SDG-FORUM 2025
On November 14, 2025, a particularly meaningful edition of the SDG Forum took place at Square Brussels. This year, the Forum celebrated not only its annual gathering focused on the Sustainable Development Goals, but also ten years of the SDGs: a milestone that calls for both reflection and renewal, with five crucial years remaining to achieve the goals.
AFTERMOVIE
PROGRAMME 2025
FIRST WORKSHOP SERIES
Making SDGs Relevant for the Young Workforce: Global Citizenship Education through Local Action
Organizer: Enabel (BeGlobal)
Languages: EN
How can Global Citizenship Education (GCE) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) be integrated into vocational education?
Based on two case studies conducted in schools in Belgium and a literature review, this workshop offers inclusive educational approaches aligned with the principle of Leave No One Behind (LNOB), enabling every young person—regardless of their background or challenges—to become an active agent of change.
It would be extremely helpful to Enabel if you could take 2 minutes of your time to answer the 3 shorts questions in the evaluation of this workshop. You will find a clickable link and a QR code on the second last slide of the PPT. Thank you!
Scaling Impact: Incubation strategies to unlock the potential of MSMEs and advance the SDGs.
Organizer: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Languages: EN
Micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) are crucial to agrifood systems, driving jobs, innovation, and food supply. Despite their potential, they face limited access to finance, market, and training. Agribusiness incubators (ABIs) offer tailored support to overcome these challenges and foster competitive, sustainable growth.
This event will showcase how agribusiness incubation can unlock the transformative power of MSMEs to advance the SDGs, drawing on lessons from FAO’s work in Africa and Asia.
Leaving no one behind: Migration as a powerful driver for sustainable development
Organizer: International Organization for Migration (IOM) Belgium and Luxembourg
Languages: EN
The 2030 Agenda and the SDGs will not be achieved without due consideration of human mobility. People on the move – one in eight people in the world – are part of the solution. Managed well, migration can be a cornerstone of sustainable development, prosperity, and progress.
The workshop will explore the link between migration and the SDGs through concrete examples, tools and lessons learned illustrating the accelerator impact which effective integration of migrants and mobility can have on attainment of the SDGs.
Inclusion as an asset for talent
Organizer: The Shift
Languages: EN / NL / FR
In a competitive labour market, attracting and retaining talent is a challenge. During this workshop, you will discover how an inclusive talent strategy contributes to greater innovation, collaboration and engagement. Through an inspiring keynote speech and a practical exercise, you will learn how diversity and inclusion are not just social values, but real levers for organisational growth. (You will also get a preview of the Embedding Inclusion in Talent Strategy learning network, organised by The Shift in collaboration with DMAB.)
Belgium Climate Risk Assessment (BCRA)
Organizer: CERAC
Languages: FR / NL
The aim of this workshop is to present the results of the first climate risk assessment for Belgium. During the presentation, the Cerac team will share the priority risks identified for Belgium, along with the related recommendations.
Ecosystem Thinking in Action: Accelerating Together on the SDGs
Organizer: Voka & IDEA Consult
Languages: NL
Everything and everyone is interconnected — that’s the essence of ecosystem thinking. In a short introduction, you’ll discover how it works and why it’s so valuable. From that perspective, this interactive workshop will focus on the SDGs that deserve more attention and progress.
Together, we’ll combine your unique perspectives, explore unexpected connections, develop innovative solutions, and possibly sow the seeds for new partnerships.
SDG & Businesses: Facts and Myths about the Sustainable Transition
Organizer: VBO-FEB
Languages: EN / NL / FR
An interactive and playful workshop built around a quiz to better understand the challenges of transitioning our economy. Together, we’ll debunk the misconceptions and beliefs that cloud or slow down our view of a sustainable, SDG-aligned economy.
Citizen Dynamics at the Heart of Local Sustainable Development
Organizer: Union des villes et communes de Wallonie (UVCW) & Espace Environnement
Languages: FR
Sustainable development at the local level is implemented with the support of local stakeholders active in the community. Citizens are essential pillars on which local institutions can rely. This workshop explores how to effectively structure these partnerships with citizens to achieve the SDGs by 2030.
The impact of major cuts in development aid on the SDG’s. Are the rich countries making a big mistake?
Organizer: UNA Belgium (VVN - APNU)
Languages: EN
Examine the global trend of reducing or rebranding traditional development aid in favor of investment-based approaches, and what this shift means for the SDGs in low-income countries.
Discuss the negative consequences of big savings in aid programmes too quickly, such as increased inequality, weakened public services, and a shrinking space for civil society in the Global South, and whether this undermines the achievement of the SDGs.
10 Years of SDGs in Belgium: Where Do We Stand Today? — A Briefing by the Federal Planning Bureau & Panel Discussion with Civil Society
Organizer: FRDO/CFDD & FPB/BFP
Languages: NL / FR
During this workshop, the Federal Planning Bureau will present its latest figures on the implementation of the SDGs in Belgian policy. Following this overview, a panel discussion with representatives from civil society will take place, offering a critical look at the impact of the SDGs on the policies implemented over the past decade.
COFFEE BREAK
SECOND WORKSHOP SERIES
Mobility Poverty: Leaving No One Behind in a Sustainable Mobility Policy
Organizer: Interfederaal Steunpunt tot bestrijding van armoede, bestaansonzekerheid en sociale uitsluiting
Languages: NL / FR
Mobility and transport are essential to achieving “sustainable cities and communities” (SDG 11).
Within the framework of climate policy, a strong emphasis is placed on sustainable mobility and transport. However, for people living in poverty or precarious situations, access to these mobility options is often far from evident — and frequently very problematic.
In this workshop, we will explore the barriers faced by these groups, as well as the opportunities for a sustainable mobility policy that leaves no one behind.
My Company Future-Proof
Organizer: Reset.Vlaanderen
Languages: NL
Employees care about the future of their company and the challenges related to the environment and climate.
This workshop aims to provide insight into the motivations, experiences, and tools developed during a two-year project involving employee representatives and environmental organizations.
The project explored how employees can actively participate in shaping their company’s environmental and climate policies.
Experts’ Voices: What Lessons Can We Learn from 10 Years of SDGs?
Organizer: FRDO/CFDD
Languages: NL / FR
During this panel discussion with experts from academia, civil society, and public administration, we will take a critical look at the policies of the past decade and explore what more can be done to turn the tide — so that we can still achieve the Sustainable Development Goals despite the challenging (inter)national context.
Municipal Cooperation for the 2030 Agenda Across Borders
Organizer: VVSG
Languages: NL
Local authorities are indispensable actors in building a sustainable society.
They take action for the SDGs, both within their own municipal boundaries and through international partnerships.
During this workshop, we will explore how — among others — city partnerships, public-private collaborations, and international urban networks can serve as successful strategies for achieving concrete sustainable impact.
Framing, feiten en narratieven rond migratie: VN-aanbevelingen voor informatie-integriteit
Organizer: UNRIC & IOM
Languages: NL
This workshop introduces the principles of information integrity and provides practical recommendations to promote it, along with actions to recognize, respond to, and counter misinformation and disinformation in one’s environment.
Participants will explore how to identify framings and narratives around migration to discuss the topic constructively, without reinforcing polarization.
They will also examine how to reach individuals in the “movable middle” — people with uncertain or conflicting opinions on social issues — and work together to develop ideas that strengthen civil society and promote the dissemination of reliable information.
UN Frameworks for Development in the Spotlight: What Do Trade Unions Take Away? How Do Policymakers Follow Up?
Organizer: CGSLB/ACLVB + CSC/ACV + FGTB/ABVV
Languages: EN / NL / FR
The UN provides policymakers with several frameworks to identify international social commitments (and sometimes define related rights) and to develop strategies to implement, enforce, and finance them.
This workshop will address three of these frameworks:
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The World Summit for Social Development in Doha 2025
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Resource mobilization: the 2025 Seville Conference on Financing for Development, negotiations on tax treaties during the General Assembly, etc.
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The ILO’s tripartite work related to development and its financing
What can trade unions take away from this? And how can these insights be translated into our foreign policy? Trade unions and policymakers will debate these questions together.
Lost in Transition: How Can SMEs Communicate Their Commitments to Sustainable Finance Stakeholders?
Organizer: Forum Ethibel
Languages: FR
The workshop begins with a presentation by Forum Ethibel on the structure of sustainable finance in Belgium.
We will explore, among other things, the importance of sustainability labels and the current lack of tools adapted to SMEs, which face realities that differ greatly from those of large listed companies.
Next, BetterBusiness will share their experience launching the ShiftingPact label: how a label designed for SMEs is built, how it aligns with the SDGs, and what objectives, challenges, and difficulties were encountered along the way.
Finally, a roundtable discussion will be held with certified SMEs, who will share their perspectives on the advantages and challenges, as well as the costs and benefits, of obtaining a label from a business standpoint.
People First! What Is the Right Place for Digital Technology?
Organizer: Associations21 + Lire et Écrire Bruxelles
Languages: FR
People first — because the digital world is taking up too much space.
This workshop draws lessons from the mobilization campaign of Brussels-based social actors following the digitalization of public services, which accelerated between 2020 and 2022 due to the lockdowns.
Since then, the social challenge (ensuring access to public services for the most vulnerable) has intersected with environmental (pollution, resource depletion), ethical, and democratic issues: screen addiction, loss of control over technological development, and more.
Today, what is the rightful place of digital technology in our lives? How can we ensure access to rights and maintain social cohesion?
Sustainability and Business: How Belgian companies can accelerate SDG progress through innovation, locally and globally
Organizer: CIFAL FLANDERS
Languages: EN
Discover how companies are driving positive change by implementing the SDGs in their strategy and core business.
SDG Business Ambassadors of the CIFAL-Voka PCA2030 Trajectory, UNIDO, and UN Global Compact will share concrete examples on how the SDGs are implemented to create long-term value for business and society. The goal: raising the bar for ESG leadership to become SDG-Proof.
And as a bonus: a preview of our new UN Training Centre in Brussels to open in January 2026.
Education and Sustainable Development: Inspiring Practices and Challenges Ahead
Organizer: Foundation for Future Generations
Languages: NL / FR
How can sustainable development be taught in a way that is concrete, engaging, and truly effective?
Based on field research, this presentation highlights promising practices as well as their limitations and areas for improvement.
Teachers, researchers, and education professionals will find inspiration here to enhance their approaches — in the classroom and beyond.
PLENARY SESSION
Reignite, refocus, rebuild: transforming SDG implementation in challenging times
Organizer: Camilla Brückner
Languages: EN
Camilla Brückner is the Director of the UN/UNDP Office in Brussels and the UN System Representative to the EU since 2021.
She will speak about the importance of international cooperation and the role of the United Nations in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
An evolutionary psychology of (un)sustainable behavior: A serious though at the same time somewhat lighthearted yet much-needed contribution to SDG discourse
Organizer: Lars Moratis
Languages: EN
Lars Moratis is an Associate Professor of Corporate Social Responsibility and an expert in sustainable business.
He will offer both an academic and practical perspective on the role of psychology in sustainability, linking it to the SDGs — all delivered with a good dose of humour.
Closing speech
Organizer: Jean-Luc Crucke
Languages: FR / NL
Jean-Luc Crucke, Minister of Mobility, Climate and Ecological Transition, responsible for Sustainable Development, will close the plenary session with a few inspiring words.
NETWORKING RECEPTION
CLOSURE SDG-Forum
SUSTAINABILITY
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Measuring our impact
To measure the concrete impact of the SDG-Forum, we conduct a carbon calculation. For this reason, we ask participants to provide information about their mode of transport and kilometers travelled. By mapping CO₂ emissions, we aim to compensate them and further reduce them annually.
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Waste Management
To minimise waste, we apply the principle of reduce-reuse-recycle. We avoid using single-use disposable packaging and try to minimise the use of printed signage. If printed materials still need to be produced, they are made from recyclable materials, and we make sure they are reusable for future editions.
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Green Energy
Renewable energy reduces the ecological impact of power consumption. The event venue is equipped with more than 700 solar panels and has switched to a new energy contract with a supplier that supplies only 100% green energy since 2023. Moreover, the caterer covers 50% of its energy needs by using solar energy.
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Transport
To avoid unnecessary transportation, we choose a location that already has a close infrastructure and strive for close cooperation with local suppliers to limit travel. We encourage the use of public transport, while cyclists have the option of placing their bikes conveniently at the event site.
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Raising awareness
We raise awareness among our participants, employees, and suppliers by actively communicating our green philosophy. For the SDG-Forum, we partner exclusively with Square Brussels, a venue that embodies sustainability at every level of its operations. Square holds both the ISO 20121 certification for sustainable event management and the Brussels Ecodynamic Label, recognizing its strong commitment to reducing environmental impact.
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Sustainable food
With the goal of reducing the ecological impact of the SDG-Forum, we serve exclusively vegetarian food and use seasonal, local produce from the organic sector, certified by Certisys.
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No food waste
By having participants sign up for specific parts of the programme, we can accurately estimate demand, and any surplus food will be collected by Alpaca Solutions and donated to those in need.
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Diversity & Inclusion
We aim to make the SDG-Forum accessible to all, with support from the Flemish centre of expertise for accessibility, Inter, and a trained host team for people with reduced mobility, and participants can specify specific needs in advance.