UCL hosts global conference on UN Sustainable Development Goals

Former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark was among a host of eminent speakers from across the world discussing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at a UCL conference. Running from 19- 29 October, the 'Beyond Boundaries: Realising the UN Sustainable Development Goals' (SDGs) conference, believed to be the first of its kind at UCL, brought together world-leading experts and champions of sustainable development to examine how universities can galvanise research and teaching to support the SDGs. Jointly hosted by UCL Grand Challenges and the Global Engagement Office, thousands of attendees from over 55 countries joined the event online to hear presentations and panel discussions on a range of key topics, including sustainability in a COVID-19 context, achieving inclusive wealth and addressing global inequalities. Professor David Price, UCL Vice-Provost (Research), said: "This conference was a tremendous opportunity for UCL staff, students and the public to come together to discuss how and if universities, through research and teaching activities, can contribute to the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. "We hope that Beyond Boundaries has inspired attendees to collaborate across both physical and disciplinary boundaries in efforts to confront the global challenges set out in the UN's Agenda 2030. As London's Global University, we hope that the outcomes of this conference will enable us as an institute to make progress towards a new strategy on the SDGs to guide us through the next decade of action." Over 60 speakers joined from countries including Australia, Japan and South Africa and from across government, academia, the media and think tanks.