The Decade of Action is now

CDE strives to contribute to radically transforming the world towards sustainability and to realizing dignified lives for all.

We are entering what the UN has declared the “Decade of Action”: Ten years remain to radically transform our world towards sustainability. And we – as CDE, as scientists and citizens – we want to contribute. The ground has been well prepared by the UN Global Sustainable Development Report, an independent scientific report published in 2019. This report specifies four levers from which transformation should start and is likely to be effective.

CDE, as the broad sustainability centre that we are, will help to put these levers to work. Our research spans all of these levers. For example, with respect to the lever “economies”, we analysed employment in the digital age, and we proposed employment structures for a more equal division of labour within societies and that at the same time reduce our ecological impact.

Reinvigorating our pledge to transformative science

In 2020, in a broadly participatory process, we renewed our strategy, thereby reinvigorating our pledge to transformative science. In contrast to our previous strategy, we have now developed a clear theory of change. In other words, we address the question of “how” we want to achieve the change envisaged. We have given ourselves concrete objectives in distinctive impact areas – objectives by which we want to be measured.

I would like to illustrate this with an example: Agriculture is a main driver of greenhouse gas emissions. And yet food production must also meet ever-growing demand. We will lend our scientific expertise towards promotion of agroecological transitions as a key strategy in bringing agriculture up to speed for sustainable development – and not just here in Switzerland, but also in our partner regions.

Building true perspectives of dignified lives

My final message today is about one of the core challenges of sustainable development: It is about trade-offs. As we strive for better lives for all the people on this planet, our ecological footprint is bound to increase. So, we will have to invent pathways that broadly improve human well-being, but also respect planetary boundaries. The solutions that many privileged societies are pursuing are geared towards maintaining their very privilege.

We are facing a big divide – and inequality is not helping in achieving the Agenda 2030. Sustainability challenges are collective challenges, and CDE – with its global networks and regional partnerships, its students, and its rich experience in transdisciplinary engagement – is uniquely positioned to address these challenges. So, we will have to excel in negotiating new standards for well-being, and innovate our methodologies to build true perspectives. Perspectives of dignified lives for each and every one of us.