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    Uniting higher education, governments, industry and society for a sustainable future

    Pre-congress day: 29 May 2023
    Congress: 30 May – 1 June 2023
    Thuwal, Saudi Arabia

    The Global Sustainable Development Congress brings together 1,600+ global thought leaders and innovators to discuss urgent solutions to the sustainability emergency.

    Challenging the usual thinking on what higher education, governments, businesses and society must do to help society meet the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the congress is a call to action for global universities to pivot their educational, research, innovation and outreach programmes towards tangible outcomes.

    Delegates from around the world will immerse themselves in sessions aligned with the societal transformations needed to achieve the SDGs.

    Be inspired by powerful case studies and actionable insights from thought-provoking panels and collaborative workshops. Forge alliances in bespoke networking events and discover what is needed to scale up solutions for real impact.

    Join us and engage first-hand in urgent conversations as we work together towards a more sustainable future.

    Take a closer look at performance across popular SDGs and learn from best practise around the world as we provide exclusive in-person pre-launch reveals of the THE Impact Rankings 2023, followed by the live reveal of the full ranking on 1 June. Join us to discover the institutions leading the fight for sustainable change.

    The Global Sustainable Development Congress is designed to inspire strategic change for universities committed to supporting the SDGs and to offer practical, tangible plans for transformation. It adds human context to the data, allowing delegates to work creatively together to formulate action points and build partnerships.

    – Duncan Ross, chief data officer, THE


    Speakers include

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    MA
    Maram Abadi
    Strategy and operations adviser of the Reefscape Restoration Initiative
    King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
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    WA
    Wesam Al Madhoun
    Environmental awareness expert
    UN Environment Programme
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    TC
    Tony Chan
    President
    King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
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    MC
    Michael Crow
    President
    Arizona State University
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    RF
    Rick Fox
    CEO and co-founder
    Partanna Global
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    AG
    Ashish Garg
    Professor and head of the Department of Sustainable Energy Engineering
    Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur
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    NK
    Neelima Kadirisani
    Senior sustainability business development manager (Europe, Middle East and Africa)
    Amazon Web Services
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    GK
    Gwyneth Kutz
    Chargée d'affaires in Saudi Arabia
    Government of Canada
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    SM
    Sajjad Malik
    Director of the Division of Resilience and Solutions
    UN High Commissioner for Refugees
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    DO
    Darius Ogutu
    Director of higher education for the Ministry of Education
    Government of Kenya
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    MS
    Mariagrazia Squicciarini
    Chief of the Social and Human Sciences Sector’s executive office
    Unesco
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    JW
    Jennifer Westacott
    Chancellor
    Western Sydney University

     

    Agenda themes

    Sustainable health and demography

    Healthy and productive communities that build and support sustainable ecosystems require inclusive approaches to community and healthcare structures. Faced with global pandemics, volatile geopolitical landscapes and the disruptive powers of technology, many public health ecosystems and networks are inefficient, inadequate and unequal.

    Explore what higher education, with the help of businesses and society, can do to support governments in the fundamental transformations required.


     


    Sustainable energy and industry

    A sustainable future requires secure universal access to modern energy sources, rapid decarbonisation of the global energy system and continued reductions in the industrial pollution of soil, water and air. Achieving this requires collaboration and global thinking, and the equitable distribution of the latest technologies and innovations at a large scale.

    Explore the role higher education plays in driving research and innovation, and what businesses, governments and society can do to change global consumption habits to speed up this transformation.


     

    Sustainable environment

    Fragile and precious natural ecosystems and resources are under the constant threat of degradation from overpopulation and urbanisation. Urgent solutions are needed to sustain what we have left whilst rebuilding and replenishing the vital resources that have already been lost.

    Explore how cutting-edge research and innovation are driving these solutions, and how businesses and governments can help ensure a sustainable environment and improve biodiversity.


     


    Sustainable cities and communities

    Cities and urban areas are home to about 55 per cent of humanity and 70 per cent of global economic output. By 2050, these are forecast to increase to 70 and 85 per cent, respectively. Most cities are far from meeting the triple objective of being economically productive, socially inclusive and environmentally sustainable. Urbanisation puts huge strains on the resources around cities that are essential for humanity’s survival.

    Challenge conventional thinking around what higher education can do with the support of governments, businesses and society to achieve sustainability.


     

     

    What to expect

    1,500

    in-person delegates


    170

    speakers


    100

    hours of content

    Keynotes and panels

    Sessions detailing innovations across inequality, health and education, climate change, food security and sustainable economic growth.


    Global exhibition

    An interactive showcase of the latest innovations, tools and practical approaches to meeting the SDGs.


    Fringe events, roundtables and masterclasses

    A comprehensive range of unique networking events bringing together innovators from key sectors to discuss and workshop solutions.

    We are delighted to be taking the event to Saudi Arabia, a vital strategic force in the delivery of the goals. It is particularly exciting to be hosting the event on KAUST’s campus on the Red Sea where we will be able to see for ourselves the outstanding research being done there on protecting our oceans and supporting arid land farming.

    – Phil Baty, chief global affairs officer, THE


    Buy tickets

    The event will be in English with simultaneous translation into Arabic for those who require it.

    25% discount for groups of 3+ delegates, use the promo code GROUP to apply the discount.

    Please note that not all sessions will be available virtually. View the sessions that will be available virtually.

    Sustainability actions

    Universities at a time of global crisis

    Read an open letter from Dr Tony Chan, president of KAUST, a heartfelt call to action outlining his commitment to net zero carbon emissions, and a zero waste and zero-wastewater strategy.


     

    There is a broad consensus that a global human and ecological catastrophe could precipitate in just handful of years, critically exacerbating sustainability challenges. Our world is in a state of crisis that imperils all of humanity, and universities throughout the world must act. We must cease to be exemplars of unsustainable practices and become the transformative enablers of sustainability for others.

    – Dr Tony Chan, president, KAUST

    Carbon offsetting

    THE is collaborating with KAUST's Health, Safety and Environment department and the Sustainability Office to alleviate the carbon equivalent generated by the travel of delegates and speakers by planting mangroves.

    Also known as ‘blue carbon’, mangroves typically sequester carbon two to four times faster than mature tropical forests and contain the highest carbon density of all terrestrial ecosystems.

    Each mangrove tree planted removes over 308kg of CO2 from the atmosphere over the growth life of the tree.

     

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