18 September 2013: The UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) has launched reports from seven of its 12 Thematic Groups, to help inform the post-2015 development agenda. Each report was prepared by a panel of experts and academics. The reports focus on: forests, oceans, biodiversity and ecosystems; human rights and gender equality; good governance of extractive resources; sustainable urban development; education; health; and sustainable agriculture.

The leaders of the Thematic Groups presented the papers at a launch event on 18 September 2013, hosted at Columbia University in New York, US. Each report focuses on solution-oriented strategies, and proposes concrete goals and targets for future Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The papers also address the interlinkages between issues, and the main obstacles to be overcome for progress.

Jeffrey Sachs, SDSN Director, spoke at the launch to welcome the discussion and debate of experts on issues of sustainable development. “These are hard issues,” he said, “to turn the world into a different growth paradigm that is environmentally and socially sound.” Sachs expressed his hope that SDSN experts not only would inform the process to define the SDGs, but also help implement the new goals through “a new global way of problem-solving.” He welcomed the ideas, thoughts and engagement of students in the process, in order to create a public discussion around sustainable development. [Thematic Group Reports] [SDSN Website] [IISD RS Sources]