This anthology coincides with Pakistan s 70-year independence celebrations and SDPI s 25 years as a research and advocacy organisation. The journey of both has been similar and monumental. From a country with a negligible industrial base, Pakistan s economy is now worth nearly USD 300 billion. Opening its doors as a small think-tank struggling to survive with unpredictable and meagre funding avenues, SDPI is now ranked and recognised internationally as the 15th Top Think Tanks in Southeast Asia and the Pacific. The book is a canvas, not just of ideas about where Pakistan needs to go in the next decade to realise the United Nations great sustainability agenda under the Sustainable Development Goals, it is also an honest assessment of serious challenges the nation faces such as religious and gender discrimination, climate change and debt restructuring. But Pakistan is not alone. If anything, the volume also tells the story of other neighbouring countries, like Afghanistan and Sri Lanka, which are battling their own demons of conflict, envisaging their people s determination towards the shared dream of a peaceful, inclusive and well-governed civilisation. The authors help deepen our reflection on how policy can be linked with practice , how to grapple with the foreboding reality of climate change in a country and region which has witnessed far too many weather-related calamities in the recent past and of late, and review the role of monetary institutions and regional blocs. They ponder the architecture of peace in countries hit by war and internal strife, and take stock of how this region treats its minorities.

1. South Asia ? Peace.