"At OsloMet, we are proud to help put social sustainability on the agenda," says Carl Thodesen, Pro-Rector for Social impact and Collaboration.
In collaboration with the National Committee for Sustainability in Higher Education, OsloMet invites you to the SDG (Sustainable Development Goals) Conference 2026: Education Unscripted – The Quest for Truth, Collaborative Transformation & Solidarity (uni.oslomet.no).
The theme of the conference is how education and closer collaboration in utilizing the knowledge we already have can help tackle some of today’s biggest challenges, including the climate crisis, disinformation, authoritarian politics, and global inequalities.
Representatives from universities and colleges will join politicians, researchers, students, business leaders, and other societal actors to discuss:
- How can we utilize existing knowledge across disciplines and sectors, and collaborate more effectively to achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030?
- How do we make this happen in a world where social contracts are ignored, and the democratic foundation of society is under threat?
"At OsloMet, we are proud to help put social sustainability on the agenda," says Carl Thodesen, Pro-Rector for Social impact and Collaboration.
"The SDG conference is an important arena that brings together actors from all over the country and across sectors to talk about development for a sustainable future," says Carl Thodesen, Pro-Rector for Societal Development and Collaboration at OsloMet.
"I look forward to meeting all participants in Oslo in February, where we will rethink how we organize the education system and adapt the way we collaborate in a time of multiple global crises," says Thodesen.
Provocations and hope in the climate crisis
Aina Landsverk Hagen, researcher at the Work Research Institute AFI at OsloMet, is leading the program committee for the 2026 SDG conference. Researchers, advisors and student representatives from all over the country have worked over the past year to develop a program that addresses the complex challenges of universities as responsible for sustainability in higher education. She looks forward to welcoming inspiring, professional discussions and a change of opinion.
"We are looking forward to welcoming both international and Norwegian presenters across generations, who all bring valuable perspectives on the conference’s main theme of education and lifelong learning in partnership”, says Landsverk Hagen.
Aina Landsverk Hagen is leading the program committee for the 2026 SDG conference.
"Among others, researcher Nadia Raphael Rathje, co-founder and principal of Den Grønne Friskole in Copenhagen, which was established with the ambition of developing pedagogical and didactic approaches that support the green transition”, she says.
“We will also hear from professor and climate expert Alasdair Skelton from Stockholm University, who is the author of the book Our Time – Finding Hope in a Climate Crisis (2026).”
Read more about the program and main theme on the conference website (uni.oslomet.no).
On Monday, February 2, the conference's main program will take place in Oslo City Hall, where international speakers will contribute their insights, provocations and reflections. Here, everything from keynotes to couch conversations will be streamed throughout the day, and Hagen encourages universities and university colleges to arrange local conference streaming for their students and employees.
On Tuesday, February 3, self-organized events are encouraged throughout the country (ansatt.oslomet.no). Those in Oslo can visit the conference's main arena, Deichman Bjørvika, to participate in exciting discussions, panels and debates throughout the day. (deichman.no).
Continuous work
“As a university, we have a responsibility to contribute to developing knowledge and finding new solutions to the major challenges we face, in close collaboration with authorities, business and industry and international partners. The annual SDG conference is part of this work” says Pro-Rector Carl Thodesen.
When the UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals were adopted in 2015, universities and university colleges were identified early on as key players in achieving the goals, through education, research, dissemination and innovation.
Norwegian universities and university colleges collaborate in a national committee (nmbu.no), and the annual SDG conference was established as a central meeting place to discuss how the sector can strengthen its role in working with the Sustainable Development Goals.
The SDG conference was organized by the University of Bergen from 2018 to 2025. Read more about previous conference themes (uib.no).
