18th Governing Council Meeting in New York City

Warsaw, Poland
October 1, 2015

On the occasion of the 70^th anniversary of the United Nations, Heads of State and High Representatives of Government have gathered in New York to adopt the 2030 agenda for Sustainable Development.
 
The 2030 development agenda consists of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), which will be implemented over the upcoming 15 years. Amongst them is Goal 16 – promoting peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, providing access to justice for all and building effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.
 
Furthermore, the adopted declaration of the outcome states that “we envisage a world…in which democracy, good governance and the rule of law as well as an enabling environment at national and international levels are essential for sustainable development.”
 
The Governing Council meeting will discuss next steps to enhancing democracy, implementing the SDGs and adopting indicators as well as follow-up mechanisms. The participants of the meeting are asked to focus on the role of the democratic community, particularly the Community of Democracies, and propose action for these efforts.
 
The Governing Council Meeting will include several panels and discussions as well the presenting of a report from the Community of Democracies International Steering Committee.
  
The meeting will include High-Level Addresses from Governing Council member states, including an introduction from US Secretary of State John Kerry.

For inquiries, please contact the communications officer Lukasz Lukaszek at media@community-democracies.org