The European Sustainable Development Week (ESDW) is a European-wide initiative to stimulate and make visible activities, projects and events that promote sustainable development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Due to COVID-19, the ESDW 2020 is now taking place from the 18th September to the 8th of October. With the core of the ESDW 2020 taking place 20 September – 26 September. The ESDW wanted to take into account the fact that event organizers may have needed to adhere to public health guidelines during the time for which the ESDW 2020 was originally planned in May, hence it's postponement to this week.

The ESDW recognizes the importance that sustainable development has, especially during this time of crisis, and underlines the importance of not losing our focus on sustainable development.

The EU and UNCDF are natural partners, sharing many of the same values and objectives, including providing equal access to development opportunities for all, promoting women’s economic empowerment and climate change resilience, as well as fighting to eradicate poverty around the world.

The EU is currently supporting UNCDF in its programmes and activities in Bangladesh, Lesotho, Niger, and Somalia. Along with other partners, the EU was instrumental in designing the UNCDF/UNDP Pacific Financial Inclusion Programme (PFIP) and continued to contribute to its financing since the beginning through the ACP/EU MICROFINANCE programme. As well as financing UNCDF's Local Climate Adaptive Living (LoCAL) Facility.

The EU-UNCDF cooperation takes place at the policy, advocacy, knowledge sharing and programmatic levels, each complementing one another. As partners, the EU and UNCDF continue to work together in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, directly contributing to SDG 1, 17, 13 and 5.