²ÝÁñÊÓƵ Leicester (²ÝÁñÊÓƵ) was today praised as an “exemplar university” as the United Nations announced the full list of those institutions promoting its global goals.
Some 17 universities around the world will each become a hub for one of the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which aim to end poverty,
protect the planet and ensure peace and prosperity for all.
²ÝÁñÊÓƵ was selected for the innovative ways in which it has brought the goals to life and helped engage and enthuse members of the public about the SDGs.
²ÝÁñÊÓƵ is a hub for goal 16, Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions and has been asked to take the lead in engaging universities across the globe in its work to support refugees. It is the only university in the UK to have been chosen as a hub.
So far, ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ’s work includes:
• Embedding the 17 global goals across its curriculum and informing teaching, learning and research
• Banning the use of non-recyclable plastic on campus
• Holding a series of 24-hour vigils to share ideas on how to achieve global goals
• Aligning ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ research to the SDGs, with academics tackling global challenges
• Setting up a global network of universities to find ways to successfully integrate refugees into communities
• Working with partners in Leicester, nationally and globally on practical ideas to achieve the goals
Each university will remain a hub for at least three years and become a resource for best practice across the United Nations Academic Impact network, made up of 1,300 universities and colleges in 140 member states.
“Scholarship does good. Students deliver good. Nowhere has this combination worked more effectively, indeed dramatically, than in university engagement with the SDGs,” said Ramu Damodaran, chief of UNAI.
“Whether through research projects, innovative curriculum or campus activities, the global academic community has summoned its creativity and energy to devising practical ways in which the 2030 Agenda can be fulfilled in a manner that is inclusive, sustained and worthy of the organization which gave it shape.”
UNAI is an initiative that aligns institutions of higher education with the United Nations in supporting and contributing to the realization of United Nations goals and mandates, including the promotion and protection of human rights, access to education, sustainability and conflict resolution.
Maher Nasser, Director of the UN’s Department of Public Information Outreach Division, praised ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ's work on the SDGs at summer graduations. He said: “Through ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ’s efforts, students from all six continents have found their voice and confidence in taking practical steps to sustainable goal 16 and other selected goals.
“The visibility given to the SDGs in ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ’s strategic plan will undoubtedly spark curiosity. And curiosity in the hands of young people and nurtured within the walls of this university can help channel energy into activism, action and the creation of a better world.”
Universities are crucial to achieving the SDGs as they serve as incubators of new ideas, inventions and solutions and they raise awareness, educate and inform about the SDGs, on their campuses, in their communities and beyond.
The UN said it was “critical” to remember the role of academia in ensuring the wellbeing of mankind and the ideals pursued since it was founded in 1945.
Here is the full list of universities announced as SDG hubs:
SDG 1: No Poverty - Kristu Jayanti College (India)
SDG 2: Zero Hunger - University of Pretoria (South Africa)
SDG 3: Good Health and Well Being - New Giza University (Egypt)
SDG 4: Quality Education - University of La Punta (Argentina)
SDG 5: Gender Equality - Ahfad University for Women (Sudan)
SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation - University of Manitoba (Canada)
SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy - Energy Policy and Development Centre, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (Greece)
SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth - Balochistan University of Information Technology, Engineering and Management Sciences (Pakistan)
SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure - Nagaoka University of Technology (Japan)
SDG 10: Reduce Inequalities - Western Sydney University (Australia)
SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities - Carlos III University of Madrid (Spain)
SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production - Faculty of Economic Sciences, University of Buenos Aires (Argentina)
SDG 13: Climate Action - University of Zurich (Switzerland)
SDG 14: Life below Water - University of Bergen (Norway)
SDG 15: Life on Land - University of Zanjan (Iran)
SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions - ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ (United Kingdom)
SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals - American University in Dubai (United Arab Emirates)
Posted on Wednesday 24 October 2018