United Nations: What Next After Agenda 2030 and SDGs

WASD is delighted to have been working very closely with various UN Agencies, such as UNEP, UNESCO, UNDP, WHO, and most specifically with the Joint Inspection Unit (JIU). WASD and all these agencies are inspired by the conviction that the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (SD) and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide the momentum for renewed UN engagement with the public and private sectors. These collaborations and engagements activities between WASD and the different UN Agencies represented in itself a partnership at the global level, as required for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. These links are very unique in view of their triangular conception (UN agencies, academia and private sector), with the participation of the UN Member States.

Following WASD successful conferences co-organized at the UN Palais des Nations – Geneva in 2024 and 2018 and at the International Maritime Organization - London in 2019 as an expression of participatory, open and multi-stakeholder approach that underlies 2030 Agenda, we invite all stakeholders including governments and universities to join us in this global conference to explore innovative strategies, collaborative initiatives, and transformative approaches that empower government and educational leaders, policymakers, and stakeholders to accelerate progress towards achieving the UN 2030 Agenda and its 17 SDGs.

At the heart of this accountability framework are Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs), which offer a self-assessment of progress made by UN member states. This conference aims to introduce WASD's SDGs Tracker Project, a pioneering large-scale analytical effort that examines VNRs from all UN member states, aiming for global coverage. As part of its follow-up and review mechanisms, the 2030 Agenda encourages member states to "conduct regular and inclusive reviews of progress at the national and sub-national levels, which are country-led and country-driven". These VNRs are expected to serve as a basis for the regular reviews by the UN 2030 Agenda, regular reviews are to be voluntary, state-led, undertaken by both developed and developing countries, and involve multiple stakeholders.

The VNRs aim to facilitate the sharing of experiences, including successes, challenges and lessons learned, with a view to accelerating the implementation of 2030 Agenda. The VNRs also seek to strengthen policies and institutions of governments and to mobilise multi-stakeholder support and partnerships for the implementation of the UN 17 SDGs.

During the conference, participants will also learn about WASD Sustainable Development Goals Universities Initiative (SDGsUNi) interactive and smart digital platforms and will be given the opportunity to join its various platforms.

Conference publications (proceedings and journals) are listed and indexed in various international Indexing and Ranking platforms such as Scopus; Thomson Reuters Emerging Sources Citation Index; Thomson Reuters Conference Proceedings Citation Index (CPCI); Crossref; ABI/Inform (ProQuest); Cabell’s Directory of Publishing Opportunities; British Library; and others.

Deadline for Abstract Submission: 25th August 2025, please submit your abstract/paper (s) directly to the Conference Coordinator: admin@wasd.org.uk.

Similar to all previous Annual Conferences organized by WASD, this conference will bring together academics, universities and research institutions from across the world to collaborate and reconnect with the discourse of SD.