When we start out, we are full of dreams, things we want to do, goals we have set, and milestones we have defined to keep us focused. When we start, we believe that anything is possible and that nothing can stop us.

But then we actually start walking. We realize that conditions are not always as expected, or even predictable. We realize that there are many setbacks, various pieces moving in chaotic directions around us, and the impossibility of controlling everything. We realize that we don’t have visibility over many things and, above all, that if we do it alone, the journey not only takes longer, but is also much harder.

Fifteen years seems like a long time when we think about it without context. Fifteen years seems like a long time when we reflect on the macro and micro changes that happen in each of our lives. Fifteen years is a long time in the history of a State, a Country, or even Humanity.

Fifteen years seems like a long time, long enough to achieve the 17 Sustainable Development Goals defined by the UN in 2015. But now we are in 2026, only four years away from reaching them, and although the goal is already in sight, we are beginning to realize all the challenges, unpredictabilities, and vicissitudes of the journey.

One thing is certain: we have never been alone.

Regardless of what we expected at the beginning, the challenges that arose, and the inevitabilities of everyday life, we have always been able to count on Organizations, Companies, and individuals to join forces, share ideas, define strategies, recalculate, and (re)build together.

The Partnership between Santa Casa da Misericórdia, through Casa do Impacto, and the United Nations Association Portugal – UNA PORTUGAL – stems from a shared vision: to promote knowledge, active citizenship, and innovative solutions that contribute to a more sustainable and inclusive future.  By combining Casa do Impacto’s ability to catalyze Social Innovation with UNA Portugal’s experience in promoting the 2030 Agenda, this collaboration creates a more solid, broader, and more transformative space for action, on a path increasingly taken side by side.

The signing of the Collaboration Protocol between us has simply formalized a commitment that was already shared to develop strategic actions, strengthen mobilization, inspire the necessary changes, and open space for the co-creation of various initiatives and events that give voice to Civil Society.

This partnership also supports the voices of all those who consider themselves Agents of Change, whether they are Social Organizations, Entrepreneurs, or Citizens who want to actively participate in building a better future. And because both Casa do Impacto and UNA Portugal believe that it is necessary to give a stage to those who have something to add, on International Social Justice Day, we opened the doors of Casa do Impacto to sign the Protocol at a public event and open the debate on the theme “Agenda 2030: the Path and Challenges ahead.”

Here we are today, with a sense of urgency, recognizing the time that has passed and the path we have already traveled since the definition of the Sustainable Development Goals. It is time to assess national and global progress, discuss the state of the art, understand emerging trends, and identify barriers and opportunities that are essential for the next four years and beyond.

Because “the path is made by walking,” and there is still a long way to go, but we will never walk alone.