On September 25, 2025, ISET hosted a panel discussion marking the 10-Year Anniversary of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The event was co-organized by ISET, Tbilisi State University (TSU) and the United Nations in Georgia.

Covid-19 has exposed many countries to severe healthcare and economic crises, which have disproportionally adversely affected the most vulnerable and low-income parts of society. The current pandemic crisis, however, has also brought some interesting opportunities to light.

“What I am trying to do with my work these days is to support global ideas and an interconnected society at peace,” declared Prof. Dr. Sachs at the beginning of his lecture to the ISET community.

While listening to Wade Davis, who has been often described as “a rare combination of scientist, scholar, poet and passionate defender of all of life’s diversity,” the subject of biosphere reserves came to my mind. This was partly because earlier this year I conducted a series of trainings on this issue with local municipality representatives in the Kakheti region, and partly because, as an economist, I see how valuable biosphere reserves can be to preserve cultural (and of course bio!) diversity.

A number of reports released during late spring described and explained global achievements related to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). First released was the World Bank’s “Atlas of Sustainable Development Goals 2018”, which shed light on trends on a regional level (Georgia is categorized as a lower-middle-income country).