2020 17 Rooms global flagship meeting
17 Rooms offers a new way of channeling collaborative energy and ideas into practical steps for the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Convened by the Brookings Institution and The Rockefeller Foundation since 2018, each SDG-focused working group meets as a “Room” to identify, in parallel and in concert, opportunities for cooperative action over the subsequent 12-18 months.
Guided by the pursuit of “a next step” rather than “a perfect step,” participants meet in their personal capacities to engage in candid and informal discussions. By identifying openings for progress within an SDG, rather than attempting to cover the waterfront of each entire SDG, Rooms generate a mix of expert-driven insights plus momentum for practical action.
In 2020, the 17 Rooms flagship process went entirely virtual, with more than 200 participants contributing. Most Rooms met a couple of times from June through mid-September. Then, on September 21, a culminating virtual summit brought all the Rooms together to offer feedback on one another’s proposals, to explore opportunities for collaboration, and to report out on priority opportunities in 2021. U.N. Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed joined as “keynote listener,” providing feedback on all the Rooms’ lead ideas.
The outcomes of each Room’s independent discussions and recommended action priorities for 2021 are available below.
Download the 17 Rooms 2020 insights report, “Great Transitions: Doubling down on the Sustainable Development Goals.”
Download the 17 Rooms 2020 participant list.
Agenda
Co-chairs
John W. McArthur
Director - Center for Sustainable Development
Senior Fellow - Global Economy and Development
Room 1: Poverty
Homi Kharas
Senior Fellow - Global Economy and Development, Center for Sustainable Development
Session Materials
Room 2: Zero hunger
Session Materials
Room 3: Good health and well-being
Session Materials
Room 4: Quality education
Emiliana Vegas
Former Co-Director - Center for Universal Education
Former Senior Fellow - Global Economy and Development
Session Materials
Room 5: Gender equality
Session Materials
Room 6: Clean water and sanitation
Session Materials
Room 7: Affordable and clean energy
Ashvin Dayal
Associate VP and Managing Director, Power Initiative - The Rockefeller Foundation
Michael E. Webber
Chief Science and Technology Officer - ENGIE
Josey Centennial Professor in Energy Resources - University of Texas at Austin
Session Materials
Room 8: Decent work and economic growth
Marcela Escobari
Former Brookings Expert
Assistant Administrator, Latin America and the Caribbean - U.S Agency for International Development
Otis Rolley
Senior Vice President, U.S. Equity and Economic Opportunity Initiative - The Rockefeller Foundation
Session Materials
Room 9: Industry, innovation, and infrastructure
Session Materials
Room 10: Reduced inequalities
Margaret Biggs
Nonresident Senior Fellow - Global Economy and Development, Center for Sustainable Development
Session Materials
Room 11: Sustainable cities and communities
Anthony F. Pipa
Senior Fellow - Global Economy and Development, Center for Sustainable Development
Session Materials
Room 12: Responsible consumption and production
Matthew Bishop
Nonresident Senior Fellow - Global Economy and Development, Center for Sustainable Development
Session Materials
Room 13: Climate action
Session Materials
Room 14: Life below water
Enric Sala
Explorer-in-Residence - National Geographic Society
Executive Director - Pristine Seas
Session Materials
Room 15: Life on land
Rosina Bierbaum
Roy F. Westin Chair in Natural Economics and Research Professor - University of Maryland’s School of Public Policy
Professor and Dean Emerita - University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and Environment
John Robinson
Joan L. Tweedy Chair in Conservation Strategy - Wildlife Conservation Society
Session Materials
Room 16: Peace, justice and strong institutions
Nancy Lindborg
President and CEO - The David & Lucile Packard Foundation
Former President - United States Institute of Peace
Sarah E. Mendelson
Nonresident Senior Fellow - Global Economy and Development, Center for Sustainable Development
Distinguished Service Professor of Public Policy and Head of Heinz College in Washington, D.C. - Carnegie Mellon University
Session Materials
Room 17: Partnerships for the goals
Angel Cabrera
President - Georgia Institute of Technology
Chair - University Global Compact
Suzanne Fortier
Principal and Vice-chancellor - McGill University
Chair of the World Economic Forum’s Global University Leaders Forum
Session Materials
More Information
To subscribe or manage your subscriptions to our top event topic lists, please visit our event topics page.
