Organizers: SDSN Italia and PhD in Sustainable Development and Climate Change (PhD SDC)

This event will showcase how advanced education and doctoral research can drive innovation, social impact, and sustainable futures. Through keynote speeches and dialogue among academia, youth, industry, and policymakers, it will highlight the role of universities in empowering new generations and advancing the SDGs and the Path for the Future.

Organizers: International Association of Universities (IAU), UN Academic Impact, UN Department of Global Communications, Education and Academia Stakeholder Group, Global Student Forum, York University Canada, De Montfort University UNAI #11 UNAI SDG Hub, and the SDG Academy

Higher education institutions, together with students and civil society, play a critical role in delivering transformative, equitable, and innovative action on the Sustainable Development Goals. This virtual side event of the 2026 ECOSOC Partnership Forum brings together universities, youth-led organizations, UN stakeholders, and global networks to explore how partnerships with academia can accelerate local innovation and sustainable communities.

Organizers: Global Schools Program

Join the Global Schools Program for a virtual 2026 ECOSOC Partnership Forum side event showcasing the role of education in advancing SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy. The discussion will highlight international efforts to promote affordable, sustainable energy through innovative learning methods in the Schools for Goal 7 program.

Organizers: SDSN, University College Dublin, the Government of Ireland SDG Champion, along with UNITAR and the UAE Ministry of Cabinet Affairs: The General Secretariat of the UAE National Committee on SDGs

This ECOSOC Partnership Forum side event will examine how coordinated, equitable, and innovative partnerships for skills development can accelerate sustainable industrial transformation and support the 2030 Agenda. As countries navigate the green and digital transitions, strengthening collaboration between CoVEs, VET providers, employers, and policymakers, alongside coherent national policies and lifelong learning frameworks, is essential to ensure that workers, enterprises, and communities are equipped to participate in and benefit from these changes.

Organizers: Ages of Globalization

This UN at Your Doorstep dialogue will bring together distinguished speakers and youth leaders to explore the root causes and consequences of conflict and insecurity, reflect on the importance of justice and human rights, and imagine pathways toward more peaceful and inclusive societies. The conversation will also highlight how young people are already driving action in their communities, and how education, dialogue, and systems thinking can support peacebuilding.

Organizers: SDSN

Join the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) for an in-depth discussion to make sense of the recent events that are rapidly reshaping the geopolitical context, featuring leading foreign policy experts and moderated by Prof. Jeffrey Sachs, President of the SDSN. This session marks the beginning of a global webinar series taking place throughout the spring, examining global governance, the acceleration of SDG implementation, UN reform, and the post-2030 agenda.

Organizers: SDSN, African Union Commission (AUC), & Pan-African Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PACCI)

Alongside the 39th African Union Heads of State and Government Summit, this event will bring together corporate executives, business leaders, financial institutions, and government officials from Africa and China to accelerate the transformation of African economies and improve their integration into the global economy.