The BC Council for International Cooperation (BCCIC) will be meeting with community leaders in Smithers on Nov. 3 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Old Church to discuss the new United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), connections between this global agenda and local Smithers issues, as well as identifying the opportunities the SDGs present for provincial political engagement.
"With the rest of the world as well as other provinces really pushing progress on the Sustainable Development Goals, British Columbia really has a lot of potential to rise to the challenge and make sure we are doing our fair share of this work", says Dan Harris, BCCIC Program Officer.
"Canada is on board with these goals and we at BCCIC are looking forward to continuing to engage with British Columbians on how our province can show leadership".
Over the past year, BCCIC has held roundtable discussions in 29 B.C. communities meeting with groups working on sustainable development issues to discuss the SDGs, how they relate to the work of local organizations, and what opportunities they present. Among key findings identified was the potential for greater political engagement and more support from all tiers of government on the seventeen goals.
Building on these recommendations, BCCIC warmly invites the Smithers sustainable development community to attend this BC 2030 Meeting. The meeting aims to articulate how B.C. communities are taking leadership on sustainable development and where support will be necessary from the provincial government moving toward the targets year 2030. At this meeting, BCCIC will present key findings from the SDG roundtable meetings held over the past year, the idea of a non-partisan political campaign to generate support for the SDGs and the groups working on them across B.C., and discuss the possibility of holding a non-partisan all-candidates meeting in Smithers.
"BC 2030 is about looking at what's most important and transforming the conversation from the grassroots upward," says Kareen Wong, BCCIC communications officer. "It's been shaped by communities in all regions of the province over the last year and we are excited to support the momentum it's gaining as we move into a provincial election in May".
This meeting is open by invitation only. Interested individuals are asked to register interest by emailing dan@bccic.ca. This meeting will be an opportunity for rich dialogue among attendees representing some of the most innovative and socially engaged organizations in the region.
- Release by The British Columbia Council for International Cooperation (BCCIC): a coalition of international development and civil society organizations that has engaged in sustainable development and social justice issues for over a quarter century. BCCIC supports its more than 100 members in becoming more effective agents of change in their global cooperation efforts by disseminating knowledge gained through collaborative projects, building relationships across different sectors and networks, and developing the capacity of international development practitioners. BCCIC represents members' interests and advances policy recommendations on provincial, national and international issues and the enabling role of civil society in these areas.