One of the most significant outcomes from the recent Rio+20 Summit was the agreement to develop the Sustainable Development Goals, a new set of goals to succeed the Millennium Development Goals in 2015. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was given the mandate to initiate the appropriate work to support this process. He announced a high level panel on the post 2015-agenda, led by Indonesia, Liberia, the UK and Sweden.

The UN Secretary-General also announced the launch of a Sustainable Development Solutions Network. The network, which will be led by the Earth Institute at Columbia University, consists of research centres, universities and technical institutions to "help find solutions to some of the world's most pressing environmental, social and economic problems."

Stockholm Resilience Centre will play a central part of this network.

Open seminar in Stockholm

In a seminar on 4 September 2012, Jeffrey Sachs, Director of the Earth Institute, discussed the outcomes of the Rio+20 conference, particularly the formulation of sustainable development goals. Professor Sachs reflected on the Rio+20 conference and present the Sustainable Development Solutions Network.

The presentation by Jeffrey Sachs was followed by a panel debate with leading figures involved in the creation of sustainable development goals including Gunilla Carlsson, Swedish Swedish Minister for International Development Cooperation. The event was moderated by SEI Executive Director Johan L. Kuylenstierna.

The seminar was hosted by SEI, together with the Stockholm Resilience Centre and the Beijer Institute of Ecological Economics, with support from the Swedish Postcode Lottery.