AE4RIA & UGIH COP30 Dialogues

Strategic Global Mobilisation of Investment for Development & Climate
Speakers: Ketan Patel (Chairman, ForceGood – Moderator); Jon Symonds (GSK; Former Chairman, HSBC Bank); Prof. Phoebe Koundouri (AUEB & University of Cambridge; Chair, AE4RIA; Chair, UN GSDR); Osvald Bjelland (Origination AS & The Performance Theatre); Jon Miller (CEO, Integrated Media Co.; Former Chairman & CEO, AOL)
Video 

Using Science to Inform Policy: Climate-Resilient Development of the Senegal River Basin
Speakers: Mohamed Abdel Vetal (High Commissioner, OMVS); Niokhor Ndour (Secretary General, OMVS); Prof. Phoebe Koundouri (AUEB & University of Cambridge; Chair, AE4RIA; Chair, UN GSDR); Ketan Patel (Chair, Force for Good); Marieke HOOD (Executive Director Impact, GESDA); Warīn K. Flores (KINRAY HUB); Massamba Thioye (UNFCCC)
Video

Digital Technology as a Driver of the Climate & Sustainability Transition
Speakers: Prof. Yannis Ioannidis (President, ACM; University of Athens – Moderator); Prof. Phoebe Koundouri (AUEB & University of Cambridge; Chair, AE4RIA; Chair, UN GSDR); Prof. Andrew A Chien (Univ. of Chicago); Prof. Virginia Dignum (Umeå University); Prof. Jayant Haritsa (Indian Institute of Science)
Video 

Knowledge Economy Transition 2045 (KE2045)
Led by Prof. Malik Dahlan, this session builds directly on his keynote announcement of the KE2045 Initiative at the Pre-COP Conference in Rio.
Speakers: Prof. Malik Dahlan (Honorary Professor, University of St Andrews; Lead, KE2045 Initiative); Prof. Phoebe Koundouri (AUEB & University of Cambridge; Chair, AE4RIA; Chair, UN GSDR); Massamba Thioye (UNFCCC); Dr. Simona Anamaria Marinescu (Senior Advisor, UN; Economy Counsel, International Data Center Authority); Mehdi Paryavi (Chairman, International Data Center Authority); Prof. Jim Falk (University of Melbourne; University of Wollongong)
Session video

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Το άρθρο AE4RIA at COP30 εμφανίστηκε πρώτα στο Ae4ria.

The IAP, a global network of more than 140 national, regional, and global science academies, provides independent, evidence-based advice to policymakers and international institutions, playing a critical role at the science–policy–society interface. Prof. Koundouri serves as a member of IAP’s Programme and Development Committee for Communication, Education, and Outreach, representing the World Academy of Art and Science (WAAS), where she is a Fellow and Trustee.

During the plenary session, Science Academies and Science Diplomacy in a Tumultuous World, Prof. Koundouri contributed to discussions on the growing need for scientific cooperation amid geopolitical uncertainty. The session was chaired by Peggy Hamburg, IAP Co-President, moderated by Ian Wiggins of The Royal Society, and opened with a keynote by Dr. Ismail Serageldin, Founding Director of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina and former World Bank Vice President.

Prof. Koundouri’s intervention presented a UN system perspective grounded in the UN Global Sustainable Development Report 2027, for which she serves as Chief Scientist, as well as the work of the SDSN Global Climate Hub, which she chairs. She highlighted that today’s interconnected crises—climate change, biodiversity loss, food–energy–water insecurity, inequality, and geopolitical instability—cannot be addressed through siloed policies. She underscored the necessity of integrated, data-driven systems transformation pathways that combine advanced modelling with participatory co-design, enabling policymakers to assess trade-offs, maximize SDG co-benefits, and translate commitments into implementable and financeable actions.

Prof. Koundouri also emphasized the urgency of strengthening global commons governance, science diplomacy, and multilateral coordination, alongside reforming the global financial architecture, to ensure that science effectively supports equitable and sustainable development pathways toward 2030 and beyond.

The session featured distinguished participants including Mark Walport (Foreign Secretary and Vice-President, The Royal Society), Dr. Sandeep Sandhu, FRSB (UK Business Connect; UK Young Academy), Mohamed Hassan (Sudanese National Academy of Sciences), Marcelo Knobel (The World Academy of Sciences), Robbert Dijkgraaf (President-elect, International Science Council), and Ourania Kosti.

Το άρθρο Prof. Phoebe Koundouri at the IAP 2025 Triennial Conference: Advancing Science Diplomacy and Integrated Policy for Global Challenges εμφανίστηκε πρώτα στο Ae4ria.

Our team was present at the Athens Science Festival 2025, at the booth of the Athena Research Center, participating in Greece’s largest celebration of science and innovation.

During the festival, Dr. Dr. Fivos Papadimitriou, Senior Researcher at AE4RIA, presented the work and mission of AE4RIA – Alliance of Excellence for Research and Innovation on Aephoria, along with key initiatives including the SDSN Global Climate Hub and the LUSI (Land Use Simulator).

LUSI – Sustainability Strategy Through a Board Game

LUSI is an interactive spatial strategy game inspired by the landscapes of Southern Europe. Designed as both a research and educational tool, LUSI highlights real-world land-use conflicts and supports sustainable land-use planning by fostering systems thinking, collaboration, and evidence-based decision-making.

AE4RIA’s participation in the Athens Science Festival demonstrates its ongoing commitment to bridging research, innovation, and society, making complex sustainability challenges accessible and actionable for a broad audience.

Το άρθρο AE4RIA at Athens Science Festival 2025: Showcasing Innovation for Sustainable Futures εμφανίστηκε πρώτα στο Ae4ria.

In her keynote remarks, Professor Koundouri emphasized the importance of strengthening the science–policy interface and advancing integrated, evidence-based approaches to sustainable development, particularly as countries seek to accelerate progress on the Sustainable Development Goals in the years ahead. These perspectives are closely aligned with her role as Chief Scientist of the 2027 UN Global Sustainable Development Report (GSDR), the United Nations’ flagship, science-based assessment supporting global decision-making on sustainable development in the final push toward 2030, as well as with the mission of the SDSN Global Climate Hub, which she chairs and which focuses on supporting climate-resilient and inclusive development through science-informed pathways.

The event contributed to a timely and substantive global dialogue on the future of sustainable development.

Το άρθρο Professor Phoebe Koundouri Speaks at the Launch of China’s 2030 Agenda Progress Report εμφανίστηκε πρώτα στο Ae4ria.

Moderated by Elias Demian (IOBE), the roundtable provided a multidisciplinary perspective on how climate and environmental pressures translate into economic costs and health outcomes.

Professor Koundouri’s intervention presented a synthesis of research conducted at AE4RIA – Alliance of Excellence for Research and Innovation on Aephoria, focusing on systems science transformations for sustainable development. Her contribution emphasized the economic valuation of physical and mental health impacts arising from the loss of resilience and regenerative capacity across natural, infrastructural, economic, and social systems. She further outlined a systems-based framework for the optimal—efficient, resilient, and just—dynamic and spatial management of natural, human, social, and accounting capital, underscoring its importance for integrated policy design and for identifying pathways out of the current state of permanent multi-crisis.

The roundtable featured contributions from Agis Tsouros, MD, PhD, FFPH (UK) (Adjunct Professor, Boston University; former WHO Europe), Dimosthenis Sarigiannis (Professor, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki), and Andreas Papandreou (Professor, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens).

Το άρθρο Climate Change, Economy, and Health: A Systems Perspective from the National Conference on Health Economics and Health Policy 2025 εμφανίστηκε πρώτα στο Ae4ria.

During the session on near-term opportunities for impact, partnerships, and collaboration, Professor Koundouri focused on the 2027 UN Global Sustainable Development Report (GSDR), for which she serves as Chief Scientist, underscoring its strategic importance as a key science–policy instrument for shaping the post-2030 sustainable development framework.

She highlighted three interconnected pillars that are essential for accelerating Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) implementation at scale:

• Transformation Pathways for Sustainable Development

• Sustainable (SDG) Finance at the Microeconomic Level

• Skills for the Transition: Capacity Building as a Cornerstone for Implementing the SDGs

As the global community moves beyond the 2030 Agenda, the GSDR 2027 represents a major opportunity to translate cutting-edge scientific knowledge into actionable policy, strengthen climate–SDG synergies, and support transformational decision-making beyond 2030.

Το άρθρο Advancing Thought Leadership for the Post-2030 Sustainable Development Agenda εμφανίστηκε πρώτα στο Ae4ria.

Through presentations by Professor Dr. Phoebe Koundouri, Chair of the SDSN Global Climate Hub, and Dr. Ioannis Arampatzidis, Senior Researcher at the SDSN Global Climate Hub, the Hub’s integrated systems-nexus approach was showcased. This approach links energy and emissions with food–land dynamics, biofuels potential, land requirements for renewable energy, and water constraints. The presentations emphasised that science-based solutions must be complemented by meaningful stakeholder engagement—through co-design, living labs, and participatory processes—to ensure the development of implementable and effective transition pathways.

In this context, results from the assessment of the National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs) of 35 European countries were presented. The analysis demonstrated that full implementation of national plans can deliver substantial emissions reductions, while also highlighting the need to better address cross-sectoral trade-offs, including land and water constraints, and to strengthen implementation mechanisms.

The workshop further discussed the SDSN Global Climate Hub’s updated modelling framework, which is applicable at the global scale, and explored potential avenues for future collaboration with the CEET.

About the Council of Engineers for the Energy Transition (CEET)
Established under the auspices of the United Nations Secretary-General, the Council of Engineers for the Energy Transition is a high-level, independent body of engineers and energy systems experts advising the United Nations on pathways to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. Launched in 2021, the CEET is co-chaired by Gerd Müller, Director General of UNIDO, and Professor Jeffrey Sachs, President of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN).

About the SDSN Global Climate Hub
The SDSN Global Climate Hub (GCH) is a global science–policy initiative of the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network. It develops national and international integrated systems solution pathways towards climate neutrality and climate resilience, embedded in socio-economic and financial systems and supported by stakeholder co-design and participatory processes. Established in 2022, the SDSN Global Climate Hub is led by Professor Phoebe Koundouri.

Το άρθρο Energy Data and System Modelling Workshop at the CEET Council Meeting εμφανίστηκε πρώτα στο Ae4ria.

The workshop presented the preliminary findings of the Europe Sustainable Development Report 2026, the seventh edition of SDSN’s independent assessment of the European Union’s progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. The SDG Index provided a comparative, data-driven overview of areas in which EU Member States have achieved progress, as well as areas where significant gaps remain: https://www.unsdsn.org/news/europe-sustainable-development-report-2026-public-consultation/

During her intervention, Prof. Phoebe Koundouri presented findings from the integrated assessment of 35 European National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs) extending to 2050, developed by the SDSN Global Climate Hub, which she chairs. The analysis identified gaps in policy coherence, financing, and land and water management, and underscored the importance of cross-sectoral coordination and strengthened monitoring frameworks to ensure a timely, efficient, and equitable transition to climate neutrality across Europe. The full analysis is available here: https://unsdsn.globalclimatehub.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/GCHmodels_EU_a4_cover_web-3.pdf

In parallel, Prof. Koundouri referred to the broader science–policy perspective of the United Nations Global Sustainable Development Report 2027, for which she has been appointed Chief Scientist. The report, an assessment of assessments on global progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals, represents the final edition prior to the 2030 deadline of the UN Agenda 2030 and is expected to play a critical role in shaping the future of the global sustainable development agenda.

Το άρθρο Advancing Europe’s Progress Towards the Sustainable Development Goals: Insights from the Europe Sustainable Development Report 2026 εμφανίστηκε πρώτα στο Ae4ria.

In her intervention, titled “War and the Environment: Geopolitical Instability and Its Impacts on Biodiversity,” Professor Koundouri examined how today’s multidimensional crises—climate change, environmental degradation, economic and social instability, demographic pressures, and geopolitical conflict—accelerate biodiversity loss and disrupt ecosystems. She also emphasized the central role of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as the most comprehensive global framework for addressing these interconnected challenges, highlighting the urgency of integrated tools that bridge science, technology, finance, and implementation capacity.

Professor Koundouri further presented the systems-based methodologies developed at Ae4ria – Alliance of Excellence for Research and Innovation on Aephoria, which bring together scientific evidence, technological innovation, financial instruments, and stakeholder engagement to support sustainable transitions. These methodologies also inform the UN Global Sustainable Development Report 2027, where she serves as Chief Scientist.

Professor Koundouri extends her sincere appreciation to the organizers for the invitation.

Watch the keynote and full event here

Το άρθρο Addressing Biodiversity and Geopolitical Challenges: Keynote at “Climate Action 2025” εμφανίστηκε πρώτα στο Ae4ria.

Together with Dr. Marc Paganini (ESA), the session examined how Earth Observation can support accelerated and more effective implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as 2030 approaches, while also informing the post-2030 development agenda.

In her intervention, Prof. Phoebe Koundouri emphasized that the achievement of the SDGs is not feasible without the systematic integration of Earth Observation. She underscored the necessity of combining geospatial, environmental, and socioeconomic data to understand the complex and interconnected global challenges of our time and to design science-based, actionable pathways for sustainable development.

Prof. Koundouri presented a three-step, data-driven implementation framework:

1. Continuous monitoring and assessment using Earth Observation, statistical datasets, IoT outputs, and socioeconomic indicators.

2. Development of science-based pathways and integrated modelling that capture interdependencies across land, water, energy, ecosystems, the economy, and society.

3. Advancements in financing, capacity building, and governance reform to ensure equitable, scalable, and effective implementation.

Το άρθρο Earth Observation and the SDGs: Accelerating Action Toward 2030 and Beyond εμφανίστηκε πρώτα στο Ae4ria.