Overview

The World Association for Sustainable Development (WASD), together with its partners, the Middle Eastern Knowledge Economy Institute (MEKEI) and Sudan Knowledge (SK) organise regular series of Global Minds Debates. These regional one day roundtables started in 2017 and become an integral and important part of WASD preparations for its International Annual Conferences.

The aim of these series of Global Minds Debates is to stimulate and excite people from across the world about the current important topics around the world and particularly the topics selected for our annual conferences. WASD has been very keen, particularly during the global lockdown from the Coronavirus pandemic, to share theses debates with its global audience live on WASD Facebook page using various live streaming applications.

Participants

Each roundtable debate is different ranging from 2-5 international experts talking live for about 45mins to 3hr max, no slides but rather global minds conversation. We very much appreciate the very busy schedule of our distinguished speakers and panellists, but we have always attempted to nominate the best experts in the world in their fields. A full list of distinguished speakers and panellists who have participated at WASD roundtable debates in the past include:

We hope all these roundtables will be watched by many people across the globe and they will be an excellent resources for your academic and professional activities.

Location

London, Greater London, England, United Kingdom

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Country/Regions

Europe
UK

Team

The roundtable debates are organised by several committees from WASD and under close supervision of WASD Advisory Board.

Prof. Allam Ahmed: Co-Chair and President WASD
Janet Snow: International Coordinator and Editor
Mervyn Clingan: Video Production
Souheil Zaied: Graphic Designer
Kumar Gaurav: Webmaster

Sustainable Development Goals

Languges

Related Events

Social Networks

Diaspora Contribution

The collaboration between the Diaspora and those working within the country of origin offers several opportunities and contributes to increase productivity towards sustainable and inclusive knowledge-based growth. Building constructive relationships between the Diasporas and countries of origin require that Diasporas be treated not as a mere resource, but as partners and investors with mutual benefits.

It has long been argued that Diasporas will be most interested in contributing to SD efforts when they have a sense of belonging in relation to their country of origin. Therefore, it is very important to establish trust between Diasporas and governments in the country of origin. In doing so, governments need to invest in identifying their Diasporas abroad and in understanding their skills and interests.

Many sustainability problems can only be tackled by connecting the diaspora with those working within the country of origin, for example combating the results of climate change, diseases such as malaria, reservation of natural resources, fighting land degradation or limiting the loss of biodiversity and many other problems. Moreover, knowledge or evidence-based policymaking is indispensable if gaps in living standards are to be narrowed. Therefore, building capacity in country of origin is necessary for competing in the global arena and there it is critical to turn the diaspora into a positive tool for SD as well as serving as role models for the youth in the country of origin.

Women Empowerment and Leadership

Women across the world have an untapped potential as a primary mover of greater development within their countries and regions. Their role is very crucial for increased development, but challenges remain. And so, significant reforms in economic, social, and political institutions must be made to create an enabling environment for women participation and empowerment. However, it appears that investments in human development are not readily translated to better economic and political outcomes for women. Unfortunately, women’s potential and crucial role in development across the world is still impeded by these economic and social factors. Women’s participation is also very important in advancing peace, unity and combating terrorism, which is a most serious threat to SD across all regions of the world. It has also been recognized that women have been largely excluded from the processes of conflict management and prevention and that their role is important in the achievement of lasting peace and security (UN, 2015).

Children and Youth Engagement

WASD is very keen to encourage the engagement of children and youth from across the world in the conference. We are keen to make the voice of all our children and youth heard and consequently enabling the decision makers to consider those views and ideas in their big decisions. The entire concept of SD is about the future and the future is all about the children and youth! Youth population is growing rapidly in all regions of the world and we are very keen to understand the children and youth perspectives and expectations for their future to help them be ready to grasp the various opportunities generated in the digital economy. We strongly believe our children and youth should be the cornerstone of any strategy by all governments and policy makers. We must listen to our children and youth and more importantly how we can help our youth with their future employment plans and aspirations. Youth from all-over the world are encouraged to participate in the conference and present their research, perspectives and initiatives.

An example of our flagship initiatives with the children across the world is Young Stars Big Ideas. In this initiative we invite children and youth from all-over the world to send us their messages in a short video (no more than 2 minutes) on any topic or theme, without any restriction, that they feel is an important issue facing the world today and is greatly impacting the quality of their lives. This could be one element or a combination of things, for example it could include humour, the people, language, special place, sports, food, art, landscape or anything else that our children and youth would like to our attention. WASD will feature these video messages that are written and presented by the children and youth themselves and will be uploaded on our YouTube Channel. WASD will also proactively look for sponsors that would be willing to provide prizes to all participating children and youth. To submit your video please click here.

Big Interviews

The World Association for Sustainable Development (WASD), together with its partners, the Middle Eastern Knowledge Economy Institute (MEKEI) and Sudan Knowledge (SK) organises regular multi-disciplinary big interviews with key leaders and decision makers.

In these interviews, international experts (Prime Ministers, Minsters, Senior Government Officials, Vice Chancellors, Students, Researchers, Practitioners, Policy-makers, Ordinary citizen) from the public and private sectors share their views on various global issue relating to SD and SDGs. Experts also share their view points as to how the active diaspora community can effectively contribute to conflict prevention, management and conflict resolution as foundations for achieving peace and good governance in this fragile atmosphere of general suspicion and fear.

Mastering Public Policy for SDGs

This integrative workshop aims to develop a deeper understanding of the theoretical and practical aspects to public policy and executive leadership, and to develop the essential skills and competencies necessary to plan, monitor and formulate public policy. The Masterclass has been designed to introduce a variety of fundamental perspectives on public policy analysis and formulation as well as executive leadership tools and techniques.

Executive leadership in 21st Century at all levels is becoming increasingly dynamic and complex. The masterclass aims to discuss and explore the various approaches and different ways that can contribute to policy analysis, formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation. It will also provoke forward thinking on developing new methods and approaches to suit the challenges and opportunities of this new era of digital revolution. These new approaches call for actions to create different appropriate ways of doing things and of doing new things that will be essential to solve our future problems and challenges. The masterclass will therefore helps participants to understand how the policy process works and develop the skills required to provide practical policy advice to relevant stakeholders.

According to the recent report by JIU 2019 titled “Strengthening the policy research uptake in service of the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development”, achieving the 17 SDGs of the 2030 Agenda requires evidence-based policies and planning at every level; therefore the programme will also include substantial components on evidence-based research and policy planning. Moreover, in addition the masterclass will also examine the role of the private sector together with the public sector (please refer to the United Nations Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) 2018 report on the Role of Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) in the Implementation of Agenda 2030 for more details and recommendations). Both the public and private sector organisations are confronted by environmental factors such as economic, political, sociological, technological, and legal challenges. The need for leaders at all levels to successfully meet these challenges requires a comprehensive appreciation and understanding of their roles, goals and the expected competencies.

Essential Professional Skills, Leadership and Performance Improvement

This five-day workshop has been designed to introduce a variety of fundamental perspectives on basic skills essential for participants to be able to write, read, speak and use numbers at a level necessary to function and progress at work and in society.

The workshop will focus on the professional skills which enable people to develop effective performance across a wide range of settings since the survival of most organisations in this dynamic and complex environment rest squarely on how they leverage on these key skills.

Using participants’ own organizations as cases, participants will explore how and when they can participate usefully in the social and economic life of the organization and look for opportunities to start their own businesses and improve the performance of businesses.

Professional skills, leadership and performance improvement in 21st Century at all levels are becoming increasingly dynamic and complex. Both the public and private sector organisations are confronted by environmental factors such as economic, political, sociological, technological, and legal challenges. The need for leaders and managers at all levels to successfully meet these challenges requires a comprehensive appreciation and understanding of their roles, goals and the expected competencies. To attract and retain top talent, organizations need to provide opportunities to learn and grow. Staff development programs have become a critical talent management tool, helping leaders, managers, and recruiters build their talent pipelines. The workshop will be facilitated by world renowned experts in Human Resources Management and Personnel Development; Interpersonal Skills and Talent Management. In this course, our experts and consultants will share the peak skills that can optimize staff performance to attract and retain talent and help them develop the skills that keep your organization competitive

Women as Leaders in Change and Development

The main aim of this workshop is critically examine the role of women as leaders in change and development. This workshop focuses not only on knowledge exchange and updates on relevant human rights instruments and standards, but outlines how practically human rights can be used in programmes and activities to generate concrete and sustainable development outcomes. This knowledge exchange and capacity development workshop brings together practitioners, professionals and activists working on women’s equality, development and leadership. It will discuss innovative and strategic ways to implement as well as to monitor and evaluate women’s rights. Women leaders use a variety of tools and strategies to mobilise, empower and deliver on community achievements. Human rights is one such medium through which women’s voices, goals and efforts are recognised as enforceable claims or rights. Clearly, women have an untapped potential as a primary mover of greater development and their role is very crucial for increased development, but challenges remain. And so, reforms in economic, social, and political institutions must be made to create an enabling environment for women participation and empowerment. Though activists and leaders- women, men and youth – use human rights for advocacy and enforcement, there are advantages to using the human rights based approach (HRBA) to achieve land, property and other rights in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Our pioneering policy research has been deployed to carry out training for hundreds of leaders at the United Nations, World Bank, the Arab Land Conference, the World Urban Forum and several other events.

Entrepreneurship and SMEs Development for Graduates

Human capital (knowledge, abilities and skills) is considered as stimulus of the innovation process for economic growth and development. This workshop has been designed to introduce a variety of perspectives on entrepreneurship and SMEs in the public and private sectors. The Concise Oxford Dictionary defines an entrepreneur as: “a person who undertakes an enterprise or business with the chance of profit or loss; a contractor acting as an intermediary; the person taking effective control of a commercial undertaking … from the French entreprende, to undertake”.

Entrepreneur have an important role in helping the economy to deal with innovation and change and the associated risks and uncertainty. This workshop will discuss four different perspectives for considering who entrepreneurs are. The first set looks at the role or function of entrepreneurs in the economy such as acting as risk takers, resource allocators, and innovators. The second considers that entrepreneurs are those who exhibit particular forms of behaviour. The third set focuses upon the characteristics of entrepreneurs, and the fourth set links entrepreneurship to particular events, such as the creation of a new firm or organisation. There is a large degree of overlap between these differing perspectives, but each can help us to understand various aspects of the entrepreneurship process and entrepreneurs.

Strategic Leadership, Organization Transformation and Knowledge Management

This five-day course has been designed to introduce a variety of perspectives on strategic leadership, organization transformation and knowledge management (KM) in the public and private sectors. The course aims to enable leaders and decision makers to introduce fit-for-purpose leadership styles and KM approaches to their organizations effective transformation.

The workshop will be facilitated two of the world renowned experts in knowledge and technology management, Allam Ahmed and Mohamed Elhag (Founders of SMART KM MODEL: An Integrated Knowledge Management Framework for Organizational Excellence) based in the United Kingdom. Allam and Mohamed led the implementation of the first of its kind in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Knowledge Management Framework (KMF) Musharaka which focuses on empowering employees, enabling them to improve the quality and efficiency of services provided to residents.

During the workshop, participants will learn about the ‘Smart KM Model’ which offers insight into KM processes, the challenges in introducing effective KM regime, and offers the ‘Smart KM Model’ as a tool to overcome challenges. SMART KM model aimed at managers of corporations and government policy makers providing an effective tool to help ensure KM becomes part of organizational culture. Drawing on MEKEI’s own research and synthesizing the work of others in the KM area, the model will help to facilitate the process of managing knowledge within organizations including the creation, acquisition, transfer and use of knowledge, both within and between organizations. At the end of the course attendees should be able to acquire a comprehensive knowledge and practical experience about KM and leadership styles and approaches in alignment with the local needs and capabilities. Moreover, after competition of the course, attendees to write a report, supported by the tutor, of what they have learnt and what is particularly relevant to their employers. A focus to be one aspect of the course which has implications for the way they will improve their professional practice when they return to their employers. This will help reassure the employers of the benefits of the programme and help consolidate the understanding of the manager.

Executive Leadership Post Covid 19 in the Public and Private Sectors

This three-days workshop has been designed to introduce a variety of perspectives on leadership in the public and private sectors in the post Covid 19 era. The workshop aims to enable leaders and decision makers to introduce fit-for-purpose leadership styles and approaches to their organisations in the post Covid 19. At the end of the workshop attendees should be able to acquire a comprehensive knowledge and practical experience about leadership styles and approaches in response to the various challenges in the post Covid 19 era.

Executive Leadership and Knowledge Management for Women Police Officers

This five-day course has been designed to introduce a variety of perspectives on executive leadership and knowledge management (KM) in the public sector with special focus on Women Police Officers. The course aims to enable leaders and decision makers to introduce fit-for-purpose leadership styles and KM approaches to their organisations. At the end of the course attendees should be able to acquire a comprehensive knowledge and practical experience about KM and leadership styles and approaches in alignment with the local needs and capabilities. Moreover, after competition of the course, attendees to write a report, supported by the tutor, of what they have learnt and what is particularly relevant to their employers. A focus to be one aspect of the course which has implications for the way they will improve their professional practice when they return to their employers. This will help reassure the employers of the benefits of the programme and help consolidate the understanding of the manager.

Role of Women in Peace and Development in MENA

The main aim of this initiative is to critically examine the current status of women in the Arab region. Women’s welfare in the Arab region has steadily improved in the past few decades with gaps in education and health decreasing the gender disparity gap by 60%, Saudi Arabia for example was among those that improved its educational sub-index score by 11% points (WEF, 2016). Similarly, a report by Assad (El Swais, 2015) stated that girls in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region actually outperform boys especially in the maths and sciences. However, in spite of such progress, women in the region remain to be the most vulnerable to poverty because of unequal access to economic and other resources. For example, while 50% of the women in the world are actively employed or seeking jobs, only about half or 27% of women in the MENA are of the same status (World Bank, 2012 cited in OECD, 2014). Thus, it appears that investments in human development are not readily translated to better economic and political outcomes for women and that women’s potential and crucial role in development within the region is still impeded by social factors. Among the key constraints of women in the region for economic participation are: strong patriarchal society; strong public sector and a weak private sector; and lack of support and benefits for women in the employment sector (Assad cited in El Swais, 2015).

Digital Transformation and Sustainable Development for Future Women Leaders

This two-day workshop will be facilitated by world renowned experts in Digital Transformation (DT) and Sustainable Development (SD) and has been designed to introduce a variety of fundamental perspectives on DT and SD to build future women leaders in public and private sectors who are able to understand and deal with future challenges. With the launch of the 2030 Agenda for SD and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the path to global development needs to be more collaborative than ever. How can technology contribute and enhance SD is the main issue which will be addressed during this workshop. Digital technologies in particular have spread rapidly (such as the Internet, mobile phones, etc) and therefore the impact of digital technologies on SD is very important aspect of the overall success of DT initiatives. Based on the assumption that technology must be widely used and freely accessible to have an impact, knowledge systems and knowledge economy seem to open up new and varied avenues to be explored in the direction of sustainability.

In addition, future leaders and decision makers will learn effective techniques and approaches to make better choices within the context of their organisations, gather information and assess alternatives; they will also be able to make decisions and develop ways to implement those decisions to their organisation’s effective transformation. Participants will acquire comprehensive knowledge and practical experience about DT approaches in alignment with the local needs and capabilities. It is a great opportunity for participants to gain good knowledge and understanding of SD and gain background information on SDGs. The workshop will provide new perspectives sand some conclusions and recommendations for future leaders to explore some of the opportunities from the digital revolution and how these opportunities can be improved to better serve their goals.

World Journal of Women and Sustainable Development (WJWSD)

WJWSD aims to promote the top quality international research, ideas and information about the role of Women in achieving Sustainable Development (SD) across the world. WJWSD will focus on all what you need to know about Women leadership and empowerment particularly issues relating to Women in Developing countries (DCs).

WJWSD aims to consider new perspectives about Women research and puts together, for the first time, original and cutting-edge contributions aimed at illuminating and charting new directions for researching, teaching and understanding of this extremely important subject. The journal publishes original papers, review papers, conceptual papers, technical reports, case studies, conference reports, management reports, book reviews, notes, commentaries, and news. WJWSD particularly encourages papers that significantly bring new knowledge to the area both for academics and practitioners. Special Issues devoted to important topics about Women will occasionally be published.

WJWSD is intended to benefit ordinary people, students, academics, professionals, researchers, policymakers, businesses, etc from across the world with the best available scientific evidence, to enable better understanding of the different challenges facing Women across the world.

World Journal of Youth and Sustainable Development (WJYSD)

WJYSD aims to promote the top quality international research, ideas and information about the role of Children and Youth in achieving Sustainable Development (SD) across the world. WJYSD will focus on all issues relating to the engagement and participation of Children and Youth particularly in Developing countries (DCs).

WJYSD aims to consider new perspectives about Children and Youth research and puts together, for the first time, original and cutting-edge contributions aimed at illuminating and charting new directions for researching, teaching and understanding of this extremely important subject. The journal publishes original papers, review papers, conceptual papers, technical reports, case studies, conference reports, management reports, book reviews, notes, commentaries, and news. WJYSD particularly encourages papers that significantly bring new knowledge to the area both for academics and practitioners. Special Issues devoted to important topics about Children and Youth will occasionally be published.

WJYSD is intended to benefit ordinary people, students, academics, professionals, researchers, policymakers, businesses, etc from across the world with the best available scientific evidence, to enable better understanding of the different challenges facing Women across the world.

Global Minds Debates

Overview

Participants

Location

Country/Regions

Team

Sustainable Development Goals

Languges

Related Events

Social Networks

Diaspora Contribution

Women Empowerment and Leadership

Children and Youth Engagement

Big Interviews

Mastering Public Policy for SDGs

Essential Professional Skills, Leadership and Performance Improvement

Women as Leaders in Change and Development

Entrepreneurship and SMEs Development for Graduates

Strategic Leadership, Organization Transformation and Knowledge Management

Executive Leadership Post Covid 19 in the Public and Private Sectors

Executive Leadership and Knowledge Management for Women Police Officers

Role of Women in Peace and Development in MENA

Digital Transformation and Sustainable Development for Future Women Leaders

World Journal of Women and Sustainable Development (WJWSD)

World Journal of Youth and Sustainable Development (WJYSD)

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