2020 SDG Conference programme
The programme for the 2020 SDG Conference Bergen: Wednesday 5 (Day Zero), Thursday 6 and Friday 7 February.
Main content
Day Zero: Wednesday 5 February
Day One: Thursday 6 February
08:30-09:00 Registration and coffee
09:00-09:20 Conference Opening
- Mr. Nikolai Astrup, Minister of Local Government and Modernisation, Government of Norway
- Dr. Dag Rune Olsen, Rector, University of Bergen and Chair, Universities Norway
- Mr. Felipe F. Garcia, Vice-President, National Union of Students in Norway
09:20-09:30 Salutation on the Sámi National Day
- Ms. Mona Tornensis Hornæs, Deputy representative to the Sámi Parliament of Norway and member of Bergen Sámi Organisation
09:30-10:35 The Bergen SDG Lecture
Presentation of the UN Global Sustainable Development Report (GSDR). Including Q&A.
- Dr. Peter Messerli, Director of Centre for Development and Environment of the University of Bern, Switzerland, and co-chair of the UN Global Sustainable Development Report
Respondents: Dr. Stefania Giannini, Assistant Director-General for Education, UNESCO and Mr. Bård Vegar Solhjell, Director General, Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad)
Moderator:
- Dr. Margareth Hagen, Pro-Rector, University of Bergen
10:35-10:55 Break: coffee, tea, refreshments
10:55-13:10 Technology, Innovation and Industrial Transformation: torchlight for sustainable solutions for climate action?
Despite rapid growth in renewable energy solutions, global emissions of carbon dioxide are still increasing. The time window for phasing out fossil fuel is rapidly closing. Will technology, innovation and industrial transformation provide us with the solutions we need for sustainable development, or do we also need to change our social behaviour?
In this session we invite representatives from business and industry to enter into dialogue with scientists on how to accelerate the speed with which we can achieve sustainability, and to manage this in a fair and inclusive way. Including Q&A.
Keynotes:
- Ms. Judith Joan Walker, Director of Operations, African Clean Energy
- Dr. Mario Giampietro, Institute of Environmental Science & Technology, Autonomous University of Barcelona
11:50-12:05 Break: coffee, tea, refreshments
Panellists:
- Dr. Mari Sundli Tveit, Policy Director, The Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise
- Dr. Edgar Hertwich, International Chair in Industrial Ecology and Professor, Norwegian University of Science and Technology
- Mr. Idar Kreutzer, Managing Director, Finance Norway
- Ms. Judith Joan Walker, Director of Operations, African Clean Energy
- Dr. Mario Giampietro, Institute of Environmental Science & Technology, Autonomous University of Barcelona
Moderator:
- Dr. Roger Strand, Professor, University of Bergen
13:10-14:10 Lunch
14:10-14:30 SDGs in action
- Mr. Erik Færevaag of the TerraVera Foundation in dialogue with Professor Ståle Knudsen, University of Bergen.
14:30-16:20 Technology and Knowledge for Sustainability and Equality
New technology like Artificial Intelligence (AI) offers an opportunity to accelerate the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However any technological revolution leads to new imbalances that we must anticipate. Within the global economy technology has provided abundance of wealth for some of us. But technology of the industrial world is also identified with growing inequality, pollution, mass consumption, misuse of scarce resources, war and concentration of power. Which demands should be put on new technology to avoid these negative consequences? How can universities contribute to a shift and make technology a tool for realization of the SDGs? Including Q&A.
Keynote:
- Dr. Adam Habib, Vice-Chancellor, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
14:55-15:15 Break: coffee, tea, refreshments
Panellists:
- Dr. Barnabas Nawangwe, Vice-Chancellor, University of Makerere, Uganda
- Dr. Svein Stølen, Rector, University of Oslo, Norway
- Ms. Carolyn Medel-Anonuevo, Senior Programme Specialist/Head of Education Unit,UNESCO Regional Office for Southern Africa
- Ms. Elisabeth Gulbrandsen, Special adviser, Research Council of Norway
- Ms. Andrea K. Felde, PhD candidate, University of Bergen, Norway
- Dr. Adam Habib, Vice-Chancellor, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
Moderator:
- Dr. Hilligje van't Land, Secretary General, International Association of Universities (IAU)
16:20-16:40 SDGs in action – The SDGs from an indigenous perspective: equality in education
- Mini panel debate: Dr. Pigga Keskitalo, Sámi University of Applied Sciences and Dr. Astri Andresen, University of Bergen in dialogue with Professor Siri Gloppen, University of Bergen.
19:00 Conference dinner
- Venue: Hotel Norge by Scandic
Day Two: Friday 7 February
09:00-11:30 The Global Health Gap
SDG 3 calls for healthy lives and wellbeing for all at all ages by 2030. To achieve this goal, we need to address the global health gap, namely the huge health inequities that persist between rich and poor people (both within and across countries) and inequitable access to essential health services and technologies. There is much optimism that biomedical innovations and emerging technologies, notably digital technologies, can be harnessed to close the health gap. At the same time, major gaps in knowledge, evidence and finance and asymmetries of power shape the potential for emerging technologies to benefit health equity. How can improved access to health care and emerging technologies contribute to the SDGs: better health, a healthy workforce, eradication of extreme poverty, improved economic productivity and reduced inequalities? Including Q&A.
Keynote:
- Dr. Sakiko Fukuda-Parr, Professor of International Affairs, the New School in New York, USA, and Director of the Independent Panel on Global Governance for Health
09:45-10:15 Break: coffee, tea, refreshements
Panellists:
- Mr. Tore Lærdal, Lærdal Medical AS
- Dr. Kristine Onarheim, University College London
- Dr. Kalipso Chalkidou, Centre for Global Development, Washington DC and Imperial College London
- Mr. Paul Fife, Director of the Department for Education and Global Health, Norad
- Dr. Mahlet Kifle Habtemarian, Principal programme officer at Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, Addis Ababa
Moderator:
- Dr. Katerini Storeng, Centre for Development and the Environment, University of Oslo
11:30-12:00 SDGs in action
- Introduction by Dr. Ole Frithjof Norheim, Professor, University of Bergen
- Dr. Erlend Grønningen, Doctors Without Borders: Access to essential medicines.
- PhD Candidate Emily Mclean, University of Bergen: Ethical dilemmas among abortion service providers in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
12:00-13:00 Lunch
13:00-14:10 National Platform for SDG Quality in Higher Education
Presentation of the National Platform for SDG Quality in Higher Education. Followed by Q&A after panel.
- Dr. Solve Sæbø, Pro-rector Education, Norwegian University of Life Sciences
Comments on the National Platform for SDG Quality in Higher Education by:
- Dr. Kenneth Ruud, Pro-Rector for research, UiT – The Arctic University of Norway
- Dr. Sjur Baardsen, Rector, Norwegian University of Life Sciences
- Dr. Svein Stølen, Rector, University of Oslo
- Dr. Anne Borg, Rector, Norwegian University of Science and Technology
- Dr. Dag Rune Olsen, Rector, University of Bergen and Chair, Universities Norway
Moderator:
- Mr. Dankert Vedeler, former co-chair of the global SDG Education 2030 Steering Committee
Download the report: SDG - Quality in higher education: Developing a platform for sharing of ideas and practices
14:10–14:20 Closing remarks
- Mr. Henrik Asheim, Minister of Research and Higher Education, Government of Norway
14:20-14:30 End of Conference
- Dr. Annelin Eriksen, Vice-rector for Global Relations, University of Bergen
