The Global Sustainable Development Congress (GSDC) 2024 was held on June 10-13 at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center (QSNCC) in Bangkok, Thailand. Under the theme of ‘Uniting Higher Education, Governments, Industry and Society for a Sustainable Future’, the congress was co-organized by Times Higher Education and the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (MHESI) of Thailand. Supamas Isarabhakdi, Minister of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation of Thailand; Nik Nazmi bin Nik Ahmad, Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability of Malaysia; Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP); and Stefania Giannini, Assistant Director-General for Education of the UNESCO joined GSDC. Yi Zheng, Head of Office of Tsinghua SDG Institute, attended the series of meetings and delivered speeches. More than 3,000 experts and scholars, government officials and industry leaders, media and students from all over the world attended the congress on-site.

Opening of the GSDC

On 11 June, Mahidol University hosted the Roundtable on ‘Driving University’s Core Business towards SDGs and Sustainability’, which was co-chaired by Banchong Mahaisavariya, President of Mahidol University, and Piyamitr Sritara, President-designate of Mahidol University. 10 Mahidol University’s leaders, including Khunying Laxanachantorn Laohaphan, former Ambassador of Thailand to Australia, former representative of Thailand to the United Nations Office at Geneva, and member of Mahidol University's Board; as well as Dawn Freshwater, Vice President of the University of Auckland; Kevin Dunn, Provost of the Western Sydney University; Mandy Bratton, Executive Director of Global Sustainability of the University of California, San Diego; Wong Yuen Chow, Chief Sustainability Officer of United Overseas Bank; and Yi Zheng joined the meeting and discussed how to incorporate the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into the core mission of the university, including education, research, policy advocacy, and campus operations, from the perspectives of both the "insider and outsider" of the university.

Roundtable meeting

On June 13, a panel discussion on ‘Fostering Advocates for Sustainable Cities and Communities: The Role of Education and Training’ moderated by Wayne E. Archibald, Founder and Executive Director of Green Solutions International SKN Inc. Jari Hämäläinen, Vice President for Research and Innovation at Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology (LUT) in Finland; Kania Maniasa, Executive Director of the Green School Foundation; Beta Paramita, Associate Professor at the Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, and Yi Zheng jointly discussed the importance of educating and developing sustainable cities and communities advocates. This discussion included topics such as how to inspire advocates for sustainable urban solutions through cross-sectoral collaboration, and structuring policy and academic programs to promote sustainable urban development.

Panel discussion

Meanwhile, during the GSDC 2024, the UN Sustainable Development Solution Network (SDSN) Thailand Network held a SDSN close-door meeting, where John Thwaites, Co-Chair of the SDSN Leadership Council and Member of the Tsinghua SDG Institute’s International Academic Board; Emmanuel D. Delocado, SDSN Philippines network manager; Yi Zheng, SDSN China Hub network manager; Nur Amirah Binti Abdul Majid, SDSN Senior Manager Asia Pacific Lead, and more than 30 other Asia-Pacific SDSN representatives (including representatives of Thailand network member schools) attended.

SDSN Thailand meeting

Pictures丨Mahidol University, Times Higher Education, SDSN Thailand

Article丨Tsinghua SDG Institute