From July 10 to July 19, the United Nations underwent the annual review of the Sustainable Development Goals. The highlighted goals in 2023 were SDG11 (Cities), SDG6 (Water), SDG7 (Energy), SDG9 (Innovation), and SDG17 (Partnerships). ClimateView was invited as part of the official Delegation of Sweden, alongside cities, regions and other implementors of the 2030 Agenda.
Governmental delegations headed to New York City for the United Nations High-level Political Forum to showcase progress and share best practices. We particularly followed discussions about SDG11 - Cities, as well as SDG9 - Innovation. ClimateView got to deliver Sweden's statement to the official SDG11 review.
Sweden's statement to the official session on SDG11
Distinguished delegates,
Among the hundreds of countries represented here in this room, there are thousands of cities ready to act on climate.
But steering an entire city to reach the Paris Agreement is no easy task.
The UN - and many of you today - have stressed the need for an integrated and transparent approach.
The science shows that data and measurability can accelerate action.
So, what if there was a digital platform for this? One that could integrate all stakeholders, connect emissions to economics and enable data-driven decisions?
There is.
I make this statement on behalf of ClimateView, a Swedish company digitalizing climate governance for cities.
To date, we support cities in their management of 59,744,456 kilograms of carbon emissions.
We are determined to contribute to sustainable development powered by technology, all while building good governance, local partnerships, enable domestic resource mobilization, private investments, democracy and transparency. At scale.
And achieving the SDGs requires not only commitments but also tools for implementation.
Tools that can measure impact.
Because cities are full of data that can be quantified. And in the cities that we partner with, whether Malmö, Dortmund, Nottingham or Cincinnati, the socio-economic benefits are being unlocked.
For every kWh of electricity that shifts from gas to solar, that’s 200g of carbon saved – over time, that is also millions in health care costs and fuel expenditure saved. In cities, these behavior shifts are ultimately creating jobs, reducing pollution, and decreasing city opex.
These are the costs – and co-benefits. These are the SDGs. Connected.
This type of measurable data helps decision-makers not only to build green cities, but great cities.
It is 2023 and we have the science, technology and resources needed. Now, do we have the will?
Thank you.
Member states presented their status on SDG11 and shared their experiences and best practices, and the meeting had an overall focus on building momentum towards the SDG Summit. You can see the whole session at the United Nations WebTV here.
As part of the Delegation of Sweden to the meeting, ClimateView actively participated in official events, side-events and the review was based around Voluntary National Reviews, demonstrating the progress made so far by different countries. The forum provided a valuable platform for sharing perspectives and building relationships with city actors globally, and we look forward to building on these insights.
