Activating the SDGs

Without a radical transformation of our economic systems, we will not be able to honour the commitments and promise of the Sustainable Development Goals for a sustainable future that is equitable and leaves no one behind. On 31 October 2023, as part of the SDG Lab’s What’s Next Series, the SDG Lab organized an event on ‘Rethinking Economic Systems to Achieve Long-term Sustainability.’ It brought together influential speakers from the UN and various civil society organizations (CSOs) to address the urgent need for a paradigm shift in our economic systems.

We are at the midpoint to 2030 and progress on the SDGs is nowhere where it should be. There are valid questions to be asked as to why the international community is not delivering on the promise of the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement. Arguably, the lack of progress has led to frustration, complacency and ultimately inaction. So, what’s the missing link? Is it agency? Do people feel empowered to act? Are we omitting human emotions and psychology from the equation? Join us for a panel discussion on 29 November, 16h-17h30 followed by an Apéro, at the Palais des Nations, Geneva.

We need a transformation in how we define and measure economic value, and how we design economic systems to respect environmental boundaries of our planet and promote human well-being and prosperity within those limits. It is against this background that the SDG Lab is focusing on new lenses to sustainability, such as systems change and regenerative development. Complementing the What’s Next high-level event on “Rethinking economic systems for long-term sustainable development” of 31 October 2023, this article discusses the imperative to embrace a beyond growth approach for sustainable futures.

Emotions are inherent to being human. They influence all aspects of our daily lives—from the choices we make to the decisions we take. Yet, factoring in emotions as a crucial component of sustainable development has been lacking. And while the links between emotions and sustainability are clear, there has been limited effort to infuse the two areas in support of accelerating the shift to long-term sustainable actions. Against this background, the 29 November What’s Next event "Emotions: A Missing Link Towards Long-Term Sustainability?" was designed with three overarching questions in mind: 1) How can we better understand what motivates action; 2) Which emotions are most likely to trigger pro-sustainability behaviours, and 3) How can this knowledge be applied to strategies and practical policymaking.