THEMES 

The Forum de Victoria Forum is pleased to announce the 2025 Victoria Forum from August 24 to 26, under the theme: “Towards a Better Future: Shifting the Trajectory.” Co-hosted by the University of Victoria and the Senate of Canada, the Victoria Forum 2025 will be held on the traditional territory of the lək̓ʷəŋən peoples and set against the beautiful backdrop of Victoria, BC, Canada.

Transforming our World: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

In September 2015, the United Nations committed to an agenda for global action for the next fifteen years, stating:

We resolve, between now and 2030, to end poverty and hunger everywhere; to combat inequalities within and among countries; to build peaceful, just and inclusive societies; to protect human rights and promote gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls; and to ensure the lasting protection of the planet and its natural resources. We resolve also to create conditions for sustainable, inclusive and sustained economic growth, shared prosperity and decent work for all, taking into account different levels of national development and capacities.

This Agenda established 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with 169 associated targets. When established in 2015, the 2030 Agenda involved a 15-year horizon to achieve the 17 SDGs. 2025, however, marks ten years of only modest progress. As was concluded in 2024,

current progress falls far short of what is required to meet the SDGs. Without massive investment and scaled up action, the achievement of the SDGs — the blueprint for a more resilient and prosperous world and the roadmap out of current global crises — will remain elusive.

With only five years left to achieve the goals, it has become abundantly clear that the current trajectory will not deliver the intended results. The 2025 Victoria Forum will focus on how to shift the trajectory to increase the likelihood of more significant progress. While nudges in behaviour may lead to some gains, a greatly accelerated pace of change is required. This will not be achieved without a major transformation of our economy, our society and our way of life. The 2025 Victoria Forum will consider the nature of such a transformation and how to bring it about.

Previous Events

Victoria Forum 2025 builds directly on four previous gatherings:

• 2017 – “Canada @ 150: Promoting Diversity and Inclusion”
• 2020 – “Bridging Divides in the Wake of a Global Pandemic”
• 2022 – “Bridging Divides: Turf, Truth & Trust”
• 2024 – “Building Trust for a Shared Future”

These events brought together academics, policy makers, business leaders, Indigenous leaders and civil society to develop ideas for a better world. The discussions that took place laid the groundwork for a sharper action-oriented theme for 2025.

Planned Events

The Victoria Forum 2025 will consider the impediments to progress for all 17 SDGs and develop action plans to shift the trajectory to increase the likelihood of their achievement.

Forum conversation: The Victoria Forum is structured around a number of plenary panels and parallel think tank sessions to elaborate solutions and propose recommendations. The Forum is designed to facilitate constructive dialogue, collaboration and forward thinking by focusing on results and fostering collaboration among different groups.

Building Blocks: Our work is organized around three inter-connected themes that are key to the type of transformation that is necessary:

• Building a Regenerative Economy
• Equity and Social Justice
• Peace and Democracy

To reach the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the global economy must make significant new investments in ecosystem resiliency and social wellbeing.

Student engagement: The Victoria Forum is working with partners to organize an international competition for youth on ways to shift the current trajectory.