Southeast Asia is currently in a critical phase of reimagining its development, most notably through the vision contained in ASEAN Community Vision 2045. However, Southeast Asia still requires significant progress in its sustainable development. The responses to such issues by the ASEAN Member States will lead them towards a future that is resilient, innovative, and people-centered and which ensures that we are well positioned even when it comes to an urgent approach to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with only a few years remaining until 2030. Although the SDGs offer a view of tackling various pressing global issues, they are usually modeled on Western perspectives and do not take cultural diversity and local wisdom into account in Southeast Asia. Global discussions and policymaking often overlook the local experiences that anchor sustainability. The present moment is a time to re-evaluate and regenerate the sustainability frameworks, especially for Southeast Asia.

The aim of this conference is to initiate a regional conversation on “Reimagining sustainability from the vantage point of ASEAN and Southeast Asia’s diverse knowledge systems.” It aims to move beyond global agendas to think about how Southeast Asia can really help shape global thinking on sustainability, critically appraise the SDGs, and assert regional intellectual leadership. By valuing decolonized knowledge, the conference questions mainstream sustainability frameworks in favor of ground-embedded solutions. It is focused on joint approaches including universities, policymakers, civil society, and communities, which is crucial to addressing concerns as diverse as social inequality and environmental despoliation.

The Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia, Mahidol University, the University of Melbourne, and the Faculty of Social & Political Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada partnership seeks to promote academic leadership in Southeast Asia and to increase the profile of regional scholars. It also goes beyond the SDGs to upcoming sustainability frameworks and inspires ASEAN to craft inclusive and culturally grounded blueprints that are in line with the ASEAN Community Vision 2045.

To answer to this pressing issue, we welcome paper presentation and panel proposals from international scholars, early-career researchers, practitioners, and community-based actors. Submissions may be theoretical, empirical, methodological, or practice-based.