SDSN Events at COP28
SDSN, its partners, and experts were at the forefront of key conversations taking place at COP28. Explore the events SDSN and its partners hosted and participated in during COP28.
Date: November 30 - December 12
Host: SDSN's FELD Programme as part of the FOLU Coalition
Location: Food Systems Pavilion, Expo City (Blue Zone)
SDSN is a core sponsor through the Food and Land Use Coalition (FOLU), providing inputs to the pavilion event programming and the joint policy asks and other communications activities of the FSP. Through the FELD programme, SDSN will contribute on political aspects of integrating food system action for mitigation and adaptation across development, climate and nature domains, through NDCs, NBSAPs and NAPs linking to system-wide national plans and accelerated locally-led policy design and implementation.
On December 1, through FELD, SDSN is speaking on the state of food systems alongside FAO and other speakers to directly address key issues related to the practical integration of food systems in NDCs, the role of sectoral targets and related initiatives, and the implementation, financing and practical operationalization in and across sectors and countries at the COP28
Food Systems Call to Action.
Debrief, Catch-up and Pass It On: Daily Early-Career Researcher Session
Date: Every day at COP28, 5pm-5:50pm (Gulf Standard Time)
Host: SDSN Youth
Location: Michigan Technological University Pavilion (Blue Zone)
A daily debrief that brings together early career researchers (and others that are interested) to discuss each day, what the reality of COPs are and how we can make them even better. The session will have an emphasis on knowledge and vocabulary sharing and will produce an easy to read COP28 outcomes report.
World Climate Action Summit: Resilient Food Systems, Sustainable Agriculture, and Climate Action
December 1
Hosted by: COP28
Location: COP28 Mainstage
This session will feature the COP28 Food Systems and Agriculture Agenda’s flagship initiatives across its four pillars: national action, non-state action, innovation and finance. Central to this effort will be the unveiling of the first-ever Emirates Declaration on Food Systems and Climate, the development of Landscape Alliances between agribusinesses and producers using regenerative practices, the launch of ‘Innovation Bundles’ designed to deliver agricultural innovations to climate-vulnerable people and small holder farmers at scale, and the piloting of a new food systems structured financing product and country packages to channel private finance, concessional resources and philanthropic funding into food and climate transformation projects in climate vulnerable countries.
Navigating the UNFCCC to Make your Research Matter: Masterclass for Early Career Researchers
Date: December 1, 12:50 - 2:00 p.m. (Gulf Standard Time)
Host: SDSN Youth
Location: Monash Pavilion (Blue Zone)
This event encompasses 4 short masterclasses on the UNFCCC and how Early Career Researchers (ECR) can make the most of COP and make their research impactful within the UNFCCC.
This event plan is based on a co-design process undertaken by ECRs from around the world.
Bridging Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) & Global Citizenship in the Age of Climate Crisis
December 1, 2:30pm – 3:30pm (Gulf Standard Time)
Host: Mission 4.7
Location: UNESCO Greening Education Pavilion
The session objective is to actively engage COP attendees to think critically and creatively about the knowledge, values, skills, attitudes as well as stakeholders necessary for comprehensive and meaningful education that leads to climate action, a sustainable future, and a better world. The session aims to illustrate concrete examples of implementation strategies, considerations and solutions involving global citizenship, ethics-driven education, greening partnerships and skilling that can support COP attendees to adopt in their lines of transformative education and sustainable development work.
Implementing the Greening Education Partnership in Higher Education: Collaborations and Initiatives
Date: December 1, 5:15 p.m. - 6:15 p.m. (Gulf Standard Time)
Host: SDG Academy in partnership with Foundation for Environmental Education, Green Growth Asia, Aspen Institute, and University of Sharjah
Location: Green Zone
This event addresses the important role that Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) play in equipping communities with the key competencies and knowledge needed to advance a sustainable world. Innovative new projects and initiatives are highlighted to encourage greater uptake of education for sustainable development (ESD) in HEIs and to display how policy meets practice in the higher education sector. Specifically, speakers from the Foundation for Environmental Education, Green Growth Asia Foundation, and the Sustainable Development Solutions Network will present a range of NGO driven initiatives, while representatives from the American University of Sharjah and Aspen Institute will highlight a specific inter-university collaboration transforming the ways students learn about and experience sustainability education.
December 2, 9:30 a.m. (Gulf Standard Time)
Hosted by: Sustainable Development Solutions Network The NDC Partnership
Location: NDC Partnerships Pavilion (Blue Zone, Opportunity District, Zone B7, Building 88)
A dialogue with both country level representatives and global partners to exchange practical experiences, trends and challenges around NDC implementation, as a basis for exploring a common and pragmatic way forward. The session will help raise practical issues, transaction costs and other challenges especially developing countries experience in the context of a growing number of global initiatives and the fragmentation of available sources of financing. The objective is a differentiated discussion with a view to develop practical solutions and a shared agenda for moving forward to strengthen and accelerate climate action based on the NDCs.
Winning Solutions on Greening Education: The Global Schools Program and Action on Climate Empowerment (ACE) in Classroom Settings
December 2, 12:30 - 1:30 p.m. (Gulf Standard Time)
Host: Global Schools Program and Uccellis College
Location: UNESCO Greening Education Pavilion
The purpose of this session is to showcase best practices and research-backed resources for championing climate education in classrooms. This includes the work of the Global Schools Program, which provides free training to school leaders and educators at the primary and secondary levels, as well as the outcomes of Global School’s research projects in Morocco in partnership with the Mohammed VI Foundation for Environmental Protection and Al-Akhawayn University. In addition, the event will feature the Teaching Module “Education for Action on Climate” from Uccellis College. This session aims to attract a diverse audience encompassing policy makers, development partners, teachers and school leaders, national delegations, government representatives, NGOs, civil society groups, ministries working in the climate and education sectors, youth activists and practitioners, and a broad spectrum of societal stakeholders.
December 3, 11:00 a.m. (Gulf Standard Time)
Hosted by: SDSN's FELD Programme as part of the FOLU Coalition
Location: NDC Partnerships Pavilion
The event will explore entry points for local actors to ensure their role in the practical operationalization of NDCs. A mixed high-level panel of government, civil society, women and youth representatives will be invited to respond if it is politically and financially feasible to bring these recommendations forward to NDCP member states.
The SDSN Global Climate Hub: Systemic Pathways to Sustainability, Climate Neutrality, and Resilience
Date: December 3, 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. (Gulf Standard Time)
Host: The SDSN Global Climate Hub
Location: UNFCCC Innovation Hub Pavilion, Expo City (Blue Zone)
The session will present sustainable pathways covering the energy, land-use, and food sector utilizing up-to-date modelling solutions, including insights from top experts in the field. A comprehensive approach to harness the synergies across Integrated Assessment Models is at the epicentre of the SDSN Global Climate Hub, the workings and output of which will be communicated in the session. The experts will analyze the trade-offs and complementarities underpinning economic and social policies using tangible results from Integrated Assessment Models and engage in fruitful dialogue towards leveraging results from distinct sectors of economic activity to develop science-driven human-centric pathways to sustainability which promote transformative solutions and foster just transitions.
Launch of the Science Panel for the Congo Basin
Date: December 3, 4:00 - 5:30 p.m. (Gulf Standard Time)
Host: SDSN
Location: COMIFAC Pavilion (Blue Zone)
Emerging from within the scientific community in the Congo basin, and responding to the call of environmental ministers in the region, the SDSN is supporting the establishment of a Science Panel for the Congo Basin (SPCB), comprised of and led by scientists in and from the region. This event will include key details of the Panel's mission, objectives, co-chairs, and governance, as well as its timeline for generating a first-of-its-kind report on the Congo Basin at COP30. The event will end with an interactive panel discussion with leading scientists from the region and the SPCB co-chairs.
SDGs Quantification and Acceleration
Date: December 4, 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. (Gulf Standard Time)
Host: The SDSN Global Climate Hub
Location: UNFCCC Innovation Hub Pavilion, Expo City
The transformation to sustainable societies and economies cannot be accelerated without identifying the financing gaps, financing pathways, and regional and local policies to support the transition and the joint implementation of the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development. The session will discuss the introduction of several frameworks and the mainstreaming of the SDGs by further downscaling frameworks at the subnational level and taking into account institutions and SDG/ESG related metrics and methodologies; financial assets, budgetary items, and companies’ ESG and SDG footprint across the entire value chain.
Launch of the Arab SDG Index and Dashboard Report 2023
Date: December 4, 4:25 p.m. (Gulf Standard Time)
Host: Mohammed Bin Rashid School of Government
Location: House of Sustainability, COP28
The upcoming Arab SDG Index and Dashboard (2023) is the latest edition in a series that was initiated in 2019, in partnership with SDSN, to provide data-driven insights on SDG progress in the region. This special edition of the SDG index for Arab States features indicators and analyses tailored to the region’s context and challenges, and it presents detailed country profiles for each of the 22 Arab states included in the report.
Global Energy Interconnection: Advancing Just and Inclusive Energy Transition
Date: December 5, 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. (Gulf Standard Time)
Host: SDSN & UNIDO, GEIDCO, UNESCAP, and UNESCWA
Location: UNFCCC Pavilion (Blue Zone)
Climate change is a major challenge confronting all countries worldwide. To tackle this issue, transitioning towards a low-carbon energy system and promoting carbon neutrality emerge as pivotal measures. Achieving global carbon neutrality is an intricate and demanding endeavor, requiring comprehensive and systematic actions. With the aim of advancing global carbon
neutrality, this thematic event will discuss and explore new ideas, mechanisms, pathways, solutions, and benefits associated with fostering an inclusive, equitable, and resilient global energy transition through global energy interconnection. The
event endeavors to provide valuable insights for relevant international organizations and national governments to promote energy transition, and show by example to motivate enterprises and institutions to actively participate in global emission reduction efforts.
Achieving Net Zero on Campus: Unlocking Finance
Date: Dec 5, 9:30-10:30 am, (Gulf Standard Time)
Hosted by: Monash University and SDSN
Location: Monash University Pavilion (Blue Zone)
Leveraging the Net Zero on Campus Initiative, the session aims for a collaborative, interactive format to (1) improve understanding among financiers and philanthropies of universities' challenges across different regions; (2) increase universities’ awareness of emerging climate financing options; (3) identify solutions that promote targeted and innovative financing mechanisms for universities; and (4) achieve a commitment from key stakeholders to work jointly to address the gap between the commitment and ambition of universities and the financial resources needed to fund the transition.
Harnessing the Health Co-benefits of Climate Action
Date: December 5, 9:30 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. (Gulf Standard Time)
Host: Pathfinder Initiative
Location: COP28 Health Pavilion
The session will include a presentation of key findings and recommendations from the recently published Lancet Pathfinder Commission report and announce the launch of a new Coalition on Climate Action for Health. Speakers will provide an overview of evidence on climate mitigation actions with the largest potential co-benefits across sectors and highlight the main pathways to health, as well as presenting case studies of implemented solutions with measured climate and health benefits. The presentations will cover a range of topics relating to climate mitigation and health, including actions across different sectors; priorities, challenges and opportunities for diverse regions, countries and cities; and the integration of health co-benefits into climate policies and UNFCCC processes.
Date: December 5, 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM (Gulf Standard Time)
Host: Tec de Monterrey (Co-host of SDSN México)
Location: COP28 Higher Education Pavilion
This networking session is for Latin American Universities at COP28 to connect and unite our voices for climate action at the region. The event will be conducted in Spanish.
Contact for questions: Paola Visconti, paolavisconti@tec.mx
Bridging Youth Leadership and Sustainable Education
December 5, 11:30 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. (Gulf Standard Time)
Hosted by: Global Schools Program
Location: Climate Action Stage at the Climate Action Innovation Zone
In the evolving educational and environmental spheres, young leaders are championing the integration of sustainability into learning. While traditional education systems may resist change and sustainable business practices can face barriers, the potential benefits to integrating sustainable development into education are significant. Intergenerational leadership fosters knowledge sharing, and youth-led climate advocacy introduces innovative solutions. Join us for a progressive dialogue on the fusion of climate action and education and learn firsthand how dynamic young leaders are sculpting the educational landscape, paving the way for students to emerge as future sustainability champions.
Date: December 5, 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. (Gulf Standard Time)
Host: SDSN & UNIDO
Location: UNFCCC Pavilion (Blue Zone)
The global imperative to address climate change has heightened the need for transformative action across industries. Among these, heavy industries such as, concrete and cement and iron and steel, play a significant role in both economic development and carbon emissions. As the global economy expands and urbanization accelerates, these sectors are essential for construction, infrastructure, and manufacturing, but they also contribute substantially to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This side event will focus on exploring engineering pathways for reducing emissions in these critical industries.
Energy Transition and Clean Energy Development
Date: December 6, 10:15 a.m. - 11:15 a.m. (Gulf Standard Time)
Host: SDSN & UNIDO and GEIDCO
Location: WMO Pavilion (Blue Zone)
This thematic event aims to discuss the ideas and solutions for the energy transition and clean energy development through Global Energy Interconnection (GEI). The event will convene senior representatives of the IPCC, CEET, the China Meteorological Administration (CMA), and other organizations, as well as experts and scholars in energy and climate.
Global Commons Stewardship Index - Tackling Environmental Spillovers
Date: December 6, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. (Gulf Standard Time)
Host: SDSN, Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy, and Center for Global Commons
Location: GAUC pavilion, Blue Zone, B7-90
The Global Commons Stewardship (GCS) Index, jointly developed by Center for Global Commons (CGC) at The University of Tokyo, Yale University, and SDSN, provides information on environmental stress incurred by 150 counties and emphasizes how unsustainable production systems – but also unsustainable consumption in high-income countries – drive negative impacts on the Global Commons. Taking advantage of the latest advances in trade data, environmental research, and industrial ecology, the GCS Index provides detailed analyses of impacts embodied in international trade flows. At this session, Yale University and SDSN will present the key messages from the report, followed by a discussion by experts on the policy implications of the research.
Date: December 8, 12:00 - 12:45 p.m. (Gulf Standard Time)
Host: Mission 4.7 and SDGs Today
Location: RewirEd Summit
More than 15 universities in Mexico, the United States, and Canada have combined forces to find innovative ways to foster youth-led innovation for the SDGs. The SDSN and the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University lead this consortium. Over the past several months, the group has organized a number of workshops focused on sustainability curriculum design, scaling and commercializing sustainable ventures, climate communications, and much more. This session will discuss the key lessons of a report drafted for policy makers on these workshops.
Speed Dating for SDG12.3: How Philanthropy Can Catalyze National Action on Food Loss and Waste
Date: December 8, 12:30 - 13:30 p.m. (Gulf Standard Time)
Host: Food and Land Use Coalition (FOLU) in partnership with WRI, Champions12.3, WRAP, ReFed, Bezos Earth Fund, IKEA Foundation, Robertson Foundation and Susan Bell Associates
Location: Food Systems Pavilion (Blue Zone)
Food loss and waste is a key contributor to the climate crisis. Ambitious multi-sector and multi-stakeholder solutions are needed to achieve SDG12.3 - to halve food loss and waste by 2030 - and deliver nutrition security. Philanthropy can play a critical role in catalyzing these solutions and delivering meaningful local action. This event will dive into how and where philanthropic action can be meaningful and showcase meaningful examples from Kenya, Ethiopia, Indonesia, USA and Mexico. We invite interested philanthropies and solution providers to join us for 30 minutes ‘speed-dating’ to discuss questions of ‘where and how can we partner’ to deliver SDG12.3.
Skills Development and Technological Tipping Points for Net Zero
Date: December 8, 1:15 p.m. - 2:45 p.m. (Gulf Standard Time)
Host: SDSN & UNIDO, Student Energy, IEEE, and IET
Location: Blue Zone/ SE Room 3
Achieving a net-zero carbon future requires not only the development and deployment of innovative technologies, but also the cultivation of the skills and capabilities necessary to implement and progress these solutions effectively. This session, co-organized by SDSN, Student Energy, IEEE and IET, will explore technological tipping points – those pivotal moments when innovative technologies reach a critical stage of adoption–and their intersection with skills development. By understanding and harnessing these tipping points and cultivating the skills necessary to implement existing and emerging solutions, we can realize an acceleration toward a sustainable and net-zero future.
Nurturing Roots: The Importance of Integrating Land Restoration in Schools
Date: December 8, 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. (Gulf Standard Time)
Host: G20 Land Initiative
Location: UNCCD Land and Drought Pavilion (and live streaming)
With escalating environmental challenges like deforestation, soil degradation, and biodiversity loss, it is imperative that the younger generation is aware of, and actively engaged in, land restoration. Schools can play a pivotal role in promoting these initiatives through their curricula, thus ensuring an environmentally conscious and equipped future generation. By integrating this topic into educational curricula, we can equip the next generation with the knowledge, values, and skills needed to address these challenges. Land degradation and deforestation are significant contributors to global carbon emissions. By teaching students about land restoration, we educate them about viable solutions to combat climate change and the importance of reforestation, afforestation, and sustainable land use. Students can also learn about the significance of biodiversity and the ways in which restoring lands can provide habitats for various species, thus preventing extinction and ensuring ecosystem balance.
Date: December 9 (Time TBC)
Host: SDSN's FELD Programme as part of the FOLU Coalition
Location: COP Mainstage
Food security is dependent on healthy and functioning ecosystems and resources, which in turn depend on transformation of food systems and agriculture. This event will report on and introduce programs, policies, and finance by innovative and ambitious multistakeholder partnerships to link food, climate, and biodiversity frameworks and agreements, with a focus on human and ecosystem health.
Nature Positive for Climate Action - Building Momentum and Showcasing Leadership
Date: December 9 (Time TBC)
Hosted by: SDSN's FELD Programme as part of the FOLU Coalition
Location: Nature Positive Pavilion, Expo City (Blue Zone)
Framed by the Call to Action on Nature Positive, this event will showcase leading businesses and financial firms that are charting new paths to deliver nature and climate goals through science-based targets, reporting, and analysis. Current and emerging frameworks – including TNFD, SBTN, and SBTi-flag – will be profiled as opportunities for companies to take integrated approaches to supporting the global goal of halting and reversing nature loss by 2030 and advancing on net-zero commitments.
Today’s Science for the Amazon of Tomorrow
Date: December 9, 9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. (Gulf Standard Time)
Host: Science Panel for the Amazon
Location: WWF Pavilion (Blue Zone)
This session featured the launch of three policy briefs focused on the following topics: 1) Human Impact on Carbon Emissions, Losses in Ecosystems Services and Finance for Amazon Solutions; 2) Land Markets and Illegalities: The deep roots of deforestation in the Amazon; and 3) A New Infrastructure for the Amazon. This event livestream can be found on
YouTube.
Date: December 9, 12:00 - 13:15 p.m. (Gulf Standard Time)
Hosted by: Nature4Climate, SDSN's FELD Programme
Location: Nature Positive Pavilion (Blue Zone)
Nature Positive – the Global Goal for Nature – means ensuring there is more nature in the world in 2030 than there was in 2020. This will contribute towards the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, the Paris Agreement, and securing a safe and just future. But how can businesses, financial institutes, governments, cities, communities and Indigenous Peoples, and civil society actors contribute to this goal? How much contribution to the goal must each actor make, and will it all add up to bending the curve on nature loss? This session will explore these topics from the perspective of outcome metrics for nature, private sector impacts and dependencies, and the frameworks needed to drive action in a measurable way.
The Resilient Amazon: From Tipping Points to Conservation and Restoration
Date: December 9, 4:45 pm - 6:00 p.m. (Gulf Standard Time)
Host: Science Panel for the Amazon
Location: Amazon Governors' Pavilion
This session featured the launch of two policy briefs focused on the following topics: 1) Nine Ways to Avoid an Amazon Forest Tipping Point; and 2) Forest management and forest landscape restoration in the Amazon: The way forward to promote sustainability. A recording of this event is available via YouTube.
Date: December 11, 10:45 - 11:45 a.m. (Gulf Standard Time)
Host: SDSN & UNIDO / DESA
Location: Blue Zone/ SDG Pavilion
Perhaps the best medium for navigating nuances and developing solutions to the SDGs is open conversation among subject matter experts. In this interactive debate-style event, CEET Engineers will take on misconceptions about some of the most pressing and cross-cutting issues that stand in the way of the clean energy transition. Experts on clean hydrogen, transportation, and clean cooking will come together to highlight key roadblocks and progressions along the pathway to clean energy development, and discuss ways in which our policies do — or don’t — support the SDGs. Busting myths about the energy transition opens up the opportunity to find the right steps towards progress. The conclusions of debate among CEET Engineers will push viewers to question their assumptions, and lead us down the path of solutions for the SDGs.
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