In response to global crises, Global Affairs and Sustainable Development Institute (GASDI), Osun State University, recently held the 2025 International Sustainable Development Dialogue. The event brought together global and local experts to explore how science, humanities, and local knowledge can collaboratively advance sustainable and equitable development in an increasingly unstable world. Funmi Ogundare reports

Against a backdrop of global uncertainty from climate change to political instability and economic inequality scholars, policymakers, and development practitioners from around the world, recently converged in Osun state University for the fifth International Sustainable Dialogue (ISDD) organised by Global Affairs and Sustainable Development Institute (GASDI).

Themed, ‘Sustainable Development in the Age of Crisis: Humanities, Science and a More Equitable World’, in collaboration with Rosa Luxembourg, South Africa, the 2025 edition of the conference offered more than just academic deliberations. It emerged as a critical platform for cross-sector dialogue, promoting collaboration between science and the humanities to chart a more just and resilient future. 

It had the objectives of fostering inter-sectoral collaboration, strengthen policy implementation, and addressing inequality with urgency and empathy as the world races toward the 2030 SDG deadline amid growing global crises, the conference  convened scholars, policymakers, and development practitioners.

Earlier in his remarks, the Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof. Odunayo Clement Adebooye described the theme  as a timely response to a world plagued by insecurity, conflict, and economic disruption.

“There is no nation that is completely immune from crisis; only the magnitude and degrees of consequence may vary,” he  warned. “This dialogue is crucial because crisis-related challenges are fundamentally interconnected and transcend national borders.”

Referencing recent international tensions, including the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran,the VC  stressed the global implications of such hostilities, citing humanitarian catastrophes, economic disruptions, and geopolitical instability as pressing threats to sustainable development.

Adebooye reaffirmed UNIOSUN’s commitment to supporting policy-relevant academic research and international collaboration in development discourse, while expressing hope that the dialogue would produce actionable communiqués and frameworks for future implementation.

The Director of GASDI, Prof.  John Agbonifo,  called for  urgent, collaborative, and adaptive approaches to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

“The world has changed drastically. The strategies for sustainable development were crafted in an era of relative global stability, but we now live in fluid and unstable times,” said Prof. Agbonifo. “With ongoing conflicts such as Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Iran, it’s clear that the original roadmap to the SDGs cannot remain static. We must adapt or risk falling short.”

He told THISDAY that the current crises expose the fragility of global development frameworks and the urgent need to rethink both the means and partnerships for achieving sustainability targets. 

But despite the bleak outlook, the conference, he noted, is grounded in hope. “We’re not giving up. Even in uncertain times, there are pathways we can forge together to negotiate these crises,” he said. 

He also identified a key barrier to recognising the integrated nature of the SDGs, saying  that fragmented and uncoordinated efforts across institutions undermine national progress.

“You can’t achieve Goal one (no poverty) without addressing Goal four [quality education) or Goal five (gender equality)” he explained. “If hospitals, schools, and religious institutions are not aligned with gender equality policies, or if ministries act in silos, then real progress becomes impossible.”

He cited the example of sexual violence cases against minors, where informal settlements often derail justice. “When perpetrators are allowed to walk free through private arrangements, it sends the wrong message. It undercuts our commitment to gender justice and perpetuates a cycle of impunity.”

He stressed the need for interdisciplinary collaboration saying that participants must recognise the SDGs not just as policy goals, but as a shared ethical and societal responsibility.

“Leaving no one behind should also mean leaving no perspective behind. The sciences and humanities must work together,” Agbonifo said. “Compassion, equity, and innovation must converge if we hope to build a more sustainable and just world.”

Former Director General, Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (NIALS), Prof. Taofeek Ladan who spoke on  ‘Strategies for Accelerating the Realisation of the UN SDGs in Africa’, expressed concerns about Africa’s lagging progress toward the SDGs, warning that most targets are off-track, particularly in the areas of poverty reduction, energy access, and gender equality.

According to Ladan who spoke virtually, only 35 per cent of SDG targets in Africa are on track or show moderate progress. A staggering 27 per cent show minimal movement, while 80 per cent of energy-related targets have actually regressed below 2020 levels, based on recent data from the African Development Bank.

The impact of COVID-19 and ongoing crises across African nations, he noted, have significantly derailed efforts to eradicate poverty, SDG 1, adding that Africa now accounts for 9 per cent of the world’s poor, and progress in building robust social protection systems remains uneven.

“While some countries are working to strengthen social safety nets, the scale of the challenge has been exacerbated by economic shocks and weak infrastructure,” said Ladan. Two of the biggest challenges slowing SDG progress, the former DG said, are lack of reliable data and massive financing gaps, adding that many African countries, struggle to track progress on critical indicators due to weak statistical systems. 

“This affects not only poverty metrics but also those related to gender equality (SDG 5), electricity access (SDG 7), and climate action (SDG 13).The funding shortfall is equally severe. “Achieving the SDGs is capital-intensive,” Ladan said. “In Africa, the funding gap is not only wide but growing. Without substantial new investments, even modest progress will be difficult.”

Prof. Ladan urged governments, development institutions, and private stakeholders to deepen partnerships—particularly around SDG 17, which focuses on global cooperation.“No single African country can achieve all the goals in isolation,” he said. “What we need is a coordinated regional and global effort, supported by investment, innovation, and mutual accountability.”

Associate Professor of Global Sustainable Development and Director of Research for School of Cross Faculty Studies, University of Warwick, Dr. Feng Mao emphasised on the solution to Africa’s growing water insecurity, saying that it lies not in imported ideas or quick fixes, but in deep, collaborative partnerships that engage local communities, researchers, and policymakers.

Mao who spoke on interdisciplinary approaches to sustainable development, explained that  water insecurity is a complex, global challenge, one that demands collective thinking and co-creation of solutions grounded in local realities.“This is not a Nigeria-specific problem. It’s a global challenge, even in places like the UK,” Dr. Mao said. “To address it effectively, we need researchers, community members, non-academics, and policymakers to sit together and solve it collaboratively.”

Drawing on his recent visit to Nigeria, he cautioned against ‘helicopter research’, when foreign experts propose solutions without understanding the local context or engaging with those directly affected.

“We must avoid coming in without visiting the sites, without speaking to people, and then claiming to have the solution,” he stressed. “That approach doesn’t work. If we are talking about Nigeria’s water security, we must be here, work with local universities, and create solutions together.”

He commended UNIOSUN for its role in advancing these conversations and encouraged continued partnerships that prioritise community voices.

“The university here is excellent,” he noted. “This is exactly the kind of collaboration we need, where local expertise and lived experience drive the research agenda.”

Gareth Doherty, Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture at Harvard University, stressed the need for Africa to urgently invest in inclusive, climate-resilient landscapes and move away from outdated urban models if they are to survive the intensifying effects of global warming.

He emphasised the transformative potential of landscape design in African urban planning, calling it both an environmental necessity and an economic opportunity.

“Temperatures across Africa are rising. Cities need to plan not just for today or the next 10 years, but for 50 years from now,” he warned. “Landscapes take time to grow. If we don’t invest now, we risk making our cities unlivable.”

Using the Osun Sacred Grove in Osogbo as an example, Doherty illustrated how urban greenery, particularly trees and shrubs, can naturally cool cities, improve air quality, and support community wellbeing.“

When you walk into the Grove, it’s cooler, more humid, it even smells better. Trees play a huge role in reducing heat and creating spaces people can live, farm, and relax in,” he said.

In contrast, he noted that many African cities lack adequate tree cover, resulting in rising urban heat and decreased quality of life.

Doherty however  called  for landscape fieldwork, immersive, on-the-ground engagement with the cultural, environmental, and aesthetic realities of a specific place saying that it is  essential to shaping effective conservation and land management policies. 

He also urged African policymakers, designers, and researchers to move quickly to design cities for an uncertain future, marked by rising heat, extreme weather, and mounting pressure on natural resources.

“We can’t assume today’s stable climate will remain. The signs of change are already here, flooding, drought, heatwaves,” he said. “Now is the time to plant the trees, to design the spaces, to build the cities of tomorrow.”

Prof. Moises Lino e Silva of the Federal University of Bahia , Brazil in his presentation titled, ‘ Cosmopolitics of Osun: Art, Religion and Ecology in a Sacred Forest ‘, expressed concern about the Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove, being under increasing threat from environmental degradation, most alarmingly, mercury contamination linked to upstream mining activity.

He urged Nigerian authorities, local communities, and environmental advocates to take urgent action to protect the cultural and ecological sanctuary before irreversible damage is done.

“The most serious problem facing the Grove isn’t just plastic waste or tree cutting, it’s the pollutants from mining operations coming down the river. Mercury contamination poses a grave risk to the sacred ecosystem,” Silva warned.

Silva attributes the preservation of the grove located in the heart of Osogbo not only to human conservation efforts but to what he terms, ‘cosmopolitics’, a dynamic relationship involving humans, deities, and art as co-stewards of the land. 

“This isn’t just a political issue in the human sense. The river goddess Osun, the sacred artworks, and the people who come to pray, sing, and make offerings,  are all part of a living system that protects the grove,” he explained.

The don stressed that the Grove’s survival so far is largely due to its deep cultural and spiritual relevance and attracts worshippers, tourists, and artists alike, generating communal care and visibility that often deter complete neglect.

“We saw people cutting trees and also people making offerings to the river. It’s not perfect, but the constant human presence, especially for religious reasons, helps keep the place alive and somewhat protected,” he noted.

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