Our Conference Went Virtual 
May 1 to June 12, 2020 
(ChST, UTC+10)


In close partnership with the Local2030 Islands Network, we hosted the University of Guam Virtual Conference Series on Island Sustainability! For several weeks, May 1 to June 12, 2020 we brought important sustainability discussions to you through a virtual platform. Thank you for joining us!

View and download the highlights booklet by clicking the image below.

UOG President, Dr. Thomas W. Krise, and Governor of Guam Lourdes A. Leon Guerrero will serve as co-chairs of the virtual conference, with the theme of "Island Wisdom for a Global Future."

 ISLAND WISDOM

As keepers of traditional knowledge stretching back thousands of years, islanders have long understood challenges related to geographic isolation, limited resources, and severe weather. With advancements in transportation and communication in recent centuries, many island communities shifted from self-reliant sustainable societies to ones largely dependent on goods received from abroad. Today, islanders are among the first people on the planet to experience severe impacts of climate change and other pressing challenges. They are reaching into their repositories of island wisdom and blending it with modern tools to innovate a transition toward a sustainable future.

As a matter of necessity, and even survival, islands are at the forefront of a global movement toward sustainability. They are building climate change resilience, improving food security, implementing entrepreneurial solutions, promoting green economic development, reducing waste production, advancing renewable energy, and protecting and restoring natural resources.

GLOBAL FUTURE

Islands are leading at the international forefront of a global sustainability effort. In 2015, United Nations (U.N.) adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and seventeen (17) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) designed to put the world on a path to a more sustainable, equitable, and prosperous future.

To accelerate and scale local solutions to global sustainablity challenges, the U.N. designated Local2030 Hubs in 2018, with Hawai'i Green Growth as the single hub focused on islands. The hub recently expanded with the launch of the Local2030 Islands Network during the 74th U.N. General Assembly in 2019. Founding partners and supporters of the network include Hawai'i, Guam, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Republic of Seychelles, Grenada, Belize, Curaçao, Ireland, the U.N. Development Programme (UNDP), the U.N. Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), and the U.N. Foundation.

Members of the Local2030 Islands Network will convene during the conference to discuss solutions and a collective agenda to achieve a sustainable global future.

JOIN THE CONFERENCE

Together with strategic partners, the Local2030 Islands Network and Global Island Partnership (GLISPA), CIS2020 aims to gather island representatives to share progress, innovations, and strategies to collectively move toward a sustainable global future. Sustainability leaders from around the globe are also invited to share innovations and partnership opportunities that will contribute to island sustainability.

Celebrating Sustainability in Island Communities

Island Sustainability ensures that the needs of the current generation are met without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. The University of Guam Center for Island Sustainability was established in 2009 to lead and support the transition of our island region toward a sustainable future. CIS has since become a focal institute in our region for conducting sustainability-related research and community outreach, in cooperation and coordination with other appropriate government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and community groups to help meet island needs in the broader areas of environment, economy, society, and education.

Last updated on 8/4/2020