The world is facing some extraordinary development challenges, from climate change and famine, to conflict, violence and the migrant crisis. Remarkable change is happening through the spread of new technologies like renewable energy and biotechnologies. But technology presents its own set of challenges, such as threats to the future of work with automation, if not leveraged in the right way.
‘Achim Steiner discusses the role of Sustainable Development Goals in focusing action around the world on green transformation at the STEPS Centre Annual Lecture‘, Creative Commons Attribution license (reuse allowed)
Achim Steiner recently gave the STEPS Annual Lecture entitled: ‘Doomed to Fail or Bound to Succeed? Sustainable Development and the Green Economy Agenda – Revisited’, which explored whether the ‘sustainable development’ and ‘green economy’ agendas remain relevant to the global challenges and what needs to happen next.
Achim Steiner is the incoming head of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Previously Executive Director of UNEP, and director of the Oxford Martin School at the University of Oxford.
He began by saying:
“I want to share with you some of the journey I have myself gone through in terms of observing, learning, appreciating, trying to understand how do you actually make a difference in what is first of all not always your reality but somebody else’s reality, if you work in development – that’s a very important departure point.”
On the SDGs:
‘Achim Steiner discusses the role of Sustainable Development Goals in focusing action around the world on green transformations‘, Creative Commons Attribution license (reuse allowed)
On unprecedented global challenges:
‘Achim Steiner discusses how to approach a series of complex and unprecedented global challenges, including financial crisis, mass movements, rapid technological change, climate change and food‘, Creative Commons Attribution license (reuse allowed)
On public policy and employment:
‘Achim Steiner, incoming Director of the UN Development Programme, talks about the role of public policy and how choices are made in responding to development challenges like how to create jobs‘, Creative Commons Attribution license (reuse allowed)
On the role of the private sector in development:
‘Achim Steiner discusses the important role played by the private sector, including small businesses, in achieving sustainable futures‘, Creative Commons Attribution license (reuse allowed)
This lecture was part of the STEPS Summer School on Pathways to Sustainability. You can view materials from past Annual Lectures on the STEPS website.
Key contacts
