Himachal Institute of Public Administration organized an International Conference on “Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Opportunities and Challenges in 2030 Agenda” at Fairlawn Shimla on 15th March, 2019. The aim of the conference was to bring together the young students, researchers and practitioners for deliberating on the various dimensions of SDGs and roadmap to achieve it by 2030. Sh. Anil Kumar Khachi, IAS, ACS (Planning & Finance), Govt. of H.P. was the Chief Guest in inaugural session. About 60 delegates from different regions of India and abroad (Mozambique, Togo, Malawi and Afghanistan) participated in the deliberations and 36 research papers were presented in the three technical sessions. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), officially known as 'Transforming our World: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development', are an intergovernmental set of 17 aspiration goals with 169 targets that were adopted in September, 2015 by the United Nations General Assembly and the same has been signed and adopted by the Government of India. NITI AAYOG is coordinating SDGs at the national level whereas the Planning Department is the Nodal department for SDGs in H.P.

In his inaugural speech, Sh. Anil Kumar Khachi said that the NITI Aayog has ranked Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala as top performing states to comply with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals in its first of its kind India Index for SDGs released December 2018. He also informed that the mapping of SDGs have been done so as to have a better sync in state budget every year. Himachal envisages achieving the most of targets by 2022.

In his Keynote Speech Dr. Basu Sood, Advisor Planning delved into the various dimensions of the sustainable Development and its growing significance beyond environment towards more social and economic sectors. Joint Director of HIPA Ms. Jyoti Rana also addressed the august gathering and welcomed the participants in state’s Apex Administrative Training Institute. Conference Coordinators, Dr. Rajeev Bansal, Deputy Director (Research), HIPA Shimla and Dr. Prabhat Mittal, Assistant Professor Delhi University presented the detail about technical sessions. Valedictory Session was chaired by Dr. Nipun Jindal, IAS, Special Secretary (Health) to the H.P. Faculty members of HIPA were also present in the deliberations. Sh. Satish Sharma, Joint Director (Research & Training) SIRD, HIPA presented the vote of thanks.