With the 2030 deadline for the SDGs fast approaching, the UN, Member States, and other stakeholders are starting to think about what’s next. Any future framework for sustainable development must be grounded in the latest scientific knowledge and evidence. The learnings from more than a decade of SDG implementation provide a strong foundation on which the next global agenda could build. In support of this, researchers at the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) and Monash University have established the Post-2030 Initiative.

The ‘Post-2030 Initiative – Science for the Next Global Sustainable Development Agenda,’ gathers recognized experts and scholars from around the globe with a strong track record in research on the SDGs as a framework for sustainable development transformation. Launched in 2024 at the initial workshop in Jakarta, Indonesia, the first outcome of this community effort was recently published in Science. The article builds on discussions at the workshop, which focused on diagnosing the key successes and shortcomings of the SDGs and identifying landscape conditions that will shape the post-2030 discussions.

The group met for the second time in December 2025, in Stockholm, Sweden, for a two-day workshop and policy dialogue focused on key policy demands and stakeholder needs. The workshop sought to identify concrete ways science can support decision making for the next global sustainable development agenda.

The science community played a critical thought leadership role in the government-led process of designing the SDGs. The road ahead to a post-2030 framework is much more uncertain, in particular given global shifts in multilateral cooperation. The workshop discussions centered on how the scientific community can meaningfully contribute in this context. Insisting science and evidence must play a role, and work on sustainable development is far from complete, the group of more than 35 researchers put forward many ideas and arrived at a set of activities to inform and support the post-2030 process in the coming years.

Intense and intricate discussion

A science-policy dialogue set the tone for the meeting, where policymakers and researchers exchanged perspectives on the state of SDG implementation, successes and shortfalls of the 2030 Agenda, how to navigate the political landscape and upcoming negotiations on a post-2030 framework, and next steps for advancing science-policy collaboration.

Speakers highlighted how the SDGs have been successful in establishing a universal and legitimate framework, encouraging localization in countries and cities, increasing availability of data, and creating a shared indicator system. However, they noted, there is no obligation for countries to implement the Goals, and existing platforms for follow-up and review such as the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) lack enforcement power. It also remains unclear how to measure overall progress, considering the many interlinkages between the Goals.

Participants noted that while the framework is broad and complex, it is also missing critical elements. Moreover, the agenda remains largely government-centric, offering few incentives for engagement with business and other actors. At the same time, commitment from Heads of State and central ministries has often been insufficient. As a result, the SDGs have not been sufficiently embedded within national systems, including development plans and budgets, and their implementation has not consistently improved decision making.

In the discussions, participants raised concerns about mistrust in science, the politicization of evidence, and challenges of bridging science and policy. A recurring message was that scientists need to provide clear, timely, and coordinated inputs, using accessible language and shared methodologies, in order to meaningfully support the shaping of a post-2030 agenda.

Following the science-policy dialogue, researchers worked on identifying concrete activities that could be carried forward to inform and support the post-2030 process. They discussed emerging proposals for a post-2030 framework, strategic outputs, and potential partnerships for contributing scientific insights to the UN, Member States, and formal negotiation processes.

The workshop built on the Post-2030 Initiative’s first collective output. The article in Science reconstructs the implicit theory of change underpinning the SDGs, diagnoses where implementation has succeeded and where it has stalled, and argues that proposals for a post-2030 agenda should be assessed against two criteria: impact and political feasibility. As negotiations for the next global sustainable development agenda are expected to begin in 2027, calls for more goals, new targets, or extended timelines are unlikely to be sufficient on their own. What is needed instead, the article argues, is much greater clarity about how systemic transformation is enabled in practice to advance sustainable development, who is expected to act, and why they should do so.

Towards a post-2030 framework

The uncertain road ahead to a post-2030 framework raises a set of fundamental questions, including how complex or simple the next framework should be, whether leadership should be driven primarily by governments or by society more broadly, and how to balance visionary ambitions with pragmatic approaches. The Stockholm workshop emphasized the value of global scientific collaboration in an uncertain geopolitical context and showcased examples of how science can provide a common ground for Member States.

Grounded in the shared conviction that much work remains on sustainable development, global cooperation is necessary, and researchers can and should contribute constructively to shaping what follows the 2030 Agenda, the group will now carry forward some of the activities identified, including through journal articles, reports and briefs, and meetings and events, undertaken both by the full group and by smaller constellations of researchers. Scheduled to reconvene in 2026, the Post-2030 Initiative is staying alert to the unfolding landscape, which seems ever more volatile. The geopolitical shifts that have shaped the first few weeks of the new year point to the need for sound scientific advice and analysis the Initiative aims to deliver.

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This article was written by Nina Weitz, Senior Research Fellow, Stockholm Environment Institute; Therese Bennich, Research Fellow, Stockholm Environment Institute; Cameron Allen, Senior Research Fellow, Monash University; and Shirin Malekpour, Associate Professor, Monash University.

To stay updated about the Post-2030 Initiative or explore ways to engage with their work, please visit the lead organizations’ websites: https://www.sei.org/projects/post-2030-initiative/ https://www.monash.edu/msdi/research/explore/projects/thought-leadership-for-a-post-2030-sustainable-development-agenda