On 14 November, Square Brussels hosted a special edition of the SDG-Forum. This year, alongside the annual gathering centred on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the forum also marked the tenth anniversary of the SDGs: an important milestone encouraging both reflection and renewal, with only five crucial years remaining to achieve them.
With around 500 participants from politics, business, NGOs, academic institutions and many other sectors, the SDG-Forum once again demonstrated that the ambition to advance towards a more sustainable world is shared across many fields and at every level of society.
Workshops for dialogue and inspiration
Throughout the day, participants could choose from 20 workshops covering a wide range of SDG-related themes, including education, finance, local government, business strategies and public policy. Each workshop provided an opportunity to exchange ideas, discover new perspectives and identify tangible solutions: a genuine platform for meeting others, sharing expertise and discussing different viewpoints, which resulted in new collaborations.
Visions and perspectives for the SDGs
The workshops were followed by a plenary session featuring a number of inspirational speakers.
Camilla Brückner, Director of the UN/UNDP Office in Brussels and UN Representative to the EU, gave a speech entitled "Reignite, refocus, rebuild: transforming SDG implementation in challenging times". She stressed the importance of international cooperation and the crucial role of the United Nations in achieving the SDGs. Her message highlighted that sustainable development is only possible if countries, institutions and citizens assume their responsibilities together.
Lars Moratis, Associate Professor of Corporate Social Responsibility, then gave an enlightening and lighthearted talk on the evolutionary psychology of (un)sustainable behaviour. He explained how human behavioural mechanisms support or, to the contrary, hinder sustainability.
Jean-Luc Crucke, Minister of Mobility, Climate and Environmental Transition, responsible for Sustainable Development, closed the session by calling for action and cooperation in this decisive phase for the SDGs.
Looking to the future
The anniversary edition of the SDG-Forum was, without doubt, a resounding success. High-quality speakers, a diverse audience and engaging workshops covering a wide range of themes sets the tone for the five years of SDG action to come. The event also served as a reminder that sustainable development is a shared responsibility, and that cooperation remains essential if we are to achieve the goals by 2030.
More info
Discover all the event photos by clicking this link.
Presentations from the various workshops and plenary sessions will shortly be available on the website sdgforum.be.
