Intergenerational Dialogues on the SDGs

On August 1, 2017, Dr. Sorosh Roshan, President of IHAN represented the organization at the United Nations Dialogues on the role of generational collaboration to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

In a special message to the conference, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stressed that together the old and young people can collaborate to break the cycle of poverty that has lasted for generations. He said it would “trigger transformational change that endures for generations to come.”

The UN’s Department of Public Information Non-Governmental Organizations and its Executive Committee organized the dialogue.

The meeting featured 6 Dialogue sessions in the morning session and a plenary in the afternoon. It included an address by H.E. Mr. Peter Thomson, President of the 71st Session of the UN General Assembly, and Jayathma Wickramanayake, the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth.

The participants considered ways to break the Intergenerational Cycle of Poverty, Gender Equality, Access to Employment Though out Life, Shared responsibility for the Planet, Intergenerational Innovation, and Healthy Living—both physical and mental.

The discourse focused on a central theme to advance Sustainable Development. Reflecting on the presentations, Dr. Roshan commented, “The speakers stressed that increasing inequality between the haves and have nots constitutes the major barrier to achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development goals. Including Women and marginalized people is the most appropriate remedy. The speakers called attention to the need for NGO participation and the active support from governments  to achieve the goals of sustainable development and achieving human progress.” Reflecting on her more than 40 years of participation in the NGO community, Dr. Roshan recognized the progress achieved. She noted that “working together is the path to success in meeting the challenges that remain.”