2025 was a fruitful year for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Taskforce. The newly published edited volume, Essential Concepts for Implementing the Sustainable Development Goals: An A–Z Guide (Routledge), is a collective work with more than 100 authors participating. The SDG Taskforce co-conveners (Frank Biermann, Thomas Hickmann, Yi hyun Kang, Carole-Anne Sénit, and Yixian Sun) served as co-editors of the volume and mobilized the authors through the SDG Taskforce network. Many enthusiastic Taskforce members responded to our call for expressions of interest and recommended their colleagues to join. Thus, the expertise of SDG Taskforce members contributed greatly to facilitating the publication process. In addition, the co-conveners (co-editors) carefully invited relevant experts from around the world.
The SDG A–Z Guide provides a highly accessible and user-friendly overview of 105 essential concepts and terms related to the current global endeavor to implement the SDGs. Published as an open-access volume, the book targets a broader audience beyond academia, including students, practitioners, and policymakers. We believe the book will function as a practical guide for all those engaged in, or interested in, SDG implementation.
The book presentation held on 16 October 2025 attracted more than 70 participants. It highlighted the timeliness of the publication and featured short interventions by three authors, namely Pamela Chasek (Manhattan University, United States), Rodrigo Führ (UN-Habitat), and Grayson Fuller (Sustainable Development Solutions Network). The speakers shared their views on the current state of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs, as well as how the book may contribute to the current debate. The recording is available on the YouTube channel of Earth System Governance TV, see below.
Building on this successful collaborative effort, the co-conveners of the SDG Taskforce aim to continue the momentum in 2026 by organizing a policy brief series.
