About the Dialogue

The Trans-Pacific Sustainability Dialogue is a joint initiative of the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center (APARC) at Stanford University and the Ban Ki-moon Foundation For a Better Future to accelerate progress on achieving the United Nations-adopted 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Launched in October 2022, the annual dialogue spurs new research and policy partnerships between experts from the United States and Asia to expedite the implementation of the Agenda’s underlying 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by governments and non-state actors.

Dialogue convenings aim to address different themes selected from the SDGs framework spearheaded by Mr. Ban Ki-moon during his term as the 8th secretary-general of the United Nations. The dialogue series continues to bring together new networks of social science researchers, scientists, policymakers, industry experts, and young leaders to bridge disciplines and accelerate actionable strategies and solutions to advance a sustainable and just future for all. In its recent convenings, the dialogue focused on the themes of gender equality (SDG5) and energy security (SDG7).