1000 Days of SDGs - Looking ahead

Meeting of Global Health Policy Think Tanks and Academic Institutions
Geneva, 4-5 December 2017

Organised by the Global Health Centre in cooperation with the International Development Research Centre and THINK_SDGs


In the context of the first 1000 days of SDG implementation, it is critical to seize the momentum to strategically analyse implementation approaches and mechanisms. Following the success of the first-ever meeting of global health policy think tanks and academic institutions in November 2015 in Geneva, the international network THINK_SDGs was launched. It capitalises on the analytical capacities and creative thinking of policy research institutions to accelerate implementation of health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through knowledge sharing, capacity building and innovation. Several regional hubs work at the regional and national levels to analyse context-relevant implementation challenges and offer best practices for civic engagement and monitoring.

Drawing on these local realities and following the voluntary national reviews taking place at the High-level Political Forum in July 2017, the Global Health Centre at the Graduate Institute in cooperation with Canada’s International Development Research Centre and THINK_SDGs will bring together representatives from leading policy research institutions from around the world and Geneva-based global health stakeholders to analyse the political determinants of SDG implementation and discuss the role of think tanks and academic institutions in tackling governance challenges and opportunities.

Special attention will be given to four strategic areas to ensure progress on the Development Agenda, namely noncommunicable diseases, antimicrobial resistance, universal health coverage, and planetary health. Participants from South Asia, East Africa and Latin America will present findings from mapping studies on institutional arrangements for implementing and monitoring health-related SDGs. The meeting will promote and continue the momentum built around SDG implementation nationally, while at the same time linking into global policy developments through initiatives such as the Think 20 Group (T20).

Roundtable discussions, working groups and public panels will allow for a high degree of interaction to share experiences and good practices. The promotion of synergies between think tanks and global health actors in Geneva will also facilitate the emergence of new ideas and the establishment of new collaborations across all continents and sectors. The meeting will define further action among the participants, which will be taken forward through the THINK_SDGs network and its regional hubs.


Event materials