The role of universities in transformative change

The climate and nature crises indicate a code red for humanity. There is a huge gap between political leadership, knowledge, resources and technology. This reflects an urgent need for transformative change. How can universities and the academic professions engage in these changes in new and more radical ways?

The 7th annual SDG Conference in Bergen will tackle fundamental challenges to the 2030 Agenda, and aims to articulate policies and action points for universities for opening credible paths toward sustainable futures.

The theme is seen from different angles divided into eight sessions on the 8th and 9th of February 2024.

Day one

• Session 1: Transformative change for a post-SDG era
• Session 2: Empowering Change: The Role of Universities in innovation for sustainability
• Session 3: Actionable knowledge and knowledge in action
• Session 4: New directions and approaches

Day two (in Norwegian)

• Sesjon 5: Utdanning i en krisetid: De gode eksemplene på veier videre
• Sesjon 6: Hvordan kan UHRs strategiske enheter bidra til etikk og bærekraft i utdanningen?
• Sesjon 7: Høyere utdanning i møte med klima- og miljøkrisene – hvilke politiske grep kreves?
• Sesjon 8: Hva må universitetene gjøre for å møte utfordringene?

The conference will include speakers from around the world with representation from academia, government, civil society, industry, and more. Take a look at the full programme.

Speakers include:

• Farhana Sultana, Professor, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University
• Arjen Wals, Professor of Transformative Learning for Socio-Ecological Sustainability, Wageningen University
• Arturo Escobar, Kenan Distinguished Professor of Anthropology Emeritus, University of North Carolina
• Ioan Fazey, Professor of Social Dimensions of Environment and Change, York University
• Florian Lüdeke-Freund, Professor for Corporate Sustainability, ESCP Business School
• Linda Sygna, CEO of cCHANGE
• Marian Gazdik, Founding partner of G-Force
• More keynote speakers to be announced!

Conference participants are also invited to Day Zero on the 7th of February (programme to be announced in January). This is an opportunity to participate in debates, workshops and other events organised by a broad range of institutions and organisations.

Conference participation on Day Zero and Day One is all digital and free of charge! Participation on Day Two is by invitation only - the day will be streamed.