Centre for International Sustainable Development Law (CISDL) with University of Cambridge, Yale University, MIT, McGill University, University of Waterloo, University of Oslo, University of Nairobi, University of Chile, University of Costa Rica.

Human and natural systems are under unprecedented strain from climate change and unsustainable consumption/production, while the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated social inequalities and injustice. Such interlinked challenges are testing global governance, revealing an urgent need for tailored, non-discriminatory sustainable development law and policy innovations that can foster, rather than frustrate, the SDGs. As the world scales up pandemic response, and focuses on recovery measures, insights from a new partnership between leading universities and international organizations are helping scale up efforts to meet SDG 3, 12, 13 and 16 targets, building on their interdependence.

This session during HLPF 2021 will convene key law, science and medicine professors, senior practitioners and researchers from Cambridge, Yale, MIT, McGill, Waterloo, Oslo, Bern, Leader, Nairobi, Costa Rica, Chile, Colombo and other leading universities, with a ministerial keynote, also senior officials from the Commonwealth, UNEP, UNDP, the UNFCCC and GCF Secretariats. In an open dialogue engaging the SDSNs of several countries, they will share new research findings on how university partnerships with government and civil society can help align post-pandemic recovery measures with SDGs 3, 12, 13 and 16, and assess progress, with interested HLPF delegates and observers. Special emphasis will be placed on operationalizing target 16.B, to promote and enforce non-discriminatory laws and policies for sustainable development, with examples on good health, climate action and sustainable consumption/production goals (SDGs 3, 13, 12). Through this dialogue, experts and practitioners will consider recent surges in national and local sustainable development laws, tracking emerging trends and efforts strengthening capacity to align pandemic recovery spending with the SDGs, and sharing efforts to monitor outcomes. Featuring novel methods for tracking progress, including through the application of Artificial Intelligence to trace legal effectiveness, this interactive online session will highlight new ways to scale up global capacity to implement SDGs 3, 12, 13 and 16, post-pandemic, through innovative academic/governance/practice partnerships, setting new directions for success.