Supporting the United Nations’ 2030 sustainable development goals: A call for international HRD action

While globalization is often framed as a positive force for change and development, particularly in the field of Human Resource Development (HRD), some argue that globalization has created an environment in which many have been left behind by the elimination or evolution of certain types of work and economic inequality. Such attitudes, we argue, have given way to the recent rise of populism globally, evidenced by both ‘Brexit’ and the election of Donald Trump as President of the United States. The purpose of this essay is to recentre the future of international HRD research and practice around the critical global challenges of poverty, conflict, and human rights. The consequences of failing to address these challenges, we argue, outweigh the forces of the current era of opposition rooted in populism and antiglobalization. We believe that a conversation about recentring the future of international HRD is vital to a peaceful, prosperous world.