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Annual Conference 2023

27 September 2023, 9:00 AM–7:00 PM
Dynamic Earth, Holyrood Road, Edinburgh, UK and Online
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We were delighted to invite our members and community to join us for our Annual Conference ‘All Eyes on the SDGs’; a one day event that explored how to reinvigorate global, national, and public interest in the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Introduction

At the half way point to the target year of 2030, the conference considered how we could reignite passion and commitment for the SDGs, taking inspiration from people and communities across the world to renew the SDG agenda for Scotland and the planet.

This year’s conference was hosted at Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh, and streamed online for those who attended remotely, and featured keynote speakers, interactive panel discussions, lightning presentations, and networking opportunities.

As always, speakers came from the global sustainable development community in Scotland and beyond, along with other experts in their field. Panel sessions considered how the SDGs informed decision-making in Scotland and globally; the role of AI and new technology in progressing the SDGs; and how we could inspire more public understanding and support. The conference was chaired by Hermione Cockburn, Scientific Director at Dynamic Earth and Broadcaster.

We hope you enjoyed this exciting and informative event, where you had the chance to connect with other professionals, experts, and practitioners working on the SDGs, share your experiences and challenges, and learn from best practices and success stories.

If you missed any of the sessions or would like to revisit them, you can access the recording of the live stream below.


Watch the Live Stream



Timings

MORNING

09.00 – 09.40 Networking & registration Refreshments (Ozone)

09.40 – 09.45 Conference opens

  • Dr Hermione Cockburn, Scientific Director, Dynamic Earth and Broadcaster

09.45 – 09.50 Welcome

  • Frances Guy, Chief Executive, Scotland’s International Development Alliance

09.50-10.00 Lightning presentations: SDGs 1-4

  • EMMS International
  • Action for Humanity
  • THET
  • Read Foundation

10.00 – 10.30 Opening keynote

10.30 – 10.40 Lightning presentations: SDGs 5-8

  • Right to Play
  • WaterAid
  • Centre for Sustainable Development | University of Strathclyde
  • Challenges Group

10.40 – 11.10 Networking break Refreshments (Ozone)

11.10 – 12.20 Session 1: SDGs Driving decision-making – from global to local

Our panel will share how they embed the SDGs in strategic thinking and delivery -from commitments to the UN Global Compact at corporate level, to implementing the SDGs nationally and locally.

  • Chair: Dr Graham Long, Newcastle University
  • Sarah Boyack MSP, Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero, Energy and Just Transition
  • Thom Kenrick, Natwest / RBS
  • Moreblessings Chidaushe, WaterAid
  • Professor M. Peter Wanderi, United Nations Academic Impact

12.20 – 12.30 Lightning presentations: SDGs 9-12

  • KidsOR
  • Mellow Parenting
  • Islamic Relief
  • Scottish Fair Trade Forum

12.30 – 13.40 Lunch & networking break (Ozone)

AFTERNOON

13.40 – 14.25 Session 2: Spotlight on SDG 13: climate action. Activating loss and damage – lessons from Malawi

SCIAF will launch a short documentary about their Scottish Government funded Loss and Damage Project in Malawi. The film will be followed by an opportunity to put questions to our panel of Loss and Damage experts.

  • Ben Wilson, SCIAF
  • Emma Fenton, International Climate Change Team, Scottish Government
  • Hyacinthe Niyitegeka, Loss and Damage Collaboration

14.25 – 14.55 Session 3: Igniting SDG sparks – innovative examples from Norway and Ireland

With financial investment and political support at the highest level, Norway more than doubled public awareness of the SDGs. In Ireland, civil society has come together to drive political ambition and support. What can we learn from their approaches?

  • Marte Lid, Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation
  • Meaghan Carmody, Coordinator of Coalition 2030 Ireland

14.55 – 15.10 Lightning presentations: SDGs 13-17

  • SCIAF
  • One Ocean Hub | University of Strathclyde
  • Ripple Effect
  • Diaspora Steering Group on Global Citizenship | SIDA
  • Triodos Bank

15.10 – 15.40 Networking break Refreshments (Ozone)

15.40 – 16.50 Session 4: Spotlight on SDG 9 Innovation. Beyond the buzzword – the role of AI and new tech in progressing the SDGs

How can we embrace new technologies to further our goals? Is ‘tech for good’ a reality, or should we proceed with caution? Our expert panellists will discuss how new innovations can support the future of our sector.

  • Karen Wang, Founder of Climind, SDG Young Leader recognized by UN
  • Dr Mark Wong, University of Glasgow
  • Karin Maasel, Data Friendly Space
  • Daniel Cosgrove, UNICEF

16.50 – 16.55 Chair‘s closing remarks

  • Dr Hermione Cockburn, Scientific Director, Dynamic Earth and Broadcaster

17.00 – 19.00 Drinks reception & networking (Ozone)



Speakers

Shona Robison MSP

Shona Robison MSP

Deputy First Minister

Educated at Alva Academy, she went on to graduate from Glasgow University with a Social Sciences MA and Jordanhill College with a Postgraduate Certificate in Community Education. Previously she worked for Glasgow City Council’s Social Work Department.

Shona was MSP for the North East from 1999 to 2003 and elected MSP for Dundee East in 2003. Latterly, she was Shadow Minster for Health and Social Justice and a member of the Parliament’s Health Committee before being appointed Minister for Public Health in the Scottish Government after the May 2007 election.

She was re-elected in May 2011 and appointed Minister for Commonwealth Games and Sport, and was made Cabinet Secretary for Health in November 2014. She was appointed as Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport in May 2016, and Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Housing and Local Government in May 2021.

Moreblessings Chidaushe

Moreblessings Chidaushe

Regional Advocacy Manager, Southern Africa, WaterAid

Moreblessings Chidaushe is the Water Aid Southern Africa Regional Advocacy Manager (RAM), with oversight of WA Policy Advocacy and Influencing work in Malawi, Madagascar. Mozambique, South Africa and Zambia. She has more than 20 years’ experience in the development sector and has been working on various economic justice, environmental and gender justice issues and has extensive experience mobilising communities, faith leaders, civil society and duty bearers at various national, regional and international levels. She has coordinated many civil society platforms including being a founding member of the Alternative Mining Indaba an African Platform, mobilising and advocating on Extractive Industries Governance issues. She holds a Masters Degree in International Development from the University of Bath in UK.

 

Dr Hermione Cockburn OBE FRSE

Dr Hermione Cockburn OBE FRSE

Scientific Director, Dynamic Earth, and TV / Radio Presenter

Hermione began her working life in environmental research before embarking on a varied career in science communication. She is passionate about empowering people of all ages with understanding and empathy for our planet. She has presented radio and television programmes for the BBC and in 2020 was awarded an OBE for services to public engagement with science. She is particularly interested in facilitating engagement between the research community and diverse public audiences to ensure science is accessible and its relevance clear to all. She is currently the Scientific Director at Dynamic Earth – the UK’s leading Earth science engagement charity.

Daniel Cosgrove

Daniel Cosgrove

Partnership Lead, UNICEF

Daniel is a Partnership Lead at UNICEF UK’s team in Scotland where he focuses on securing funds for UNICEF’s work for children in Scotland and around the world. This includes supporting long term partnerships with Scottish based funders for innovative global education programmes. His academic background is in political science and he has been working in the charity sector for over a decade, including as a Charity Trustee. He joined the UNICEF UK in Scotland team in 2016.

Emma Fenton

Emma Fenton

Team Leader for International Climate Policy, Scottish Government

Emma is the Team Leader for International Climate Policy at the Scottish Government. She leads on the delivery of Scotland’s Climate Justice Fund, notably including the £24m Climate Just Communities programme announced earlier this year. Emma also leads international advocacy on climate justice and loss & damage. Previously Emma has worked for InnovateUK as the Global Innovation Lead for Climate as well as for the Mayor of London on Air Quality issues.

Frances Guy

Frances Guy

Chief Executive, Scotland’s International Development Alliance

Frances Guy joined SIDA in 2021, after a long career in diplomacy and international development. She was born and educated in Scotland, Italy, and Canada before embarking on an international career that has taken her principally to the Horn of Africa and the Arabic speaking world, including Iraq, Lebanon, and Yemen. Frances worked for Christian Aid between 2014 – 2017 as head of their Middle East team based in London. Most recently she was gender team leader for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) regional office in the Arab states. She was Representative for UNWomen in Iraq from May 2012 to December 2014 and before that she had a long career in the British Diplomatic Service during which she served as British Ambassador to Lebanon (2006 -2011) and to Yemen (2001 -2004).

Frances holds overall responsibility for the operational management of the organisation. This includes leading the development of SIDA’s strategy and business plan, and overseeing the delivery of both.

Thom Kenrick

Thom Kenrick

Head of Social Strategy & Impact, NatWest Group

Thom Kenrick is Head of Social Strategy & Impact at NatWest Group. His team is responsible for driving the bank’s approach to social issues (e.g. financial wellbeing, human rights, controversial sectors) and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The team also lead and deliver the bank’s flagship financial education programme, MoneySense, which is used in over 60% of UK schools.  Thom is a Fellow of the Institute for Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability (FICRS), and a Fellow of the RSA (FRSA).  He is a Trustee of the School for Social Entrepreneurs; a Trustee of B Lab UK; and on the Advisory Board of the Global Ethical Finance Initiative (GEFI).

Marte Lid

Marte Lid

Senior Advisor, Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation

Marte Lid has over 20 years in the realm of international communications. Her leadership at Norad is evident in initiatives such as “The Food Effect”, and the “Find YOUR goal” test.  Marte also headed “The Enlightment Trail”, an imaginative project that saw over 70,000 Norwegians hiking for SDG awareness. Beyond her work at Norad, Marte has collaborated with esteemed entities like the UN, served as an advisor to the Norwegian Minister for International Development, and worked in various NGOs. She has a MA in International Communications, and a BA in Social Anthropology.

Dr Graham Long

Dr Graham Long

Senior Lecturer in Politics, Newcastle University

Dr Graham Long is a Senior Lecturer in Politics at Newcastle University. He currently works on implementation, monitoring and review of the UN Sustainable Development Goals at subnational, national and global scales. He has recently worked with UN DESA – on reviewing 2022 VNRs (2023) stakeholder engagement, COVID-19 impacts, and ‘left behind’ groups (2021), and stakeholder partnerships (2019). In the UK, he has undertaken analyses of the SDGs for the Greater London Authority (2021), UK Parliament (2019), and the Scottish Government (2019).

Karin Maasel

Karin Maasel

Executive Director, Data Friendly Space

Karin Maasel is the Executive Director of Data Friendly Space (DFS). DFS is an NGO that bridges cutting-edge tech, modern data systems and humanitarian and development sectors. As the creator and technical lead of DEEP, DFS makes emerging tech accessible to humanitarian and development organisations, with the aim of making evidence-based decision-making the norm – not the exception. They are regular contributors to global discussions around the opportunities and challenges of Humanitarian AI.

Karin has spent 15 years working with humanitarian organisations and disaster-affected communities in the Horn of Africa, the Pacific and the Middle East. Previously, she served as the Head of Africa Department at the Estonian Centre for International Development, supporting the digital development of governments across the African continent.

Hyacinthe Niyitegeka

Hyacinthe Niyitegeka

Coordinator, Loss and Damage Collaboration

Hyacinthe Niyitegeka is a water scientist and a climate negotiator with experience working on climate policy in different contexts. She coordinates the Loss and Damage Collaboration, where she oversees day-to-day operations.

Professor M. Peter Wanderi

Professor M. Peter Wanderi

Overseer MKU’s UNAI Hub of SDG10, Mount Kenya University

Prof. Mwangi Peter Wanderi is the Principal Corporate Services and Communication at Mount Kenya University (MKU) and has close to 40 years of research, teaching and community engagement both in mainstream physical education & sports as well as in entrepreneurship and youth empowerment. Prof. Wanderi served as the Acting Vice-Chancellor at Mount Kenya University (MKU) between November 2019 and April 2020; Currently coordinating several local and international, inter-disciplinary and multi-institutional projects at Mount Kenya University including serving as the  Overseer of the United Nations Academic Impact SDG 10 Hub on Reduced Inequalities whose key responsibility includes championing the SDGs 2030 Agenda and specifically SDG 10 on Reduced Inequalities across the globe which has led to his series of presentations in Japan (2021 online), Ethiopia (2022), Nigeria (2022), Uganda (2022), Tanzania (2023), Estonia (2023), Scotland (2023), and variously in Kenya since 2021.

Hanyuan (Karen) Wang

Hanyuan (Karen) Wang

Founder of Climind, SDG Young Leader recognized by UN

Hanyuan (Karen) Wang is a climate entrepreneur with a data science background from China. Her goal is to build technologies to facilitate decision-making in order to combat climate change, especially in developing countries. Karen serves as the CEO and founder of Climind, a data-as-a-service platform that delivers actionable climate data infrastructure through AI technologies to facilitate mitigation and adaptation solutions.

Karen is also a research assistant at Imperial College London’s Centre for Climate Finance and Investment, where her work centers on voluntary carbon markets, climate risks, and nature-based solutions with a particular focus on the Asian market. She was named to Forbes’ 30 Under 30 for her startup work. Karen is also a board member of the UN Museum.

In addition to her climate-focused pursuits, Karen has gained valuable experience in the data sector through her work with Merrill Lynch and Microsoft. She went to Hong Kong Baptist University, Imperial College London, and is a Schwarzman Scholar from Tsinghua University.

Ben Wilson

Ben Wilson

Advocacy Manager, Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund

Ben Wilson is Advocacy Manager at the Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund (SCIAF). He oversees SCIAF’s campaigning and influencing work on issues such as climate justice, food justice and international development, in Scotland, the UK and internationally. Ben has particular experience in campaigning on climate issues at the UN level, especially in recent years on the issue of Loss & Damage. He holds a PhD in Sociology from the University of Glasgow, which took a post-development approach to critically reflect on Scotland’s relationship with Malawi.

Dr. Mark Wong

Dr. Mark Wong

Senior Lecturer in Public Policy & Research Methods, School of Social & Political Sciences, University of Glasgow

Dr. Wong is an expert in digital society, policy, and racial justice in artificial intelligence, data, and technology. He is passionate about promoting responsible, equitable, and sustainable innovation. His work centers the voice of Minoritised Ethnic communities / People of Colour in technological development through a participatory approach. He’s served in expert advisory roles for the Scottish Government and Public Health Scotland on digital policy and practice. He’s co-created a videogame “SEvEN: Seven Voices, One Future”, with industry and community partners, which highlights Minoritised Ethnic voices and traditional ecological knowledge in Scotland’s sustainable future.


SDG Lightning Presentations

This year’s Conference will also feature 17 ‘Lightning’ Presentations, hosted by our Members, highlighting the work they’re doing to progress the SDGs.

 Goal 1: No Poverty - End poverty in all it's forms, everywhere.

Goal 1: No Poverty – End poverty in all it’s forms, everywhere.

Presented by: EMMS International

Goal 2: Zero Hunger - End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition by 2030.

Goal 2: Zero Hunger – End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition by 2030.

Presented by: Action for Humanity

Goal 3: Good Health and Well-being - Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.

Goal 3: Good Health and Well-being – Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.

Presented by: THET

Goal 4: Quality Education - Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all

Goal 4: Quality Education – Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all

Presented by: Read Foundation

Goal 5: Gender Equality - Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.

Goal 5: Gender Equality – Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.

Presented by: Right to Play

Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation - Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all

Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation – Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all

Presented by: WaterAid

Goal 7: Affordable and Clean Energy - Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all

Goal 7: Affordable and Clean Energy – Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all

Presented by: Centre for Sustainable Development | University of Strathclyde

Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth - Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all

Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth – Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all

Presented by: Challenges

 Goal 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure - Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation

Goal 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure – Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation

Presented by: Kids OR

Goal 10: Reduced Inequality - Reduce inequality within and among countries

Goal 10: Reduced Inequality – Reduce inequality within and among countries

Presented by: Mellow Parenting

Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities - Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable

Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities – Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable

Presented by: Islamic Relief

Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production - Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns

Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production – Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns

Presented by: Scottish Fair Trade Forum

Goal 13: Climate Action - Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts

Goal 13: Climate Action – Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts

Presented by: SCIAF

 Goal 14: Life Below Water - Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development

Goal 14: Life Below Water – Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development

Presented by: One Ocean Hub | University of Strathclyde

 Goal 15: Life on Land - Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss

Goal 15: Life on Land – Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss

Presented by: Ripple Effect

Goal 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions - Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels

Goal 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions – Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels

Presented by: Diaspora Steering Group on Global Citizenship | SIDA

 Goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals - Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development

Goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals – Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development

Presented by: Triodos Bank


Resources

SDG 7, presented by Centre for Sustainable Development | University of Strathclyde

SDG 11, presented by Islamic Relief

Igniting SDG Sparks in Norway, presented by Marte Lid

Civil Society approaches to achieving the SDGs in Ireland, presented by Meaghan Carmody

Innovation: Beyond the Buzzword, presented by Dr Mark Wong

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