The concept of inclusion is at the heart of the Sustainable Development Goals: not only did the UN embark on its biggest public consultation process ever to design the SDGs (over 500,000 people participated), but it is also stipulated in the final agreement that civil society must be a partner in the delivery of the global framework.

Civil society´s capacity, expertise and boundless passion are fundamental in the implementation and monitoring of the goals. Enter Action for Sustainable Development. CIVICUS, Climate Action Network International, Global Call to Action Against Poverty, and the International Forum of National NGO Platforms are working together to oversee this global network, which helps citizens and civil society organizations get involved in the sustainable development agenda (including the Paris Climate Commitments).

The early stages of the network are currently focusing on the following activities:

• Policy and advocacy: analysing and asking tough questions where it sees problems, risks and shortcomings with the sustainable development commitments.
• Monitoring and accountability: investing in the capacity of civil society to monitor progress on sustainable development, with a particular focus on citizen-generated data.
• Innovative solutions: showcasing examples of how civil society is delivering on the sustainable development agenda through existing local, national and international programmes.
• Public mobilization: supporting people-powered accountability and organizing in-person and online activities that engage the masses in the sustainable development agenda.

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