The Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) will be hosting its 29th Sustainable Development Conference (SDC) from 3 – 5 November 2026 in Islamabad, Pakistan.
The SDC series has been a cornerstone of SDPI’s work since 1995, evolving into one of Asia’s premier forums for advancing sustainable development bringing together researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and civil society from around the world for evidence-based dialogue, research exchange and policy engagement. Over the years, each annual edition has tackled critical issues — from green economics and governance to digitalisation, peace, resilience, and responses to global crises like COVID19 — producing peer-reviewed anthologies and actionable insights that shape debates and policy thinking on sustainable development across the region and beyond.
The 29th SDC on “Rethinking Development in an Age of Disruption” is being convened at a moment of profound global uncertainty. The convergence of geopolitical conflict, climate shocks, economic fragmentation, technological transformation, and erosion of multilateral cooperation is driving a fundamental reconfiguration of the development landscape that extends beyond implementation challenges to fundamental questions of purpose, governance, collective action and policy autonomy.
The ongoing conflict across the Middle East and continuing war between Russia and Ukraine, alongside rising geopolitical and geoeconomic tensions among major powers, have exposed the fragility of global systems. Energy markets, trade routes, and supply chains are increasingly vulnerable to disruption, with cascading impacts on inflation, food security, and economic stability worldwide. At the same time, a retreat from multilateral commitments, including climate cooperation and development ........
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