Welcome to the United Nations
Department of Economic and Social Affairs
Sustainable development
knowledge platform
Milestones
2015
2030 Agenda (Paragraphs 84 and 89)
2012
Future We Want (Chap. 2 Section C)
2002
JPOI (Chap. 11 I)
1994
CSD-2: NGO Steering Committee
1993
CSD-1 (Annex, Chap. 1 E)
1992
Agenda 21 (Section III)
Major groups and other stakeholders
National Capacity Building
Achieving the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs in each country will depend on collaborative partnerships between governments and non-State actors at all levels, and at all stages of the programmatic cycle-planning, consultations, implementation, monitoring and reviews. Click to read more.
Latest
Last month to apply for ECOSOC consultative status in order to be considered by the 2017 NGO Committee (Deadline: 1 June 2016 - Late submissions will not be accepted): Apply here
Featured Events
Featured Documents
Meeting reports

How to get involved
The Division of Sustainable Development, through the Stakeholders Engagement Programme, collaborates closely with MGoS through a coordinating body of facilitators known as the Organizing Partners, comprised of accredited organizations that are invited to be facilitators between the Major Group constituencies and DSD. Organizing Partners are tasked with coordinating inputs and streamlining communications from their particular constituencies. To get involved and learn more about the activities of your Major Group, please contact the corresponding Organizing Partner directly. More information
follow-up and review of 2030 Agenda
Paragraph 90 of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda requested the Secretary General, in consultation with Member States, to prepare a report for consideration at the current 70th session of the General Assembly in preparation for the 2016 meeting of the HLPF which outlines critical milestones towards coherent, efficient and inclusive follow-up and review at the global level.

Click here to view inputs and responses received from Major Groups and other Stakeholders.
Technology facilitation mechanism
Registration to attend the first multi-stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for the SDGs, 6-7 June 2016, New York 

The first annual multi-stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for the SDGs (STI Forum) will be held from 6-7 June 2016 at the UN Headquarters in New York City. For more information, please visit https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/TFM/STIForum

All representatives of Major Groups and other Stakeholders who wish to attend the Forum must register by completing the following form by midnight on Sunday, 22 May 2016 (NY time): http://goo.gl/forms/bYHuwj91Cp

Please note that all participants are responsible for making their own travel arrangements, including visa arrangements. The UN will not be able to provide any travel support to this meeting.
Since the first United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in 1992 - known as the Earth Summit, it was recognized that achieving sustainable development would require the active participation of all sectors of society and all types of people. Agenda 21, adopted at the Earth Summit, drew upon this sentiment and formalized nine sectors of society as the main channels through which broad participation would be facilitated in UN activities related to sustainable development. These are officially called "Major Groups" and include the following sectors:

  • Women
  • Children and Youth
  • Indigenous Peoples
  • Non-Governmental Organizations
  • Local Authorities
  • Workers and Trade Unions
  • Business and Industry
  • Scientific and Technological Community
  • Farmers

Two decades after the Earth Summit, the importance of effectively engaging these nine sectors of society was reaffirmed by the Rio+20 Conference. Its outcome document "The Future We Want" highlights the role that Major Groups can play in pursuing sustainable societies for future generations. In addition, governments invited other stakeholders, including local communities, volunteer groups and foundations, migrants and families, as well as older persons and persons with disabilities, to participate in UN processes related to sustainable development, which can be done through close collaboration with the Major Groups.

Major Groups and other stakeholders (MGoS) continue to demonstrate a high level of engagement with intergovernmental processes at the UN. The coordination of their input to intergovernmental processes on sustainable development has been led by UNDESA/Division for Sustainable Development (DSD).

Member States ultimately decide upon the modalities of participation of MGoS. Thus, the engagement and participation of MGoS in intergovernmental processes related to sustainable development varies depending on the particular sustainable development topic under discussion.

Division for Sustainable Development, UN-DESA
Resources