on track for the 2030 goal. Current predictions mean that at the end of the decade, 600 million people will still be going hungry.

Panellists spoke about the need for UK support behind international financial reform, the value of the SDGs in strengthening partnerships through a common goal, identifying areas for UN reform, and the centrality of thought leadership to the UK’s role in international fora.