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Introduction

The Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) is pleased to announce its Twenty-fifth (25^th) Sustainable Development Conference (SDC) from 5 - 8 December 2022 in Islamabad, Pakistan. The overarching theme of the Silver Jubilee Conference is Sustainable Development in Unusual Times: Building Forward Better.

SDPI’s Silver Jubilee SDC is being jointly held with the Sixth South and South-West Asia (SSWA) Forum on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in collaboration with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, through its Subregional Office for South and South-West Asia in New Delhi, and the Government of Pakistan. Organized annually, the SSWA Forum on SDGs facilitates dialogue and deliberations among government officials; civil society; think-tanks, academia and subject experts; the private sector; UN and other development partners; and other stakeholders.

Alongside the SDC sub-themes, this year’s subregional forum will assess progress on the thematic SDGs of Goal 6 (Clean water and sanitation); Goal 7 (Affordable and clean energy); Goal 9 (Industry. innovation, and infrastructure); Goal 11 (Sustainable cities and communities) and 17 (Partnership for the Goals). For more information on the Forum please visit: https://www.unescap.org/events/2022/sixth-south-and-south-west-asia-forum-sustainable-development-goals

SDC 2022 Overarching Theme

The theme of 25^th SDC is Sustainable Development in Unusual Times: Building Forward Better. After the COVID-19 Pandemic, it was expected that the world will be in a state of ‘New Normal’, however, a plethora of crises has become a hallmark of that new normal. These crises can be best described as ‘triple C crises’, i.e.,

·  Conflict (within and across borders)

·  Climate Change; and, the

·  Consequences of COVID-19.

The cumulative effect of these crises has led to multi-decade high inflation, recession, and food and fuel predicaments. Although the world escaped a recession during the Pandemic, economic slowdown left scarring effects on low- and middle-income countries.

Post-Pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, political turmoil in many developing countries and tension between the United States and China have also reshaped the world order. Furthermore, climate breakdown has exacerbated the socioeconomic crises in the form of extreme meteorological events which are ultimately becoming disasters. While the Pandemic is phasing out, the world is now passing through ‘Unusual Times’ with issues that are no longer a future problem, rather they are happening now and demand immediate action. As the international community struggles to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as per Agenda 2030, it is important to address these challenges and work out solutions through collective wisdom to ‘Build Forward Better.’

The multidimensional, multifaceted issues mentioned under the overarching SDC 2022 theme will be discussed in the following streams during the Silver Jubilee:

SDC 2022 Thematic Streams

Stream 1: Economic Meltdown

The hopes of post-COVID-19 economic recovery have been shattered by the Russia-Ukraine War which is plunging the world into a recession. Due to faster than expected recovery from COVID-19, global commodity prices were already increasing because of high demand. However, the war magnified energy and food prices, thus, leading the world into inflation.

South Asian countries have directly faced the tidal effects of this conflict because the countries were still recovering from the Pandemic when they were pushed towards record levels of inflation. During COVID-19, many South Asian countries including Pakistan, introduced social protection reforms to support people during the lockdowns and help them recover from the economic crises. However, due to the shockwave of the Russia-Ukraine War, the region is experiencing slower growth and high inflation. The SDC 2022 aims to bring together experts, academics, and development partners from South Asia and beyond to discuss these issues and propose practical and viable solutions.

This stream is especially important because it will also recap the major achievements and lessons learnt in Pakistan and India that are celebrating 75 years of independence. Likewise, it is important to recap the journey of development of the People’s Republic of China which is playing a crucial role in reshaping the regional economy through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and will be celebrating 73years. Therefore, the SDC will provide an opportunity to reflect upon what worked, what did not work, and what may work in the context of surviving the economic meltdown.

Stream 2: Achieving SDGs amidst Unusual Times

The interlinkages and integrated nature of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are of crucial importance in ensuring ecological well-being and socioeconomic development in the world. Environmental deterioration eventually affects economic growth and thus, amplifies socio-political crises. On the other hand, climate change has placed compounded stress on the environment, economy and societies and has increased extreme weather events like heat waves, droughts, water scarcity, food, and energy insecurity. Hence, it is vital to accelerate progress towards the SDGs. Keeping this in view, the 25^th SDC will highlight the need for global solidarity for taking action to mitigate climate change and shared struggle for achieving the SDGs.

Sustainable development requires collaborative partnerships because nations cannot achieve the SDGs by working in silos. SDPI’s 25^th SDC will provide a platform to re-assess and discuss the gaps in policy, research and development and how global communities can act together in these testing times to improve the status of SDGs for achieving Agenda 2030.

SDPI, through the SDCs, has been advocating for Sustainable Development for the last 25 years. This year, the SDC will also be celebrating its Silver Jubilee in collaboration with UNESCAP which is an important arm of the United Nations and providing support to the region for achieving the SDGs. The Conference will reflect upon the previous conferences and how SDPI has emerged as a strong advocate for the Global Goals Agenda 2030.

Stream 3: Striving for a Common Future in a Polarised World

The world has become polarised following the war between Russia and Ukraine. But, there are also conflicts not just across borders but also within borders. The socioeconomic and climatic instabilities in Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and other countries in the region are due to lack of regional cooperation. Amid this situation, multilateral development lenders have warned of a long recession. Our common future is under threat. However, the multipolar world has negatively affected the efficiency and effectiveness of global governance.

In this SDC, SDPI would invite experts to explore options for adopting a minimalistic agenda through collaboration and partnerships for achieving Sustainable Development. Speakers will be invited to discuss issues related to global governance, including conflict, peace, and security, and will also specifically highlight and compare how countries are coping with the recession and how they are aiming to rebound. During COVID-19, social protection policies were introduced to address poverty and other socioeconomic crises. Social Protection will, therefore, be an important part of the debate during the 25^th SDC.

Within the above-mentioned three streams, the Conference will have dedicated sessions on cross-cutting issues like Gender, Education, Trade, Energy, Food Security, Sustainable Cities and Partnership Strategies for achieving the SDGs. Furthermore, experts will be invited to exchange views on new global avenues of partnerships and collaborations for improving socioeconomic growth. The Conference will have many overlapping sessions on other sub-themes which affect South Asia and other regions of the world.

SDC 2022 Conference Outcomes

Publications

A peer reviewed anthology based on papers presented is launched at the succeeding Conference. Keeping with this tradition, the Twenty-fifth SDC will launch the SDC 2021 peer reviewed edited volume titled ‘Beyond the Pandemic: Leaving No One Behind’ along with other publications. Previous SDC anthologies can be viewed and downloaded from:

https://sdpi.org/sdconference/Beyond-the-Pandemic-Leaving-No-One-Behind/publications

Policy Recommendations

Each SDC is about reaching policymakers and relevant stakeholders and sharing with them key policy recommendations. As done so in the previous SD Conferences, policy recommendations from the panels and plenary sessions are communicated to the decision-makers attending the Conference at the various plenary sessions and also published in the annual anthology.

Interactive Forum

The Conference will provide an interactive forum to researchers, experts and scholars from different disciplines to find relevant ideas, best practices and solutions in an atmosphere of sharing and exploring. The SDC’s Keynote Plenary Sessions and parallel panels will be broadcast live on SDPI’s web-based channel (www.sdpi.tv) and Facebook for wider dissemination.

Call for Abstracts: 15 September 2022

Speakers are invited to submit their abstracts against a relevant sub-theme of a panel. A list of panels is shared on the SDC 2022’s website along with Authors’ Guidelines. Before submitting an abstract, speakers are requested to:

1. Click on the active link of the panel title, review its focus, sub-theme, objectives, and the specific questions that the panel will address under the overarching theme of the Conference.

2. Specify the panel title in the MS Word file of the abstract as well as in email’s subject line. The abstract should be between 150 - 200 words.

3. Email abstract to: sdc@sdpi.org.

All abstracts go through a software review for originality and if cleared are reviewed by an Editorial Committee. Only those speakers with short-listed abstracts are requested to submit their draft papers by 1 November 2022. The paper should not exceed 6,000 words.

For details of the panels, Authors’ Guidelines, submission deadlines, etc., please continue to visit the SDC 2022 website: www.sdpi.org/sdc/

Information will continue to be updated regularly along with the list of panels.

Recap of SDC 2021

The Sustainable Development Policy Institute held its Twenty-fourth Sustainable Development Conference (SDC) from 6 - 9 December 2021 in Islamabad, Pakistan. The overarching theme was ‘Beyond the Pandemic: Leaving No One Behind’. The Inaugural Plenary was held at the Presidency (Aiwan-e-Sadr) where President of Pakistan Dr Arif Alvi was the Chief Guest. At the Closing Plenary, a video message was specially shared by the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Mr Imran Khan.

A hybrid format was adapted during the SDC 2021. It was attended by 237 panellists from 23 countries. Besides Pakistan, speakers joined the sessions from Afghanistan, Argentina, Armenia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Canada, Ecuador, Fiji, France, Germany, India, Malaysia, Maldives, Nepal, Peru, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States. All the sessions had a keen and interactive audience. A total of 38 sessions were organised of which 10 were plenary sessions and 28 concurrent sessions. An audience of 2,539 attended the event online and in-person.