8th World Sustainability Forum

The 8th World Sustainability Forum will be held virtually from 15-17 September 2020.

Description

The 8th World Sustainability Forum is part of the First World Sustainability Week, 14-19 September 2020.

September 2020 marks the 5th birthday of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. If it were a child and given the right circumstances, it would now have developed fine motor skills, be able to stand on one foot for 10 seconds, have long conversations, and start to develop independence and responsibility. With The 8th World Sustainability Forum, we are not only celebrating a birthday, but are also taking stock of where we are in relation to a more sustainable world, what has worked, what has not yet worked, and where we need to go next.

Sustainability has gained considerable traction: Many countries have integrated sustainability and environmental protection as part of their national development agenda, many businesses have realized the considerable long-term potential in sustainable development, and many research agendas have aligned with sustainability goals. It is now time for the research, policy, and business communities to enter into enduring dialog and to embrace greater global responsibilities. With this event, we hope to contribute to building a platform and network for a sustainability agenda that fosters partnerships among stakeholders beyond the boundaries of academic disciplines, narrow national agendas, and quarterly spreadsheets. The quest is to conceive of ways to assure long-term sustainable development for our people, our planet, as well as societal and corporate profit.

In light of the importance of developing institutional partnerships and networks, this forum will be coordinated by MDPI, the UN Global Compact, the Global Footprint Network, and the Sustainable Development Solutions Network.

The 8th World Sustainability Forum (WSF2020) is an international scientific conference coordinated by MDPI, partially sponsored by the MDPI Sustainability Foundation, under the patronage of the University of Basel, the University of Geneva and  the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (UN SDSN).

The language of the conference is English.

The World Sustainability Award and the Emerging Sustainability Leader Award funded by the MDPI Sustainability Foundation will be conferred at the conference dinner. The World Sustainability Award is endowed with USD 100'000; the Emerging Sustainability Leader Award with USD 10 000.

Important dates

Abstract submission: 19 April

Early-bird registration: 30 April

Acceptance notification: 1 June

Full paper submission: 31 December

Sessions

For the 8th World Sustainability Forum in Geneva, proposals are sought for session streams, for sessions, and for presentations of papers and posters on sustainable development that are policy-relevant, change-oriented, and inter- or trans-disciplinary. Submissions should aim to foster research, networking, and debates in science and technology, the life sciences, and the social sciences, as well as fruitful exchanges between academia and the public, civic, or private sectors.

BF. Business and Finance

C. Climate

E. Energy

FAS. Food, Agriculture and Soil Sciences

H. Health

W. Water

E. Education

M. Mobility

O. Other

Submissions can be made for five types of contributions:

1) Session Stream

2) Session

3) Sustainability Organization Session/Session Stream

4) Paper Presentation

5) Poster Presentation

Conference chairs

- Prof. Dr. Max Bergman, Social Research and Methodology Group (SRaM), University of Basel, Switzerland

- Prof. Dr. Katharina Fromm, Department of Chemistry, University of Fribourg, Switzerland

- Prof. Dr. Ed Constable, Department of Chemistry and former Vice-Rector for Research, University of Basel, Switzerland

- Prof. Dr. Marlyne Sahakian, Assistant Professor of Sociology, University of Geneva, Switzerland, Co-founder of SCORAI Europe

- Prof. Dr. Antoine Flahault, Director of the Institute of Global Health, University of Geneva, Switzerland

Further information

Go to the official website: https://wsf-8.sciforum.net/#

Email: wsf8mdpi.com (wsf8[at]mdpi[dot]com)