29 Oct,2026
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Islamabad:Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) is hosting its 29th Sustainable Development Conference (SDC) from Nov 2 to 5 here at Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU).
The overarching theme of this year’s 4-day conference is “Rethinking development in an age of disruption.” Alongside the conference, the 4th Sustainability Investment Expo (SIE) which carries the theme, “Connecting Ideas, Investment and Impact for Resilient Development” is also being organised.
Abid Qaiyum Suleri, Executive Director, SDPI, said that in the wake of geopolitical conflict, climate shocks, economic fragmentation and a weakening of multilateral cooperation, this year’s conference moves beyond a retrospective assessment of the Sustainable Development Goals and what comes next. He further said that development must be reimagined as a process of securing resilience, managing risk and sustaining human well-being in a volatile world.
The programme is built around the “three Es” of Development, ie, Economy, Environment and Equity. Development finance runs through all three, with sessions on debt, domestic resource mobilisation, blended finance and the inequities of the global financial architecture. Other themes include transboundary air and water security in South Asia, the emerging “heat economy,” Individual Development Goals (IDGs), reconstruction in conflict-hit regions, and multilateralism as a model of cooperation for the Global South. The conference will also launch the Global South Solutions Without Borders (GS-SWB) Platform, intended to turn dialogue into pilot projects, policy toolkits and financing partnerships.
The agenda lists Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal as chief guest and Dr Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir, Adviser to the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, as guest of honour. Two publications, Sustainable Development in the Emerging World Dis|Order and Journal of Development Policy, Research & Practice (Vol. 10), will also be launched on the occasion.
This will follow the Expo’s Awards Plenary and Federal Minister for IT and Telecommunication Shiza Fatima Khawaja will be chief guest. Sustainability Awards will be presented in seven categories, from climate adaptation and circular economy to digital innovation, clean energy and research-to-impact.
Dr Adil Najam, Dean Emeritus at Pardee School of Global Studies, Boston University, is scheduled to deliver a keynote address. The State of Environment Report will also be launched on the occasion in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme, and Southern Voice. Further plenaries will also be held. The conference will conclude on Nov 5 with two plenaries.
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