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SDSN's Networks in 2020

By SDSN Networks

SDSN’s 35 National and Regional Networks continue to work to support SDG implementation around the globe. We have some exciting new efforts underway mentioned below and we invite our global network of colleagues to reach out to the contacts mentioned to get involved.

24 Hour Webinar: Earth Day, April 22

The Sustainable Development Solutions Network invites you to join more than 13 of our networks around the world, around the clock for a 24 hour webinar event on Earth Day: Happiness and Sustainability Around the Earth . We are exploring the Sustainable Development Goals through the lens of well-being and happiness. Tune in to learn about solutions being developed in your region, engage with experts around the globe, and celebrate happiness and well-being with your fellow global citizens. We are inviting members to help us promote, participate with content, or host live watch parties.

ESRI partnership: Geographic information system company

SDSN is excited to be partnering with ESRI. We are working together on developing an SDG data portal that will feature timely data to track the SDGs. The portal will also offer extraordinary visualizations and educational material to help users to integrate geospatial tools and products into their work. The portal will be launched in July, coinciding with the United Nations High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) in New York, and aims to reach a wide audience of policymakers, academics, reporters, and the general public.

SDSN’s Brussels Office

SDSN is working with the Enel Foundation to secure office space at their Brussel Office. This will allow SDSN to work closely with the European Commission and the EU Green Deal. SDSN will also be working on a research series to review the EU Green Deal in the context of SDSN’s Six Transformations to Achieve the SDGs.

ASEAN Green Deal

SDSN is working with countries in the ASEAN region to support the development of an ASEAN Green Deal. Our work is conducted under the leadership of the regional center of excellence, the Jeffrey Sachs Center on Sustainable Development, Directed by Professor Woo Wing Thye. Further, a very generous donation by the Australian philanthropist, Mr. Harold Mitchell, a great promoter of the SDGs and benefactor of the Monash Sustainable Development Institute (MSDI), host of SDSN Australia, will support the SDSN and Monash in the ASEAN work and related efforts with the Pacific Island countries.

Contact: Wing Woo, wtwoo@ucdavis.edu

Conversations with Global Leaders: Leading on Sustainable Development

The SDG Academy has coordinated with the Columbia University's World Leaders Forum to bring Finland Prime Minister Sanna Marin's address to more than 3,000 learners in its course Conversations with Global Leaders: Leading on Sustainable Development . Enroll now to watch the livestream and access recorded interviews with global leaders from around the world.

Council on Engineers for the Energy Transition (UNCEET)

SDSN is currently working with the Executive Office of the Secretary General, the Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei (FEEM), and Enel Foundation, to develop a Council of Engineers on the Energy Transition (UNCEET) to advise the UN Secretary General and UN agencies on the technological roadmaps to decarbonization by 2050, in line with the Paris Climate Agreement and the findings of the IPCC 1.5-Degree Report. World-class engineers will be drawn from key sectors (power, industry, transport, buildings, land use), diverse stakeholders (academia, business, and international organizations), and geographic regions. The UNCEET will issue timely reports as requested by the Secretary General and will meet periodically with the Secretary-General and other designated UN officials and agencies. We are currently in final organizational efforts with the launch of the UNCEET anticipated in the first half of 2020.

The Science Panel for the Amazon (SPA)

The Science Panel for the Amazon (SPA)is being established at the recommendation of a meeting of Amazon Scientists held on 23 September, 2019, at the United Nations on the eve of the Climate Summit. The meeting gathered over 40 scientists and researchers from the eight Amazonian countries, French Guyana, and global partners. It is inspired by the Leticia Pact for the Amazon, adopted by the governments of the Amazonian countries on September 6, 2019, which highlights the importance of research, technology, and knowledge management to guide decision-making. The SPA is a direct response to this call.

Convened under the auspices of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), the SPA's main goal is to provide, on a comprehensive, objective, open, and transparent basis, information for a rigorous scientific assessment of the state of the Amazon’s diverse ecosystems, trends, and implications for the long-term well-being of the region, as well as to explore opportunities and policy-relevant options for the conservation and sustainable development of the Amazon.

The SPA report, to be published later this year, will present solutions and pathways for sustainable development of the Amazon Basin, providing policy-relevant recommendations based on the accumulated and collaborative knowledge of the scientific community of the region and the wisdom of indigenous peoples and other stake-holders that live and work in the Amazonian countries. The report - a first of its kind - will provide a unique scientific vision of the Amazon Basin, at a crucial time when ecosystems are nearing tipping points aggravated by the impacts of climate change, and challenging political environments. In many Amazonian countries, we have recently seen reversals to previous gains made on environmental and social issues. Therefore, this report is an appropriate and urgent initiative.

SDSN University Presidents Meeting, July 9-10

The SDSN is convening the First University Presidents Meeting with the UN Secretary-General that will take place during the 2020 High-Level Political Forum (HLPF). The main goal will be to mobilize university presidents from around the world to promote the SDGs through higher education, executive training, academic research, the incubation of sustainable businesses, and engagement in SDG policy analysis, all in support of the UN Secretary-General’s call for an “SDG Decade of Action."

SDSN Indices Webinar Series

To expand the reach of SDSN’s networks and materials, SDSN will host a webinar series focused around the SDG Indices, featuring most recent versions of reports, and will culminate with the launch of the 2020 Sustainable Development Report. Webinars will be monthly and will present one regional or city-level index produced by SDSN’s secretariat and/or network. This will provide learning opportunities for a global audience and continue conversations around the index.

  • Webinar #1 on March 25 : 2020 World Happiness Report
  • Webinar #2 on April 29: 2019 Europe Sustainable Development Report
  • Webinar #3 on May 20: 2019 Arab Region SDG Index and Dashboards Report

Future webinars TBA.