Forus launched the network’s Post-2030 Vision. And the room — virtual as it was — was electric. On May 21st, we brought together voices from across the globe — from the Pacific to New York, from Helsinki to Santiago, from Tokyo to the UN Secretariat — to ask one of the most consequential questions of our time: what comes after 2030, and who gets to shape it? 

The answer was clear: civil society must be at the table from the start. Not when negotiations open. Not when the red lines are already drawn. Now. 

Why now? 

Formal negotiations won't begin until 2027 — but the narratives, alliances, and power dynamics are being written today. As Miguel Santibáñez, ACCION, Chile, put it: 

“Why now? Because the narratives are already being shaped, alliances are being built, priorities are being established, and the power relationships among key actors in the global context are being defined.” 

And the stakes of getting it wrong are high: 

"The fragmentation scenario is real — weaker, more threatening, more selective, more conditioned by geopolitics, war, and particular interests. And that risk grows when civil society arrives late to the conversation." 

Key takeaways from speakers: 

On the political moment: "This is not 2015. The political conditions that allowed the SDGs to be adopted — the spirit of multilateral cooperation, the sense of shared global purpose — have eroded significantly. Civil society is entering this process in a more constrained environment. And that does not make our role less important. It makes it more urgent." — Justina Kaluinaite, Chair of Forus 

On what civil society must defend: "We defend a strong multilateral system — imperfect as it may be — because without it, there is no legitimate forum for the negotiations that must come." — Emeline Siale Ilolahia, PIANGO, Pacific Islands 

On what must change: "Financial reform must be at the center of any future framework. Not at the margins. Not as an annex. At the center. The current financial status quo has failed the SDGs. We will not accept a post-2030 agenda that pretends otherwise." — Emeline Siale Ilolahia 

On localization: "The biggest lesson from the SDGs is clear: a global agenda can be universal, ambitious, even transformative — but if it does not translate into concrete capacities, financing, and partnerships at the local level, it will remain incomplete." — Iñigo Arbiol, UN Local 2030 Coalition 

"What civil society can bring to this process is legitimacy. And the other side of the coin is accountability: if you give me ownership, I will hold you accountable for what you committed to." — Iñigo Arbiol 

On the role of civil society: "Civil society engagement is not just a principled normative idea. It is a necessary component of success — especially at the local and national level. As the UN system begins to shrink, that role is not a nice add-on. It's necessary to the functioning of the system." — Adam Lupel, Coalition for the UN We Need 

"The creative energy, innovation, and genuine future thinking around the United Nations right now is coming from civil society." — Adam Lupel 

On being bold: "Civil society has the power to be visionary, to be bold. It needs to understand how to meet the geopolitical moment — and see apparent setbacks as open doors." — Elena Bertozzi, Starling Institute 

On implementation and evidence: "It's not a matter of trust. It's a matter of evidence. Multi-stakeholder, locally-grounded solutions work. They deliver. They accelerate SDG implementation. And now, unlike in 2015, we have the proof." — Iñigo Arbiol 

On what comes next: "When we get to the SDG Summit, the outcome document will already be agreed. The formative moment is now — to start helping shape the conversations before the windows close." — Naiara da Costa Chaves, UNDESA 

The three D's — our political compass for the road to 2027: 

✅ What we Defend — universality, human rights, civic space, local leadership, the normative gains of the SDG era

📣 What we Demand — financing reform at the center, mandatory accountability, meaningful participation of civil society

🚫 What we Decline — a watered-down framework, tokenistic inclusion, voluntary and performative accountability 

"The post-2030 negotiations will not be won by any single organization or member state. They will be shaped by coalitions — coalitions of the willing. And coalitions are built before negotiations open. That's why we're starting today." — Marie L'Hostis, Forus 

📄 Read the Report and join the road to 2027 👇 🔗

https://www.forus-international.org/en/event/join-the-launch-of-the-forus-post-2030-vision

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