In January, the start of the UN's 75th anniversary, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres launched the world’s biggest conversation on building a better future for all. The vision was to spark conversations ("UN75 dialogues") in all settings – from classrooms to boardrooms, parliaments to village halls – on priorities for the future, obstacles to achieving them, and the role of international cooperation in making progress.

ASU hosted an event November 17 seeking technical, scientific and academic input from ASU faculty. Twenty participants joined the event to share observations, experiences and recommendations regarding the next 25 years of the United Nations, with each faculty member completing a UN75 survey prior to attending.

Some of the questions guiding the discussion included:

• In recovering from the pandemic, what should the UN / international community prioritize, and what can universities do to help?
• How can complexity research benefit the UN?
• What global trends, such as climate change or armed conflict, are most critical to our future?
• What are the critical challenges and opportunities over the next 25 years that will influence our actions to address the SDGs and issues of sustainability?
• How can the UN and the international community integrate knowledge (in the broadest sense) into SDG action, and what is beyond the SDGs?

Survey results and dialogue feedback, including the ideas and solutions generated at this event, were disseminated online and through UN75 partners and were presented to world leaders and senior UN officials at meetings and events. A student dialogue was scheduled for December 15.