ESDN Conferences

A look at the history of the ESDN reveals that annual conferences have played a prominent role in facilitating networking between European SD practitioners and policy advisors. This section of the website provides a one-stop-shop documentation of all ESDN Conferences so far. Please click on one of the conferences for more details:

ESDN Conference 2019, “Towards a Sustainable Europe 2030 – From Reflection to Action”, 30-31 October 2019, Helsinki, Finland

The ESDN Conference 2019 took place in Helsinki, Finland on October 30-31, 2019. It was organized by the ESDN in cooperation with the Finnish Prime Minister’s Office. The conference was a 1.5-day event (30 October was a full day and 31 October was a half-day that ran until 13:00) and was held in tandem with the Finnish Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The conference brought together sustainable development policymakers and experts from different stakeholder groups from all over Europe.

The title of this year’s Conference was “Towards a Sustainable Europe 2030 – From Reflection to Action”. The Conference focused on many topics relating to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs in Europe and took stock of where Europe stands after four years of implementation. Other Conference topics included the linking of the 2030 Agenda to economic reality and looking at meta-governance for sustainability. In addition, the Conference focused on various challenges for Europe in reaching the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs and delved deeper into 4 key themes: Circular Economy; Economy of Well-Being; Sustainable Finance; and Global Responsibility.

Programme & Proceedings

• Conference programme
• Discussion Input Paper

Keynote presentations

Session 1: Taking stock on the implementation at the global, European and national level: 4 years after adoption of the 2030 Agenda

• Eeva Furman, “Global Sustainable Development Report (GSDR): Paving the way for global transformation to sustainable development by 2030”
• Eric Mulholland, “Overview of the state of implementation of the 2030 Agenda on the national level in Europe”

Session 2: Transformative rather than incremental changes for sustainable development – What does it mean in terms of economics and governance for SD?

• Joachim Monkelbaan, “Linking SD and the 2030 Agenda to Economic Reality”
• Louis Meuleman, “Meta-governance for Sustainability: The full toolbox in implementing the SDGs”

Session 3: Key challenges for Europe in reaching the SDGs and 2030 Agenda

• Guillaume Lafortune, “SDG Index 2019 and Key Challenges for Europe”
• Leena-Kaisa Piekkari, “Circular Economy”
• Ulla Rosenström, “Economy of Wellbeing”
• Kali Taylor, “Global Responsibility”

Back-to-back event with the ESDN Conference 2019

„Beyond Growth – Indicators and politics for people and planet”, Helsinki, 28-29 October 2019”
An international knowledge co-creation event Beyond Growth – Indicators and politics for people and planet was organized just before the ESDN Conference 2019. The objective of the event was to push the discussion on the beyond GDP measures into action in EU policies. The event was organized by the Finnish Development NGOs Fingo in collaboration with the Finnish National Commission on Sustainable Development.

Beyond Growth – Policy Recommendations

Vienna 2018: Stakeholder-Policy Cooperation in the Age of the SDGs: What new approaches are required to be successful?

Prague 2017: Strategic Governance for SD: New developments and approaches in the context of the 2030 Agenda and SDGs

Bern 2016: Vertical integration in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for SD: Addressing the role of sub-national and local levels

Luxembourg 2015: Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at the EU and national level: Designing effective governance architectures and strategic frameworks

Rome 2014: A renewed policy framework for sustainable development - The international SD agenda and its impact on Europe

Vienna 2013: Vienna+10: National Sustainable Development Strategies in Europe – Taking stock, new developments and future challenges

Copenhagen 2012: Rio+20 and its implications for Sustainable Development Policy at the EU and national level

Szentendre 2011: Framing and Focussing: European Resource Policies in the Context of Sustainable Development

Ghent 2010: Towards an Economy compatible with Sustainable Development Principles

Prague 2009: Options and Opportunities for the future EU Sustainable Development Strategy

Paris 2008: Coordinating SCP and CSR policies with Sustainable Development Strategies

Berlin 2007: European Sustainability Berlin 2007

Salzburg 2006: Sustainable Development goes Mozart

Windsor 2005: EU sustainable development networking event

Kinsale 2004: Comhar Conference

Vienna 2003: Sustainable Development in an enlarged Union

The Hague 2002: National Strategies for Sustainable Development: “Facts, Faces and Future Challenges”