GP Policy Paper “Aurora Dialogues Berlin 2018”

In 2018 there are 7.5 billion people on the earth. More than 700 million of these people are living in abject poverty, under USD 1.90 a day, 1 billion people are living in slums and informal settlements, and 69 million are forcibly displaced, due to conflict or natural disasters. Of those displaced over 25 million are refugees, over half of whom are under the age of 18. Improving these children’s life chances, eradicating poverty and inequality, tackling climate change, stemming the tide of natural disasters, and preventing conflict and instability are immense challenges.

World leaders have taken steps in the right direction by agreeing to a set of 17 ambitious Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which cover many of above-mentioned issues. But governments cannot do this alone. The root causes of these issues are complex, requiring technical solutions as well as broad community mobilization. To which end, there is a crucial role for civil society, as recognized in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development which calls for a new Global Partnership “bringing together Governments, the private sector, civil society…” and other relevant actors.