Reclaiming Our Common Future: The pursuit of shared purpose in an age of division
In 1987, Our Common Future laid the foundation for sustainable development as a shared global responsibility. Nearly four decades on, the world faces converging crises that are testing this vision: climate change, pandemics, deepening inequality, and protracted conflicts. As multilateralism strains under geopolitical fragmentation and waning trust, how can we rekindle the spirit of collective action to meet the challenges of our time?
In this keynote address, Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland — former Prime Minister of Norway, founding Member of The Elders, and “godmother” of sustainable development — will reflect on the arc of global cooperation from the adoption of the SDGs and the Paris Agreement to the Pandemic Agreement and today’s fractured landscape. She will examine how fragmented responses to global crises underscore the urgency of strengthening inclusive, rules-based multilateralism and new forms of integrative diplomacy, especially if we are to secure global public goods such as health and a liveable future on our planet.
Dr. Brundtland will explore the necessity for long-view leadership in reconnecting sustainability, health, and resilience, calling for greater convergence across institutional silos. From reinforcing the rule of law and protecting human rights to restructuring the global financial architecture and forging “coalitions of the willing,” she will argue that renewed multilateral cooperation is not only possible – but essential. The lecture will offer a forward-looking vision ahead of UNFCCC COP30 in Brazil and the G20 Summit in South Africa, highlighting the role of diverse actors — from academia to development banks to regional blocs — in shaping a more just, equitable, and unified “common future.”