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Overview

ABOUT THE CONFERENCE

St. Paul’s University, through the leadership of Postgraduate Studies is hosting the 5th St. Paul’s University Annual International Research Conference (SPUAIRC), 2025. The conference theme is “Re-Conceptualizing Sustainable Development  Goals For Today’s Challenges And  Tomorrow’s  Possibilities.” The Conference will be held blended in nature and will accommodate both physical and virtual attendance. It will be hosted in Limuru Campus.

THEME: Re-Conceptualizing Sustainable Development  Goals For Today’s Challenges And Tomorrow’s Possibilities

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) face mounting obstacles, disproportionately affecting marginalized populations, especially women, unemployed youth, disadvantaged children, and persons with disabilities. Conflicts, policy shifts, and systemic inequalities hinder progress, necessitating urgent reforms. Gender-sensitive policies, education resilience, disability inclusion, and conflict mitigation must be prioritized. Strengthening multilateral cooperation, regional adaptability, and sustainable financing is crucial  to realigning the SDGs with contemporary challenges. Without decisive action, development gaps will widen, leaving vulnerable populations further behind. A reimagined SDG frame work must integrate inclusive, technology-driven solutions to ensure equitable and sustainable  progress.

Participants

Participants will be drawn from Faculty and Students from Universities Nationally and Internationally, the Private sector, Professional bodies, Policy Makers, Practioners, and representatives from grassroot organizations.

Why the conference?

A conference themed “Re-Conceptualizing Sustainable Development Goals for Today’s Challenges and Tomorrow’s Possibilities” is critical to evaluate how far we have come to achieve the SDGs by the 2030 deadline, which is five years away. Are we in track or off-track? Compounded by escalating global crises like climate change, persistent inequalities, geopolitical tensions, and post-pandemic economic shifts that were not fully anticipated when the goals were formulated. Such a gathering would provide a vital platform for evaluating current progress, identifying systemic barriers, sharing innovative solutions and best practices from diverse contexts in Kenya and beyond, and collaboratively recalibrating strategies to ensure the SDGs remain relevant, ambitious, and achievable amidst a rapidly evolving global landscape, ultimately fostering accelerated action and renewed commitment towards a sustainable future.

Scholars from across the five faculties of the university  and beyond will converge to share their latest research findings on the five sub-themes identified for the conference this year. The university takes research as a critical pillar in learning and teaching. Through research scholars will sharpen their knowledge and also refresh their current state of knowledge. It will offer a platform where researchers will share their experiences on various sub-themes.

The Conference therefore aims to assess and strategically realign global and national efforts towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, recognizing the profound shifts in global challenges and seizing emerging opportunities.

More specifically, this aim would encompass:

  • Evaluating Current Progress and Gaps:
  • Identifying and Analyzing New and Evolving Challenges: To explore how unforeseen global crises (e.g., pandemics, geopolitical conflicts, technological disruptions, amplified climate impacts) and persistent issues (e.g., rising inequalities, governance deficits) have impacted SDG achievement and necessitate a revised approach.
  • Showcasing Innovative Solutions and Best Practices:
  • Fostering Multi-stakeholder Dialogue and Collaboration: To bring together governments, civil society, the private sector, academia, and local communities to engage in constructive dialogue, share perspectives, and forge renewed commitments and partnerships for integrated SDG action.
  • Proposing Adaptive Strategies and Policy Recommendations: To develop concrete, actionable recommendations for re-conceptualizing, re-prioritizing, and reinforcing SDG implementation strategies, ensuring they are resilient, inclusive, and responsive to the complex and interconnected challenges of the present and future.

 

How will the conference be conducted?

There will be plenary and breakaway sessions based on the sub-themes of the conference. The Plenary sessions will include key presentations from the Keynote speakers and a discussion by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Heads of Postgraduate Studies and the Research arms of the University. The Presenters will attend the conference physically in Limuru and those planning to attend virtually will be given a link for the session that they will participate in and participants will choose the rooms that they want to join and a link will be provided for them based on their choice of room.