9th Annual International Conference on Sustainable Development

    The 9th Annual International Conference on Sustainable Development will take place on 20-22 September, 2021. The 2021 conference theme is Research for Impact: An Inclusive and Sustainable Planet.

    The Cluster for Sustainability Transition ( ReSEES at AUEB, ΕΙΤ Climate- KIC Hub Greece & SDU at “Athena” RC and SDSN Greece) will participate at the 9th Annual ICSD  in several sessions.

    On Monday 20/9/21

    • At 9am CET, Plenary 2 | The EU’s Plan towards the Future We Want: Fireside Chat on the European Green Deal: Koundouri will moderate the SDSN Europe session and she will be talking to Ketan Patel, Mary Ritter, Laura Piovesan and Antoine Oger on the EU’s plan towards the future we want.
    • At 10:00-12:00 CEST, Parallel Session 2D | Theme: Interdisciplinary Research for Sustainable Blue Growth: Prof. Koundouri will moderate the session together with Mounir Ghribi and speakers will be Prof. Maria Cristina Pedicchio and Prof. Nicolaos Theodossiou. The session will focus on interlinking governance, industry, and academia, which are often disconnected, to invigorate sustainable blue growth in maritime sectors.
    • At 15:00-17:00 CEST, Parallel Session 3C | Theme: Water-Energy-Food Nexus Research Impact and Stakeholder Engagement: Lydia Stergiopoulou, Researcher at ReSEES/AUEB and SDU at “Athena” RC, will present the paper “Multi-Actor Working Groups as fora for WEF Nexus Innovation and Resilience” and AWESOME project which is under Resees/AUEB and with Scientific Responsible Prof. Phoebe Koundouri.

    On Tuesday 21/9/21

    • At 12:30-13:30 CEST | Poster Session 3, Mrs Eleni Toli, Researcher at SDU at “Athena ”RC, will present their paper “Challenges for the Sustainable Water Management in techno-environmentally heterogenous regions: the case of Trikala region – Greece”. We encourage you to use this hour to view the posters, comment, and/or engage with the poster authors via chat. Posters presenters in this session have been made aware to be online and ready to respond to comments and messages from participants to help facilitate real-time engagement. Learn more here.
    • At 15:00-17:00 CEST, Parallel Session 8B | Theme: Sustainable Finance for the Implementation of the Paris Climate Agreement: Prof. Phoebe Koundouri will be talking with Dimitris Dimitriadis, European Economic and Social Committee Belgium. This session will discuss mobilizing financial resources for climate action as an economic recovery model to the pandemic.
    • At 10.00- 12.00 CEST, Parallel Session 7D | Theme: Systems Approaches for Sustainability: Alice Guittard, Researcher at ICRE8, SDSN Greece and SDU at Athena Research Center will present their paper “A systems approach for the sustainable development of coastal-rural regions” and COASTAL project which is under ICRE8 and with Scientific Responsible Prof. Koundouri.

    Learn more: https://ic-sd.org/

    Please access the program here

    Please find below all sessions in detail:

    20 September 2021 | 9:00 – 10:00 CET

    Plenary 2 | The EU’s Plan towards the Future We Want: Fireside Chat on the European Green Deal

    20 September 2021 | 9:00 – 10:00 CET

    SDSN Europe hosted a Fireside Chat on the European Green Deal at the 9th Annual International Conference on Sustainable Development titled “The EU’s Plan towards the Future We Want: Fireside Chat on the European Green Deal”.

    In this session, renowned economist Prof. Phoebe Koundouri led the discussion among experts from policy, innovation, and finance, Ketan Patel, Mary Ritter, Laura Piovesan and Antoine Oger  to explore the opportunities and challenges of the European Green Deal, for Europe and the rest of the world.

    Invited Speakers:

    • Mary Ritter, International Ambassador at EIT Climate-KIC
    • Ketan Patel, CEO Greater Pacific Capital
    • Laura Piovesan, Director of the Sustainability & Quality Management Departmentat European Investment Bank (EIB)
    • Antoine Oger, Head of Global Challenges and SDGs Team at Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP)

    Watch the session online here.

    The session has been included in the programme of the European Sustainable Development Week.

    Summary of the discussion: https://ic-sd.org/2021/09/30/summary-of-icsd-2012/

    More information: https://ic-sd.org/.

    10:00-12:00 CEST, Monday, 20 September, 2021

    Parallel Session 2D

    This session focused on interlinking governance, industry, and academia, which are often disconnected, to invigorate sustainable blue growth in maritime sectors. This includes maximizing the impact of investing in the improvement of existing skills (upskilling) and training in new skills (reskilling) throughout vocational and higher education to build strong blue skills partnerships.

    Theme: Interdisciplinary Research for Sustainable Blue Growth

    Session Moderators:

    • Mounir Ghribi, Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e di Geofisica Sperimentale – OGS Italy
    • Phoebe Koundouri, Athens University of Economics and Business, World Academy of Arts and Science, ATHENA Research Center Greece

    Speakers:

    • Maria Cristina Pedicchio, University of Trieste Italy
    • Nicolaos Theodossiou, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

    13:30-14:30 Tuesday, 21 September, 2021

    Poster Session 3

    At 12:30-13:30 CEST | Poster Session 3, Mrs Eleni Toli, Researcher at SDU at “Athena ”RC, presented their poster “Challenges for the Sustainable Water Management in techno-environmentally heterogenous regions: the case of Trikala region – Greece”.

    Challenges for the Sustainable Water Management in techno-environmentally heterogenous regions: the case of Trikala region - Greece

    Ms. Eleni Toli1, Dr. Ebun Akinsete1, Ms. Panagiota Koltsida1, Mr. Christos Marinos-Kouris2, Dr. Phoebe Koundouri3,4, Dr. Yannis Ioannidis5, Mr. Harry Kalliaras6, Mr. Athanasios Ballis7

    1 ATHENA RC Sustainable Development Unit, Research Associate, Greece. 2 ATHENA RC, Research Associate, Greece. 3 ATHENA RC Sustainable Development Unit, Professor, Greece. 4 Athens University of Economics and Business, Professor, Greece. 5 ATHENA RC, Professor, Greece. 6 e-Trikala, Project Director, Greece. 7 e-Trikala, Research Associate, Greece

    16:00-18:00 Monday, 20 September, 2021

    Parallel Session 3C

    Theme: Water-Energy-Food Nexus Research Impact and Stakeholder Engagement

    Session Moderator:

    - Prof. Bassel Daher, Texas A&M Energy Institute, Texas A&M University USA

    - Prof. Rabi H. Mohtar, American University of Beirut Lebanon

    What is happening in our world at this very moment, as we face a historic global pandemic, is a bold example of the complex and interconnected challenges we must expect to address as we move toward implementing the 2030 agenda. With trends of the growing global population, growing urbanization, and climate change impacts, the tightly interconnected water, energy, and food systems are facing further pressures. Addressing such challenges requires the development of research that cuts across disciplinary boundaries and integrates knowledge, tools, and methodologies from different disciplines including engineering, life and health sciences, and physical, economic, social, and behavioral sciences. It also requires the active participation and engagement of multiple stakeholders from government, industry, private, and public sectors. This session focuses on unlocking new potential for addressing interconnected water-energy-food resource challenges through bridging research with innovative methods for stakeholder engagement.

    On 20/0 at 15:00-17:00 CEST Lydia Stergiopoulou, Researcher at ReSEES/AUEB and SDU at “Athena” RC, presented the paper “Multi-Actor Working Groups as fora for WEF Nexus Innovation and Resilience” and AWESOME project which is under Resees/AUEB and Scientific Responsible is Prof. Phoebe Koundouri at the Parallel Session 3C with the Theme: Water-Energy-Food Nexus Research Impact and Stakeholder Engagement.

    “Multi-Actor Working Groups as fora for WEF Nexus Innovation and Resilience”

    Dr. Ebun Akinsete1, Nouran El Said2, Lydia Stergiopoulou3, Dr. Phoebe Koundouri4

    1 Athens University of Business and Economics, Research lab on socio-economic and environmental sustainability, Senior Researcher, Greece. 2 Zon Gardens, Business Development Director, Egypt. 3 Athens University of Business and Economics, Research lab on socio-economic and environmental sustainability, Researcher, Greece. 4 Athens University of Business and Economics, Research lab on socio-economic and environmental sustainability, Professor, Greece

    15:00-17:00 Tuesday, 21 September, 2021

    Parallel Session 8B

    Theme: Sustainable Finance for the Implementation of the Paris Climate Agreement

    Session Moderators

    • Dr. Phoebe Koundouri, Athens University of Economics and Business, World Academy of Arts and Science, ATHENA Research Center Greece
    • Dimitris Dimitriadis, European Economic and Social Committee Belgium

    Significant financial resources are necessary for the achievement of climate targets across the globe. As the world recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, there is an opportunity to transform our economies in a way that will trigger exponential change in strengthening social, economic, health, and environmental resilience. This session will discuss mobilizing financial resources for climate action as an economic recovery model to the pandemic.

     

    10:00-12:00 CEST Tuesday, 21 September, 2021

    Parallel Session 7D

    Theme: Systems Approaches for Sustainability

    On 21/9 at 10.00- 12.00 CEST, Alice Guittard, Researcher at ICRE8, SDSN Greece and SDU at Athena Research Center presented COASTAL project which is under ICRE8 and with Scientific Responsible Prof. Koundouri at the Parallel Session 7D, Theme: Systems Approaches for Sustainability.

    Session Moderator: Prof. C. Kendra Gotangco Gonzales, Ateneo de Manila University Philippines

    “A systems approach for the sustainable development of coastal-rural regions”

    Ms. Alice Guittard, Dr. Ebun Akinsete, Prof. Phoebe Koundouri Ms. Rachel Tiller, Mr. Peter Viaene

    Sustainability is not only a broad field but also a complex and transdisciplinary one. Systems thinking approaches can help distill insights on and potential solutions for sustainability issues by encouraging deep and interconnected thinking. Such analysis recognizes the roles of cultural paradigms, institutional structures and feedback processes in generating the trends that we observe today, and in this way, helps identify leverage points for effective interventions. This session will explore research approaches that employ systems thinking principles towards applications in sustainable development, particularly of cities and communities.

    Ms. Alice Guittard1,2,3, Dr. Ebun Akinsete4,5, Mrs. Phoebe Koundouri6,7,8, Ms. Rachel Tiller9, Mr. Peter Viaene10

    1 International Centre for Research on the Environment and the Economy (ICRE8), Researcher, Greece. 2 UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network Greece, Researcher, Greece. 3 Sustainable Development Unit, ATHENA Research Center, Researcher, Greece. 4 International Centre for Research on the Environment and the Economy (ICRE8), Senior Researcher, Greece. 5 UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network Greece, Senior Researcher, Greece. 6 ReSEES Laboratory, School of Economcis, Athens University of Economics and Business, Professor and Director, Greece. 7 Sustainable Development Unit, ATHENA Research Center, Director, Greece. 8 UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network Europe, Co-chair, France. 9 SINTEF Ocean AS Department: Climate and Environment, Senior research scientist, Norway. 10 Unit Environmental Modelling Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO NV),, Researcher, Belgium