The agreement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction presents an opportunity for the geoscience community to reflect on future engagement in international development. Integrated approaches and the co-production of knowledge to support stakeholder-expressed development priorities will be critical. This splinter meeting will use interactive, participatory approaches to explore key characteristics of future engagement in sustainable international development. There will be an opportunity for participants to reflect on their experiences in research, policy and practice.

From 2016–2020, the British Geological Survey will increase the proportion of its research budget spent on Official Development Assistance. This splinter meeting will also introduce this new programme of international work, focused on three interlinked research platforms (RPs): integrated resource management in Eastern Africa (RP1), resilience of Asian cities (RP2), and global geological risk (RP3). In each RP, the BGS will work with overseas partners to understand their specific development needs, and then co-design and deliver research and outreach activities to address these.