17 Rooms Ushers Global Collaborative Efforts To Drive SDGs

As the world strides towards the second half of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the narrative remains a work in progress. Despite making strides since their establishment in 2015, global efforts still need to catch up to the ambitious targets. A new form of leadership is imperative to bridge this gap and propel collaborative outcomes across economic, social, and environmental dimensions.

17 Rooms is a pioneering entrepreneurial initiative that catalyses change with continual experimentation and innovation and creates a platform that promotes connections around shared insights and collective actions.

In 2023, the 17 Rooms flagship event brought together over 320 individuals from diverse corners of the globe from May to October this year. These participants, organised into groups of 10–20 people per room, aimed to address specific action agendas within their respective SDG domains. While most interactions occurred virtually, some groups had the chance to meet face-to-face.

Each room provided neutral ground, facilitating the exchange of views and coordination to outline priority steps that could be implemented within a 12- to 18-month timeframe. All rooms presented their work to the U.N. Deputy Secretary-General (DSG), Amina Mohammed, receiving real-time feedback as they finalised their plans.

This report summarises the final plans from all the rooms, showcasing the collective dedication to driving progress and fostering impactful change in line with the SDGs. The human factor emerges as foundational, with individuals finding innovative ways to collaborate, tackle frontier challenges, leverage new technology, and deepen their understanding of sustainable development.

17 Rooms stands as a testament to the power of collective action, demonstrating that by coming together, we can script a more sustainable and equitable future.