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The SDSN Convenes Global Leaders in Rome for Annual Meetings & EIIS Summit

By SDSN

In May 2026, the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) convened partners, policymakers, academics, and global leaders in Rome, Italy, for a series of high-level meetings and events focused on advancing sustainable development at a pivotal moment for global cooperation. From the annual SDSN Network Chairs Meeting and the 26th SDSN Leadership Council Meeting to the 2026 European Innovation for Sustainability Summit, these gatherings created opportunities to strengthen collaboration, exchange innovative solutions, and address the interconnected challenges shaping the future of sustainable development.

SDSN Network Chairs Meeting

On May 6, the SDSN convened 17 Network Chairs and Managers in Rome and 15 participants online for the fifth annual Network Chairs Meeting. Chaired by Prof. Jeffrey Sachs, President of the SDSN, and María Cortés-Puch, Vice President for Europe and Networks, the meeting opened with remarks by H.E. Miguel Ángel Moratinos, Under-Secretary-General and High Representative of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) on the importance of peace and empowering citizens to advance the 2030 Agenda. Throughout the day, participants shared insights on navigating geopolitical challenges and identifying opportunities to accelerate progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Network Chairs and Managers discussed frameworks and scenarios for advancing sustainability goals beyond 2030, including the resources, partnerships, and political commitment needed to shape the next global development agenda. Key themes included peace as a foundational condition for sustainable development, cross-regional collaboration, youth engagement, and the role of universities in driving sustainable development.

Participants also highlighted successful Network initiatives from Africa, the Americas, Asia and the Pacific, and Europe, including capacity building, policy advocacy, and cross-sector collaboration. They emphasized the importance of the SDSN and its global network of knowledge institutions in advancing sustainable development, particularly through interdisciplinary research and evidence-based policymaking. To reinvigorate momentum on the SDGs, participants called for stronger interlinkages across the SDSN’s networks, broader global citizenship engagement, and greater reflection on lessons learned from SDG research and implementation.

SDSN Leadership Council Meeting

On May 7, the SDSN hosted the 26th SDSN Leadership Council Meeting. The Council brings together more than 70 eminent figures from academia, business, civil society, and government to shape the Network’s strategic direction.

Council members gathered in person and online for dialogues on several key sustainable development issues, in continuation of the recent Global Governance for Peace and the SDGs webinar series: global pathways for peace, regional and local SDG acceleration, and AI and digital technologies. Across discussions, speakers emphasized that implementation of the sustainable development agenda remains a challenge, not due to a lack of resources, but because of fragmentation, weak institutions, declining cooperation, and failures of leadership. Participants explored how geopolitical tensions, conflict, and institutional distrust are undermining progress toward the SDGs, particularly SDG 16 on peace, justice, and strong institutions. The sessions also highlighted the growing importance of cities and regional actors in implementation, the urgent need for reforms to global governance and financing systems, and the transformative yet uncertain role of AI and digital technologies in shaping economies, governance, and public trust.

Recurring themes included the need for systemic thinking, stronger multilateral cooperation, and investment in education and local capacity-building as foundations for long-term peace and development. The meeting also reinforced the importance of preparing a new generation of leaders capable of advancing collaborative and human-centered solutions to global challenges. It concluded with a strategic update in which the SDSN outlined its growing focus on regional engagement, continued partnerships with UN agencies and development institutions, and expanded collaboration across universities in the lead-up to 2030 and beyond.

EIIS Summit 2026

To conclude the week, on May 8 and 9, the SDSN participated in the 2026 European Innovation for Sustainability Summit. As a main partner of the Summit, the SDSN connected its network of knowledge institutions and sustainable development leaders to cross-sector dialogues under the theme “The Future is Here Somewhere.”

Timothy Killeen, President of the University of Illinois System, provided opening remarks on the importance of cross-sector collaboration and the role of universities in scaling innovative technologies for development. Following this, Prof. Sachs emphasized the crucial role of international cooperation in reimagining the future of the SDGs in his keynote address, noting that progress will require engaging all countries as partners.

Throughout the Summit, SDSN Leadership Council and Network Strategy Council members were featured in several panels on the future of infrastructure, financing for development, transforming agrifood systems, and empowering the next generation of leaders. On the second day of the summit, the SDSN led a feature session on “Cities, Regions, and Universities as Living Laboratories for Climate Action.”

Under the stewardship of the SDSN’s Networks Program, the session brought together representatives from several European initiatives working at the intersection of research, local governance, and community engagement. Panelists shared examples from the CARMINE and RETIME Horizon projects, the Pathfinder Initiative, and the UNICO Erasmus project on how partnerships between research institutions, municipalities, universities, and local communities can accelerate climate action and generate solutions that are relevant, scalable, and grounded in real-world contexts.

In addition, in line with the focus on next-generation leadership, many sessions were led by moderators under 35, including the SDSN’s Global Coordinator for Youth, Raquel Armendariz; the SDSN Networks’ Africa lead, Nardos Berehe; and the SDSN’s Director of Networks, Andrija Erac.

The SDSN's Network Chairs, Managers, and Leadership Council Members gathered in Rome, Italy, for a series of high-level internal meetings.
The SDSN Leadership Council gathered in person and online for dialogues on several key sustainable development issues.
Prof. Jeffrey Sachs, President of the SDSN, presented a keynote address at the EIIS Summit 2026. Photo credit: EIIS.
SDSN led a feature session at the EIIS Summit 2026, bringing together representatives from several European initiatives working at the intersection of research, local governance, and community engagement. Photo credit: EIIS.
The SDSN Networks’ Africa lead, Nardos Berehe, moderated a session on sustainable finance at the EIIS Summit 2026. Photo credit: EIIS.
The SDSN’s Global Coordinator for Youth, Raquel Armendariz, moderated a session on global partnerships at the EIIS Summit 2026. Photo credit: EIIS.