It is a growing trend among organisations to commit to working toward the UN Global Goals.
The latest to nail its colours to the mast is the City University in London which yesterday launched a report City – UN Global Goals for Sustainable Development Report 2020, which highlights how the university’s community is aligning its activities to meet each of the 17 UN Global Goals.
Ita analyses five key areas including academic research, education, engagement with students, campus infrastructure and governance.
Key points from the report were:
- City has committed to achieving net zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2040.
- City students will continue to mentor in schools as part of an accredited mentoring and coaching module on the undergraduate degree curriculum. To date, 191 City students have supported 183 pupils in four London secondary schools and 282 first-year university students settling into their study programme.
- City will uphold and develop its global collaborations, such as providing accredited support and guidance to non-profit organisations such as British Land, supporting energy cutting initiatives with the Islington Sustainable Energy Partnership, promoting health and wellbeing with the Obesity Policy Research Unit and more.
Jason Clarke, Head of Sustainability at City said, “the publication of this report marks a very important shift in the way we think about sustainability at City. For the first time the report aims to capture not only our mitigative efforts but also the positive contributions of the university, as a whole.
The report was launched at an online panel discussion analysing the role higher education has in achieving the UN Global Goals. The discussion was chaired by Dr Christopher McDowell, Assistant Vice President (International) and featured Dr Colleen Howell, Teaching Fellow in Education and International Development at University College London (UCL); Dr Joanna Newman MBE FRSA, the first female Secretary General of the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU); and Meg Barker, acting Director of Education at Students Organising for Sustainability.
Meg Barker said: “Students have a huge role to play in calling on global leaders to address the climate emergency and the ecological crises.
“Therefore universities must provide students with a space that allows them to be the change makers within their civic societies and global communities.”
