In 2013, an ocean away from New York, a meeting was held in Dakar, Senegal, to find solutions to the complex challenges of sustainable development. Participants felt that a larger conference was needed to bring others into the dialogue, and thus in an auditorium at Université Cheikh Anta Diop, it was decided that the Global Association of Master’s in Development Practice programs would partner with the Sustainable Development Solutions Network to launch the first ICSD. The first ICSD took place in September 2013 and has continued annually. The COVID-19 pandemic challenged the world in 2020 but ICSD persevered, moving the event fully online. With the virtual event, the conference became more accessible as the program covered time zones across the globe and admission was free for all participants.
