It will be to scale up existing and new ideas that can support countries in implementing practical solutions to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) targets by 2030. Many best-practice examples are emerging locally in developing countries. In some, provinces are transitioning to 100% chemical-free and climate-resilient agriculture. There is an emergence of green businesses that promote biodiversity preservation, while generating opportunities for sustainable livelihoods in rural areas. These need to be recognized and replicated on a large-scale.To facilitate this, sector-oriented international platforms are required. This is possible through greater involvement of and partnerships with the private sector, through innovative sustainable finance that can enable access to fiscal resources with lower interest rates, longer payback periods and distributed risk.It is important to recognize the social dimension of sustainability. We need to understand the challenges faced in remote regions where efforts are under way by public, private and civil society stakeholders to improve practices and shift to better management of forests and biodiversity to meet global agreements.Preventing social conflict requires long-term and sustained engagement, and cooperation among multiple stakeholders. For example, in Indonesia , smallholders cultivate five million hectare of land under palm oil, which is frequently located in ecologically sensitive areas. Improving the technical capacities of these smallholders, recognizing those that are at the forefront of changing agricultural practices to meet higher environmental and social safeguards, and supporting their initiatives through replication along with sustainable finance can deliver stable livelihoods in the long-term.The planet faces the challenge of meeting the needs of nine billion people by 2050. Environmental preservation and management is an effective strategy to achieve development objectives of ensuring food security, creating jobs, reducing poverty and improving health. Almost 14 out of the 17 SDGs are dependent on the status of natural resources and ecosystem services. Globally, at least 1.6 billion people rely on forests for their livelihoods, of which 60 million indigenous people are directly dependent on natural resources on a daily basis.Investments in ecological infrastructure such as renewable energy based transport and electricity; improved watershed conservation and forest management and green jobs are some of the environmental interventions that could raise the prosperity of people by providing stable incomes and create resilient as well as safe cities.Odisha is endowed with rich biodiversity and natural resources. It is one of the first states in the country to recognize the vulnerability of people to climate change and develop a sector-wise action plan to address impacts. There are several best-practice examples in the state such as the Fish Pond Yojana and Banayana project that acknowledge the crucial role of women in sustainable development. These examples can be replicated in other geographies and in other Indian states to result in equitable impacts for gender and improvements in forests and biodiversity management not only in India but also globally.Additionally, there are significant opportunities in scaling eco-tourism in Odisha in ecosystems such as Chilika Lake and beyond, which can provide livelihoods for coastal villages that are vulnerable to climate change impacts.The Solar Rooftop Programme in the state is an effective example of the recognition of the role that access to affordable energy plays on education and health. As grid-connected rooftop solar systems are increasingly adopted by households, it would be valuable to assess the environmental and social impacts and identify the programme's contribution over time to supporting progress towards meeting SDGs targets in the state.

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