This year’s High-Level Political Forum on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals focused on the challenges of poverty, hunger, climate change, and peace and justice. The Baha’i International Community (BIC) explored these thematic areas through their intersection with ethical principles.

An intergenerational roundtable discussion hosted by the BIC, for example, focused on responding to the triple planetary crisis—climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution—in ways that simultaneously uphold standards of justice and build unity between people, communities, and nations. 

“Focusing solely on the pursuit of justice can reinforce adversarialism and inadvertently sow seeds of disunity, while focusing solely on the pursuit of unity risks overlooking the long history of injustices that have largely contributed to the inequities we face today.” said BIC Representative Cecilia Schirmeister, who organized the event, which was titled “The Role of Justice in Addressing Climate Change: An Intergenerational Conversation.” 

“What is needed today,” Ms. Schirmeister continued, “are models of what it can look like to pursue justice and unity concurrently and in constructive dialogue with one another, in the context of the climate crisis.”

Responding to the Forum’s focus on peace and justice, the BIC organized an event titled “Fostering Inclusive Societies - SDG16 Under Review at HLPF.” It was the 9th in a series of off-the-record dialogues the BIC has been convening over the past two years to address foundations for establishing enduring peace in the international arena.

The event featured speakers from the Permanent Missions of the United Kingdom and Sierra Leone, the United Nations Development Programme, and the Red Dot Foundation. It also featured a representative of the Office of Public Affairs of the Baha’is of Yemen, who spoke about initiatives undertaken to contribute to peace and social inclusion in that country. 

“In numerous environments, Baha’is and their neighbors are learning about what it means to be a practitioner of peace by cultivating environments in which children can be raised untainted by any form of racial, national, or religious prejudice; championing the equality of women with men in the affairs of the community; and building governing institutions that govern in servitude, resolve conflicts, and build unity,” said BIC Representative Liliane Nkunzimana, who organized the event, in opening remarks. 

The BIC also partnered with the civil society organization Stakeholder Forum for a Sustainable Future to host a side event titled “integrateSDGs: Advancing the Environmental Dimension of Sustainable Development for Effective Delivery of Sustainable, Resilient and Innovative Solutions for SDG Progress”. 

In welcoming remarks, BIC Representative Daniel Perell focused on the role that human well-being can play in linking aims and objectives that might otherwise seem unrelated. 

“When we start with the human person, it is easier to see how each of the SDGs can contribute to the advancement of a whole community,” Mr. Perell said. “From that perspective, it isn't solely about one issue or another, as if they are competing with each other. It’s a matter of how the different aspects of development can reinforce each other to ensure wellbeing.”