In 2012, the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) was launched under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General. Starting with ten thematic working groups on a range of environmental, social, and economic topics, which contributed to the debate and ultimately the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The SDSN quickly grew and founded its global networks program; a membership-based alliance of top-tier knowledge-generating institutions focused on sustainable development, organized in national and regional clusters. As of 2023, SDSN has over 1,816 members in 42 networks across 13 regions.
In 2016, the SDSN expanded its mission with the creation of the SDG Academy. The SDG Academy creates and curates free, open educational resources on sustainable development and offers them as a global public good. In 2019, SDSN published a new framework to mobilize transformative efforts toward the SDGs, the Six Transformations Framework, which now informs our global strategy.
With commitments to the SDGs made by nation states, universities, private business, and civil society, SDSN’s research and policy analysis work is helping promote solutions to realize the goals. SDSN continues to synthesize knowledge for sustainable development and will continue to do so for the decade ahead through our work on SDG pathways, data, policies, and financing, producing renowned annual reports such as the Sustainable Development Report (SDR) and World Happiness Report (WHR).
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Alongside its National and Regional Networks, SDSN’s work is supported by and based upon its Thematic Networks and Working Groups:
