About the ISDRS

The official name of the organisation is the International Sustainable Development Research Society (ISDRS), first officially registered in Hong Kong in 2006. We generate and disseminate knowledge and educate others about sustainable development. By 2006, ISDRS was built on a 13-year tradition of successful International Sustainable Development Research conferences originally in the UK. We are continuing this tradition and organize annual conferences under the ISDRS flag, with in 2020 the 26th conference in row. Over the past 15 years, we have arrived at a path by which we are in Europe during even years (like 2018 and 2020) and on another continent during odd years (like 2019 and 2021).

The Society was founded by Professor Richard Welford, University of Technology Sydney (UTS) and Dr. Jouni Korhonen. The founding of the Society was announced at the 2005 conference in Helsinki, Finland, and formally launched at the 2006 conference in Hong Kong.

Objectives of the Society

• To stimulate research contributing to knowledge and understanding of sustainable development and related issues and processes.
  As a research society, we have an obligation to facilitate the work of those who labor to create new knowledge regarding sustainable development, as broadly defined.
  
  
• To disseminate knowledge on sustainable development.
  Consistent with knowledge generation, the Society also obligates itself to the task of spreading knowledge worldwide for the benefit of those with a similar interest.
  
  
• To facilitate education on sustainable development.
  Sustainable development places multiple and urgent demands upon global and local societies who will eventually determine the degree to which the Earth's resources are sustained. Thus, the ISDRS feels compelled to become involved in the practical work of sustainable development.
  
  
• To stimulate discussions on sustainable development.
  Given the proliferation of sustainability entities and venues, the Society will strive to provide a coordinating role for linking all these efforts together.

The ISDRS is governed by a President and the Board of Directors. The President of the Society during 2019-2020 is Dr Pauline Deutz at the Department of Geography, Geology and Environment, University of Hull in the UK and the Vice President is Professor Peter Dobers at the School of Social Sciences, Södertörn University in Sweden.

Learn more about ISDRS here.