As 2022 comes to a close, we thank you for your continued engagement with SDSN USA. This year, members have come together to ask questions, share learnings, strengthen coalitions, and develop and share evidence-based policy recommendations across the SDGs. SDSN USA looks back at the ways in which the network has contributed to the advancement of the 2030 agenda in the US, by localizing efforts towards a clean energy transition, revealing inequality during the COVID-19 pandemic, promoting zero hunger, collaborating for transformative education, and much more.
In each area of work, SDSN USA members collaborated in unique ways toward the SDGs:
Climate & Energy
Thanks to the leadership of Gordon McCord, SDSN USA Co-Chair and UC San Diego; and Elena Crete, SDSN, SDSN continues to deepen commitment in the US to the energy transition. This year, SDSN USA’s previous national pathways work was brought to the local level through collaboration on the San Diego Regional Decarbonization Framework for the County of San Diego and SDSN's accompanying Guide to Regional Decarbonization. Additional efforts to support local decarbonization pathway initiatives are underway with the City of Cleveland Office of Sustainability and Climate Justice.
Elena Crete, SDSN’s Head of Climate & Energy Program, and Caroline Fox, Head of SDSN USA, alongside City of Cleveland Mayor Justin M. Bibb following the kick-off of a decarbonization workshop co-hosted by the City of Cleveland’s Mayor’s Office of Sustainability and Climate Justice, SDSN, and Case Western Reserve University with support from the Cleveland Foundation.
Diversity, Equity, and Justice (DEJ)
This year, SDSN USA continued to advance diversity, equity, and justice within the United States through the framework of the SDGs. The DEJ working group, chaired by Helen Bond, SDSN USA Co-chair and Howard University; Claudia Romo Edelman, We Are All Human; Deepa Vedavyas, Cleveland Foundation; and Victor Udo, Bucknell University, the DEJ working group collaborated on the Poor People’s Pandemic Report, held a DEJ working group meeting, co-led a zero hunger dialogue, and contributed to the recommendations submitted to the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health. The DEJ working group also collaborated with the Research Association of Minority Professors (RAMP) to invite SDSN members to participate in their Annual Symposium held in February 2022. Additionally, the DEJ group plans to convene in 2023 to build on a recent StoryMap Project created with support from SDSN’s SDGs Today on Critical Race Theory, Book Bans, and Abortion Rights.
The SDSN USA Working Group on Diversity, Equity, and Justice (DEJ) for Sustainable Development used ArcGIS Story Maps to develop interactive maps to track Critical Race Theory, Book Bans, and Abortion Rights.
The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the hunger crisis in America, though temporary relief measures provided positive test cases for policy interventions to improve conditions for families across the country. Under the thoughtful leadership of Alicia Powers, Auburn University; Asma Lateef, SDG2 Advocacy Hub; and Bassel Daher, Texas A&M University, chairs of the Zero Hunger Pathways Project (ZHPP), SDSN USA has activated experts from across the network to support of ending hunger in the United States through equitable, resilient, and sustainable pathways. In 2022, the ZHPP convened two dialogues, with a total of six held in the series across the last year and a half. Informed by these partner-led convenings, the project gathered recommendations which were submitted as official input to the UN Food Systems Summit and as official Partner Led Convening Input to the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health.
In April 2022, SDSN partnered with the Poor People’s Campaign to release the Poor People’s Pandemic Report, a groundbreaking report revealing the unequal impact of the pandemic in the United States across class and race. Authors include Rev. Dr. William Barber, II (Poor People’s Campaign and Repairers of the Breach), Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis (Poor People’s Campaign and the Kairos Center), Alainna Lynch (SDSN), Shailly Gupta Barnes (Poor People’s Campaign and the Kairos Center), Helen Bond (Howard University), Maryam Rabiee (SDSN), Anela Layugan (SDSN) and Laura Nora (SDSN). The report was well received, with a well-attended press conference at the National Press Club in Washington, DC and coverage of the report in several outlets including the Guardian, Democracy Now!, ABC News, and the Washington Post.
Alainna Lynch presented findings from the Poor People’s Pandemic Report at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. The event also featured first hand accounts from community members from counties across the country.
The Mission 4.7 Community of Practice was launched in May at SDSN USA’s annual network meeting. Along with an education-focused networking event, the Community of Practice held four meetings and launched a steering committee to plan a transforming education summit focused on K-12 education for February 2023. A call for proposals was completed in December 2022, with more education on the Summit coming soon!
Alongside the UN General Assembly in New York, United Nations Foundation and Brookings Institution held American Leadership in Advancing the Sustainable Development Goals featuring SDSN USA Co-Chair Dr. Helen Bond as a panelist.
Network members, partners, and friends also gathered monthly for networking meetings.
SDSN USA held 24 events in 2022 with 735 total (428 unique) attendees. In addition, the network continues to grow and offer opportunities for engagement to members and partners. The network welcomed 12 new members this year (and three new members already in January 2023). A review of the thoughtful feedback from the end of year focal point survey is underway, and look forward to further collaborations that incorporate your input. We are excited to build on these successes in 2023, and look forward to supporting and engaging with you in advance of sustainability and a more equitable and just world for all!