English
The annual Sustainable Development Festival is the greatest event in Italy dedicated to the 2030 Agenda, with the aim to raise awareness among increasingly large sectors of the public on the issues of economic, social and environmental sustainability, in order to promote a cultural evolution in individual and collective behaviours, and to encourage bottom-up proposals that exhort the country’s leaders to respect the commitments taken in 2015 in the United Nations.
The Festival is organized by the Italian Alliance for Sustainable Development (Alleanza Italiana per lo Sviluppo Sostenibile - ASviS), together with its members and with the support of the partners, and it aims to offers a platform for citizens, business, local and national institutions, universities and civil society to foster dialogue and share best practices on the 2030 Agenda, The contribution of all these actors will be necessary in order to make sustainable development a priority in the national debate, both on the political and economic levels.
The third edition will take place from May 21st to June 6th 2019, for a total of 17 days, the same number as the Sustainable Development Goals, during which hundreds of initiatives will take place all over Italy. These will include conventions, seminars, workshops, cultural events, exhibits and shows, to produce a single widespread and inclusive event. Thanks to the recognition acquired with the success of the first two editions, and to the growing mobilisation of Italian society towards sustainability, the Festival will be a further step towards the full accomplishment of the 2030 Agenda in our country.
In addition to the hundreds of initiatives all over Italy, three main events will be directly organized by ASviS and a dozen of "national events” will represent the focal points for discussions on the integrated nature of the SDGs.
The innovations of the new edition
The 2019 Sustainable Development Festival will take place at a crucial moment for the future of the country and of Europe. At the end of May, the citizens of the EU will be voting for a new European Parliament, and at the same time several Italian regions will hold elections. The Festival will therefore represent an opportunity to raise awareness among all candidates on the 2030 Agenda, with the goal to have the EU place sustainable development at the centre of its policies and to provide assistance in the creation of local sustainable development strategies in the Italian regions.
Building on the success of the first two editions, the 2019 Festival will be more ambitious, aiming at transforming the growing awareness of the unsustainability of the current development model into action and encouraging a public debate on decisive issues for our future. This will include influencing the decisions of political leaders, of businesses and public administrations, as well as strengthening the network that is already promoting sustainable development in the country.
The events programme
Conventions, debates, book presentations, exhibitions, film reviews, guided tours, flashmobs: these are the initiatives of the over 200 members of ASviS and of other civil society organizations that are active in Italy, aiming to raise awareness on the various aspects of sustainable development in line with the spirit of civil society involvement promoted by the United Nations.
Have a look at the over 800 events of the Festival calendar!
Events organized by the ASviS Secretariat
May 21st, Rome (Auditorium Parco della Musica, Petrassi hall)
The opening conference of the Festival "Make Europe the world champion of sustainable development" will take place a few days before the elections for the European Parliament, with the aim of identifying some of the key actions that the European institutions will have to undertake to strengthen their capacity to lead our continent and the world towards a more fair and sustainable future.
May 28th, Milan (Auditorium Assolombarda)
The conference “Businesses and Finance for Sustainable Development” aims to encourage greater awareness on the themes of the 2030 Agenda among companies and in particular small and medium-sized enterprises, which constitute the backbone of the Italian production system and are strategic players in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
June 6th, Rome (Camera dei Deputati)
At the end of the Sustainable Development Festival, ASviS will submit to Italian institutions the results of the 17 days of work, as well as the ideas and proposals that will have emerged throughout. This final event will be an opportunity to discuss key issues and plan the next steps to ensure the achievement of the SDGs and the future of this generation and those to come.
The national events
The events of national importance will highlight the interconnections between the 17 Development Goals addressing issues such as poverty and inequality; gender equality; climate change and energy; natural capital and environmental quality; circular economy, innovation, work; health, nutrition and sustainable agriculture; international cooperation; cities, infrastructures and innovation.
Cities and ASviS for the 2030 Agenda
Numerous initiatives will take place across the country thanks to the cities commitment, represented with the project "Cities and ASviS for the 2030 Agenda". Many Italian cities have in fact organized “Urban Sustainable Development Festivals”, by opening their squares and other public spaces to sustainability.
Find out more about the "Cities and ASviS for te 2030 Agenda".
