What's Next

In asking 'What's next?', we commit not merely to stepping into the future, but to creating it.

Our perception of what defines desirable development and sustainability, both locally and globally, is continually changing. Given the triple planetary crisis, increasing inequality, and significant technological changes and their disruptions, we need to re-evaluate and refine our understanding of desirable development and the requirements for its sustainability. How can we shape long-term sustainability starting now? What key elements are essential for ensuring livable futures? What are the overlooked aspects of long-term sustainability? How can we bring insights from the margins to the centre to drive real change? And what’s next for sustainable development beyond 2030? These are some of the key questions were asking at the Beyond Lab.

The Beyond Lab What's Next for sustainable development series is an evolving, thought-provoking and insight-generating intergenerational dialogue platform that challenges existing paradigms and explores new ideas in sustainability through multi-stakeholder and multidisciplinary exchanges.

The series is crafted to create a mindset shift and reveal fresh and diverse perspectives and insights by shifting attention to topics that are often at the margins of sustainable development, with a key focus on promoting the voices of youth and considering the rights of future generations.

Importantly, the What's Next dialogues are more than just conversations; they are participatory opportunities to harness collective intelligence through interactive, immersive, and, at times, unconventional formats. These dialogues gather insights on long-term sustainability and enable the development of new thinking and practices for long-term sustainability. Reflecting the Lab's DNA, the series helps build bridges in the multilateral space with civil society, academia, and the private sector.

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One element key element to come out of the What's Next series is our Youth Moving Beyond GDP initiative:

Since the launch of the What's Next series, the Lab has used the platform to kickstart a youth-centered initiative on going beyond GDP. The initiative emerged out of an initial What's Next on Rethinking economic systems for long-term sustainability, which highlighted the need and rationale for going beyond GDP.

A clear positioning of International Geneva's unique expertise as a networked multilateral hub and testing ground for forward-thinking and inclusive multilateralism.

Increased knowledge and awareness of the Lab's new and systemic lenses for long-term sustainability.

A recognition of ideas at the margins in policy debates, with a focus on shaping the beyond 2030 agenda and the next sustainable development framework.

An established forward-thinking community among decision-makers, with youth leading the way in policy and practice, inside and outside of the UN.