Together|Ensemble, Canada’s national conference devoted to tracking progress on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has moved online and takes place from May 20-22, 2020. The conference benchmarks national progress toward achieving the agenda, mobilizes knowledge from the private sector, academia, government, and civil society, and promotes collaboration in service of the UN’s ambitious Decade of Action. The conference is available in French and English and is free but requires advance registration on Together Ensemble
Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals is a shared responsibility across all levels of society. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development provides the world with a common framework to tackle our most pressing challenges. As we face the unprecedented health, social and economic challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government of Canada is committed to supporting projects like Together|Ensemble that are helping to advance SDG action in Canada.
With only ten years remaining until 2030, it is essential that we act with urgency to create deep, transformative change and the UN’s Decade of Action advocates for unprecedented cross-sectoral collaboration and innovative approaches that touch all aspects of society. Together|Ensemble will examine Canada’s approach to the Decade of Action through the lens of Covid-19.
Headline speakers include:
- Jeffrey D. Sachs, Economist, Columbia University
- John McArthur, Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution
- Catherine Potvin, Professor, McGill University
- Katharine Hayhoe, Climate Scientist and host of Global Weirding podcast
- Cindy Blackstock, Executive Director of the First Nations Caring Society
- Ingrid Waldron, Associate Professor, Dalhousie University and author of There’s Something in the Water (now a documentary available on Netflix)
- Thomas Homer-Dixon, Political Scientist, Author, Founder & Director, Cascade Institute
A continuation of the Together Symposium series (PDF), which originated in Alberta and was hosted by the Alberta Council for Global Cooperation (ACGC) in 2017 and 2018, Together|Ensemble will continue to promote:
- work that is happening across the country;
- new opportunities for collective impact;
- mobilization of good practices, effective research and policy work;
- new partnerships, innovations and pathways for progress on the SDGs.
A report documenting insights and commitments made at Together|Ensemble will be made public later this summer. Together|Ensemble is also pleased to collaborate with Future of Good as its digital content partner. Future of Good is a digital publication that reaches a Canada-wide audience with smart stories, analysis, and commentary on social impact organizations, innovations, and trends shaping our lives.
Organizing partners include Waterloo Global Science Initiative, Sustainable Development Solutions Network Canada and Université Laval with the support of the Alberta Council for Global Cooperation, Alliance 2030, and the University of Waterloo. This event is funded in part by the Government of Canada’s Sustainable Development Goals Funding Program.
About the Partners
Waterloo Global Science Initiative (WGSI)
Waterloo Global Science Initiative has been catalyzing collective action since 2009. The conversations we host bring people with diverse viewpoints together, prompting multi-disciplinary, inclusive collaboration to address sustainable development challenges. By combining the results of these cross-cutting conversations with the science and technology of today, our network takes answers from paper to the real world, addressing the UN SDGs in sectors such as energy, education, and beyond. WGSI proudly takes a generational outlook to problem solving.
Sustainable Development Solutions Network Canada (SDSN Canada)
SDSN Canada’s mission is to mobilize Canadian scientific and technological expertise to facilitate learning and accelerate problem solving for the UN’s Agenda 2030 and the SDGs. To these ends, SDSN Canada will mobilize support throughout the country for the SDGs, promote practical Solutions Initiatives and long-term pathways for sustainable development, promote high-quality education and research collaboration, and support governments in understanding and addressing the challenges of sustainable development.
The University of Waterloo is the founding institution for SDSN Canada in partnership with WGSI. As host, the University of Waterloo will use its position as home to Canada’s largest Faculty of Environment to share knowledge, activate research and help solve the interconnected economic, social, and environmental challenges confronting the world.
Université Laval
Driven by a deep-seated culture of sustainable development, Université Laval educates students to be engaged and creative and become model citizens, scientists, and business leaders who have an important impact on the direction that society takes. As a leading French-language institution with a strong international focus, Université Laval strives for excellence in education and research. It seeks to be both an example and a source of inspiration for its partners by mustering the forces of change in Québec City’s thriving university community.
Within Université Laval, l’Institut Hydro-Québec en environnement, développement et société (Institut EDS) has the mission to “promote a 360-degree vision of environmental and sustainable development issues by spearheading and conducting activities aimed at furthering, acquiring, and disseminating knowledge in order to mobilize stakeholders and generate tangible results for society”. This mission builds on its role in supporting and developing interdisciplinary research at Université Laval as well as on innovations in education and knowledge sharing.
Alberta Council for Global Cooperation (ACGC)
Alberta Council for Global Cooperation is a network of organizations and individuals, located in Alberta, working locally and globally to advance sustainable development and global citizenship. Part of this network includes ACGC members, comprising civil society organizations and individuals.
Alliance 2030
Alliance 2030 is a national network of organizations, institutions, and individuals committed to achieving the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by the year 2030. The Alliance believes these goals can be accomplished both in Canada and abroad by working creatively and collaboratively at both the local and global level.
For more information:
Julie Wright
Executive Director
Waterloo Global Science Initiative
jwright@wgsi.org | +1 519-569-7600 x 5170
Jon Beale
Manager, Sustainable Development Solutions Network Canada
jon.beale@uwaterloo.ca |+1 519-888-4567 x 37667