CSDS continues its efforts to organize biennial conferences on individual SDGs and their interconnections.

The third Conference on Critical Perspectives on Governance by Sustainable Development Goals took place on the 26th and 27th of January. CSDS would like to thank the more than 1000 participants who tuned in from all over the world, as well as the more than 200 speakers for their invaluable contributions. The various conference outputs, such as the recordings of the plenary sessions, conference music, the videos of the video-pitch contest winners, and more, can be found on this page.

In order to strengthen the link between the Municipality, the University of Amsterdam and civil society, CSDS organizes workshops around topics important to the sustainable development of the city. The workshops follow a co-creation process whereby constructive discussions are organized around questions formulated by stakeholders in Amsterdam, such as the Municipality, NGO’s, politicians, business interests or citizens. Moderated by researchers from the university, the workshops aim at getting to a deeper understanding of the issues that are most important in developing better futures for Amsterdam.

This seminar aims at bridging the academic debates on sustainability with other societal actors, including citizens, practitioners, policymakers, artists, media representatives and others. Gathering scholars and non-academic speakers from multiple origins to debate cutting-edge topics in the field of sustainability studies, the seminars will provide a stage for co-learning by bridging academic and non-academic knowledge together. Topics will be selected according to demands from these actors. This bottom-up strategy will support increased engagement as topics will be related to emerging debates, special media attention, or policy demands. These topics may range from regional (e.g., national and the EU) to global (e.g., transnational, North-South).

Sustainability research and teaching at the is fragmented and largely built upon the interests and initiatives of individual scholars and programme groups. The largely disciplinary embedding hereof is a strength. At the same time complementary insights from different faculties and departments can contribute to a fuller understanding of the various facets of real-world global sustainability challenges. To reflect the interconnected nature of these challenges, the traditional divides need to be overcome. CSDS inter- and intra-faculty workshops symposia will bring together and connect faculty and students of different disciplinary backgrounds by offering a unique opportunity for discussing shared interests in sustainable development.