Lehigh University selected to co-lead United Nations SDG 17 hub

Lehigh University has been named co-chair of a United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI) hub focused on advancing global partnerships for sustainable development, placing the university in a leadership role within a network of more than 1,900 higher education institutions worldwide. The appointment expands Lehigh’s longstanding engagement with the United Nations and provides new opportunities to bring the university’s research, educational programs, and international partnerships to a global audience.

Lehigh will share leadership of the SDG 17 hub with Tsinghua University in China. Both universities were named co-chairs on Aug. 24 by UNAI and the United Nations Department of Global Communications. Andrew Ward, professor and chair of the Department of Management at Lehigh’s College of Business and a longtime Lehigh University representative to the United Nations, will serve as the university’s focal point for its co-chair role.

Three universities will serve as vice chairs of the hub: the University of Colombo (Sri Lanka) is Vice Chair for Teaching and Education, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (Netherlands) is Vice Chair for Research, and the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) is Vice Chair for Outreach and Partnership.