The Quest for Truth, Collaborative Transformation & Solidarity
The SDG Conference 2026 concept note
When the quest for Education for All and the Right to Education was introduced as a social mission just a little over a century ago, it was viewed as a radical, provoking idea. It still is, in many parts of the world, and increasingly so.
As teachers, scientists and students, we have access to the information, facts and knowledge that we have reached most of the planetary tipping points, biodiversity is vanishing, and nature is being exploited beyond repair. The Recommendation on Education for Peace, Human Rights and Sustainable Development strengthens the commitment to international solidarity and a global consensus on the role of education in society. But what is quality education and lifelong learning worth if we cannot both learn and act, despite having the knowledge?
What will the immediate future(s) look like, with mis- and disinformation threatening the very foundation of quality education and lifelong learning, the common search for truths, knowledge and fact-based evidence? How does the rapid growth of authoritarian politics influence our global and national educational institutions? How does this impact our ability to reach the SDG goals by 2030?
These looming questions can be thought-provoking and inspiring, as they prompt our thinking into new trajectories. Do we need to rethink the way we organize our education and learning systems? Is this the time to join forces across sectors and boundaries in a critical introspection of the position of learning institutions?
Our learning world is also a burning world. Social contracts are ignored, and society’s democratic foundations are threatened. The technological artificial intelligence race is profiting the few and dis- and misinformation are spreading rapidly on social media. Conflict, war and forced migration is becoming numbing to all who view it from outside, including powerful stakeholders and the common public.
The global polycrisis is making it pertinent to join forces. It is time to rethink education as something we practice together, across divides, borders and sections in society. It is time to challenge both established truths that cause harm and emerging lies that hurt society.
The SDG Conference Oslo 2026 will bring together educators, students, researchers, civil society, political stakeholders, unions and industries. We aim for frank, open and honest conversations about where we are now, where we want to go, what we will keep and what we need to let go – as integral partners in a global community committed to upholding and strengthening quality education and the scientific production of knowledge.
We will turn our gaze inward, to question the educational infrastructures that upholds an unsustainable world. We will turn our gaze outward, toward others’ hard-won, inspiring and precious experiences of doing, thinking, and shaping learning in new, regenerative ways. We will discuss all levels of education, from kindergarten to universities, including formal and informal education as well as lifelong learning in communities. We will discuss the opportunities and challenges of AI and alternative frames of knowledge co-production and partnerships, such as citizen science, regenerative and transformative education.
Do we have the courage and ambition to use our position as educational institutions and actors wisely, to sustain our learning world? Let’s find out together.
Welcome to the 9th SDG Conference Oslo 2026!