AlterContacts
Global Think Tank for Sustainable Development
in Special Consultative Status with the United Nations ECOSOC
Acting as a virtual laboratory for civil society ideas on sustainable development, Think Tank AlterContacts aims to be the driver of positive change contributing to the SDGs. We identify institutional voids or societal problems that are not addressed, bring attention to them, and incubate possible solutions locally that could be adopted globally.
We innovate by simplifying. We generate laser-focused ideas to address broad challenges and develop highly tailored solutions with systemic impact. Our initiatives are registered by the United Nations as SDG Partnerships. Our rapid scale-up strategy for social impact is recommended in the United Nations SDG Good Practices network as an "example to follow and replicate by others across the globe".
Featured
We invite you to our new online-based Competence Development Program on Sustainable Actions Design and Delivery, where we will share our insights, methods, tools, and know-how with present and aspiring Action Leaders that want to make a difference.
On July 13, together with UNCTAD, Think Tank AlterContacts hosted a Round Table on Urban Entrepreneurship. It was part of the 2023 edition of the SDGs Learning, Training & Practice – a series of capacity-building sessions held annually as a Special Event for the United Nations High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development. Watch the recording here.
Differentiate your organization and stay ahead of the curve using sustainable practices. Our training workshops are designed to help you and your team understand how sustainable practices can make your organization more successful, profitable, and efficient.
Sustainable Development in Action
In 2022, we launched an international program to revive rural areas worldwide by mobilizing local youth and contributing to a green, digital and resilient recovery of their economy. It is officially recognized and published by the United Nations as the SDG Acceleration Action #SDGAction46967.
Started in 2020, the AlterContacts Academy tackles three key societal issues: School-to-work transition; Youth development and employment; and Social inclusion. It is part of the Higher Education Sustainability Initiative (HESI).
Our ambition is to prototype a new economy, based on trust, where all agents -- entrepreneurs, freelancers, independent professionals, and startups -- contribute to each other’s well-being in a sustainable way. Key initiatives include Lockdown Economy and Business GreenHouse.
We are preparing the Encyclopedia on Sustainable Living in the Post-Pandemic World. It is based on unique practices and lessons collected from certified experts worldwide. The practical implementation is done through the Sustainable Makoever initiative.
This program includes initiatives dedicated to Digital Health and Safety and socially meaningful application of digital technologies. It was started during the COVID-19 pandemic when confinement made digital a defining part of our lives.
We operate as a virtual laboratory of ideas, incubating initiatives that contribute towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals and Agenda 2030. We are identifying and testing new ways of socially just transitioning toward Sustainable Development. We do it by running grassroots local projects spread across the globe.
Think Tank AlterContacts support the efforts of the EU to shape a safer and better world for all. Through effective multi-stakeholder partnerships and civil society initiatives, we contribute to making Europe greener, more digital, and more resilient with a special focus on empowering youth, small businesses and reviving rural areas.
As a Think Tank with more than 300 top experts in 42 countries, we believe that the best way to trigger change at scale is to enable others. We provide expert advice, training, and capacity-building for the effective orchestration and deployment of sustainable actions at scale.
"Development is sustainable if it meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." – Report 'Our Common Future' by the Brundtland Commission, 1987