Sustainable Development Forum 2024 - The Green Transition

Stemming from the conclusions of the Pact of the Future that will be adopted at the UN Summit of the Future at heads of state level this September in New York that declare that the environmental crisis poses the most severe and pressing threat to the sustainability of the planet and wellbeing of its present and future inhabitants, it is clear that all countries must pursue a severe effort towards a green transition and zero greenhouse gas emissions target by 2050. 

The Sustainable Development Forum, in collaboration with United Nations agencies, the University of Cambridge, the Serbian Chamber of Commerce, and contributions from stakeholders and international companies, is hosting a pivotal international two-day conference in Belgrade. This event, in the face of the global environmental crisis, will address the challenges and opportunities of green transition through the lens of technology policies, featuring panel discussions, keynote speeches, interactive workshops, and a best practices exhibition.

The conference will address the global effects of the triple planetary crisis of climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss, the worryingly slow pace of realization of the sustainable development goals and the Agenda for Sustainable Development until 2030. 

The serious challenges of achieving sustainable production and consumption patterns and energy transition including the EU Green deal will be considered and examined through effective technology policies.

There will also be a special focus on the problems of the Global South that is particularly affected by climate change to which it has not significantly contributed. The effects of the global environmental crisis on health will be discussed particularly pollution that causes thousands of premature deaths annually, and the measures that should be urgently taken to prevent unnecessary loss of life due to climate change, and its further implications on the economy.

The challenges of financing the green transition and the role of financial institutions in driving this transition will also be discussed. Finally, the role of science, especially AI and data, in combating climate change and making a drastic green turn will also be discussed.

This is a unique global conference that is gathering an esteemed group of world-renowned academics, including Lord Martin Rees ,former President of the Royal Society (UK), Professor Michael Pollitt from the University of Cambridge; Frank Liu, founder and president of INTCO; leading experts from the UN agencies, including Jorge Laguna-Celis, Head of One Planet Network (UNEP); and Serbian ministers Jelena Begović of Science, Innovation, and Technological Development, and Dubravka Đedović-Handanović, of Energy and Mining.

The green transition is not just a challenge but a unique opportunity for us to collectively address the myriad problems of the future. We expect the conference to be a window for concrete action plans and partnerships for sustainable development, and your contribution is key to this outcome.

Join us in Belgrade on November 14th and 15th, 2024, for our encounter with the future and a sustainable tomorrow.