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April 1, 2021
Global University Leaders Commit to Joint Action on Reaching UN 2030 Sustainability Goals at an Online Event hosted by Zhejiang University in China.
Photo: University presidents from 30 countries unite to announce action on climate change. March 30, 2021. Image provided by Zhejiang University.
HANGZHOU, China, March 31, 2021 — On March 30, 2021, university presidents from 30 countries united for the first time to announce action on climate change. They signed a Joint Statement of Global University Leaders 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. UN officials witnessed the event.
That first global online forum for university leaders was hosted by Zhejiang University in China. Presidents from 56 universities across six continents committed to working together to meet sustainable development goals (SDGs).
The initiative includes five key aspects all signatories have agreed:
- Implementing the concept of sustainable development,
- Improving sustainable development competence,
- Supporting scientific research in response to global challenges,
- Working with international partners to provide innovative solutions
- Constructive transnational cooperation on specific issues.
Among the top 50 universities on the QS World University Rankings, 80% have developed their university-level sustainability strategy, plans, or operational activities. According to Zhaohui Wu, President of Zhejiang University (ZJU), the forum’s purpose was to bring together leaders from some of the best universities to share these visions and best practices on SDGs and explore opportunities for potential cooperation in safeguarding a sustainable future.
With less than nine years to meet targets and the pandemic slowing progress, the forum allowed leaders to share essential expertise on how to scale up efforts to deliver on the 2030 Agenda. The event gave academics a platform to clearly outline their action plans for human-oriented, innovation-driven, and down-to-earth sustainable development.
UN officials, including Nikhil Seth, UN Assistant Secretary-General, and Stefania Giannini, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Education, joined the speakers’ panel. The speakers included Peter Salovey, President of Yale University; Pam Fredman, President of the International Association of Universities; and Eric Labaye, President of Ecole Polytechnique.
Speakers reinforced how universities can work together to harness technology’s power to expand access to quality education. They also discussed how they should draw on their academic ecosystem to support scientific collaborations and knowledge transfer across disciplines.
Universities that have signed the initiative include:
- Peking University
- Kyoto University
- Korea University
- The National University of Singapore
- Harvard University
- Yale University
- The University of Toronto
- University College London
- Ecole Polytechnique
- The University of Oslo,
- Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University
- The University of Sydney,
- Stellenbosch University
- Universidade Estadual de Campinas.
Nikhil Seth, Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations, said: “SDGs belong to each of us, and everything we make impacts on the achievement, in the aggregate, to SDG achievement.”
Stefania Giannini, Assistant Director-General for Education at UNESCO, said: “The organization of the forum is timely, especially given the increasingly pivotal role of universities not only in fostering understanding and knowledge but also in contributing to building knowledge-based societies.”
Pam Fredman, President of the International Association of Universities, Paris, said: “Cooperation and cohesion among Higher Education Institutions and organizations will foster knowledge development and sharing.”
Zhaohui Wu, President of Zhejiang University (ZJU), said: “The ‘Global ZJU for Social Good’ plan establishes five objectives and associated actions to improve our sustainability-related education, research, and practices within the ZJU community and among other stakeholders in China and beyond. We aim to advocate for responsible sustainability, educate for a sustainable future, advance scientific collaborations, partner for collective well-being, and create greener campuses.”
Zhejiang University (ZJU) is an elite university located in Hangzhou, China. Founded in 1897, Zhejiang University is one of China’s oldest and prestigious institutions of higher education.
Source: Zhejiang University
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 9:22 AM | Link to this Post
