The seventh session of the Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development will be convened under the theme “Building forward better: Towards a resilient and green Africa to achieve the 2030 Agenda and Agenda 2063.”

This theme is aligned with that of the 2021 high-level political forum on sustainable development, namely “Sustainable and resilient recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic that promotes the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development: building an inclusive and effective path for the achievement of the 2030 Agenda in the context of the decade of action and delivery for sustainable development.” In the wake of the pandemic and the economic and social devastation it has wrought, both themes acknowledge the importance of reconstructing our socioeconomic systems by leveraging opportunities presented by green and low carbon development trajectories with a view to building a resilient, inclusive and sustainable Africa. Current growth trajectories suggest, however, that many countries will fail to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by the 2030 deadline. If we are to “leave no one behind”, a whole-of-society approach is needed, together with concerted and ambitious efforts to transform our world during the 10-year window provided by the decade of action to deliver on the Goals.