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SDG : Partnerships

A successful sustainable development agenda requires partnerships between governments, the private sector and civil society. These inclusive partnerships built upon principles and values, a shared vision, and shared goals that place people and the planet at the centre, are needed at the global, regional, national and local level.

Urgent action is needed to mobilize, redirect and unlock the transformative power of trillions of dollars of private resources to deliver on sustainable development objectives. Long-term investments, including foreign direct investment, are needed in critical sectors, especially in developing countries. These include sustainable energy, infrastructure and transport, as well as information and communications technologies. The public sector will need to set a clear direction. Review and monitoring frameworks, regulations and incentive structures that enable such investments must be retooled to attract investments and reinforce sustainable development. National oversight mechanisms such as supreme audit institutions and oversight functions by legislatures should be strengthened.

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World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development 2014 Called for Renewed Commitment by all Countries

To mark the end of the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development and the beginning of the Post 2015 agenda activities, UNESCO and the Government of Japan held the UNESCO World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development - Learning Today for a Sustainable Future. The World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, closed on November 12, 2014 with a declaration calling for urgent action to mainstream ESD and include ESD in the post-2015 development agenda. The Aichi-Nagoya Declaration calls on all nations to implement the Global Action Programme on ESD (GAP) to move the ESD agenda forward.

Post-Nagoya Summary

The UNESCO World Conference on Educations for Sustainable Development (WC-ESD) 2014 adopts The Aichi-Nagoya Declaration and the launches the Global Action Programme.

IAU Engagement at COP21 (2015)

The collective voice of the world’s universities and colleges was heard at COP21 when a global alliance of tertiary and higher education sustainability networks, including the IAU, representing more than 3000 universities and colleges worldwide, jointly issued an Open Letter urging Ministers and Governments to acknowledge and strengthen the research and education role that universities and colleges play in addressing climate change. IAU also represented its members by taking part in a COP21 panel debate on “Climate change as part of the curriculum from kindergarten to university”.

IAU Horizons Volume 20, No.3, 2014 and Volume 21, No.1 on HESD (2014)

Launched at the UNESCO World Conference on ESD in Nagoya the Vol.20, No.3 issue offers a series of 18 papers on why higher education plays a crucial role in addressing the challenges of today and tomorrow. Focusing on the theme of the IAU Global Meeting of Associations 6, the Vol.21, No.1 issue offers a variety of papers on why and how higher education fosters social innovation.

2015 HESI Event before COP21: Higher Education for Climate Change Action

IAU is pleased to draw your attention to this Conference organised by HESI and supported by the IAU, which took place at UNESCO Headquarters.

ESD after 2014: Launching the Global Action Programme

The Global Action Programme (GAP) on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) seeks to generate and scale-up ESD action. It is intended to make a substantial contribution to the post-2015 agenda. The overall goal of the GAP is to generate and scale up action in all levels and areas of education and learning to accelerate progress towards sustainable development.

IAU and COPERNICUS Alliance join forces to work on HESD

IAU and COPERNICUS Alliance signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to work on Higher Education and Research for Sustainable Development (HESD).

IAU 15th General Conference - Speakers’ presentations available online

From November 13 to 16, the IAU held its 15th General Conference in Bangkok which was hosted by a consortium of Thai universities.

2017 Release of "Higher Education Paving the Way to Sustainable Development: A Global Perspective"

The IAU launched the report of its 2016 global survey on Higher Education and Research for Sustainable Development (HESD).

IAU joined the 2017 International Conference on Sustainable Development Goals: Actors and Implementation

On September 18-19, the Polytechnic University of Catalonia hosted the International Conference on SDGs organized by the Global University Network for Innovation (GUNi). IAU Secretary General, Dr. Hilligje van't Land, was one of the speaker.

IAU, ACU & AUF sign a Memorandum of Understanding - 2020

During the UN High-level Political Forum (HLPF) 2020, the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU), the Agence universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF), and the International Association of Universities (IAU) have formalised their collaboration through a memorandum of understanding (MoU). Together, the three associations represent more than 2,000 higher education institutions across more than 140 countries – providing a strong base to advocate for higher education on a wide international scale.

IAU SDG 12 Cluster and IAU President Join Virtual Conference hosted by Moi University

From the 12th to 14th of August, 2020, the Virtual International Conference on Phytochemistry, Textile & Renewable Energy for Sustainable Development, hosted by Moi University, Kenya, took place.

Publication launched! Higher Education Engages with SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

Discover the publication launched during the webinar on 23 November!

2022 OECD Global Anti-Corruption & Integrity Forum

“Reclaiming our future through education on ethics and integrity” on 1st April , 11.30-1pm CEST .

HESI+10 Global Forum

Role of higher education in building back better from COVID-19 and advancing the 2030 Agenda

Higher Education at UN Water Conference 2023

Higher Education and Research are crucial for SDG 6 and all SDGs

HLPF Session 9: "SDG 11: Progress, challenges, lessons learned and tools for sustainable transformation of cities"

Urbanisation is undoubtedly one of the major global trends of this century. How we govern, plan, and design our cities and urban communities impacts the realisation of human rights for all and how the growing urban inequalities are addressed.

Transforming Education Together: 2023 ESD-NET Global Meeting in Tokyo

The ESD-NET Global Meeting in Tokyo, which commenced on December 18, 2023, marked a successful gathering at the United Nations University with the presence of representatives from more than 80 countries. This year’s meeting focused on sharing the implementation and progress of the ESD-2030 national initiatives, trends, challenges and innovations within the framework of Agenda 2030 and discussing the action points for the next two years 2024-2025.

Call for African Universities and Scholars to Apply to the CADFP Programme

The Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship Program (CADFP) is now accepting Project Requests from African host universities and Scholar Applications from qualified African academics in the diaspora in the United States and Canada.

Spotlight #1 on pilot participants - IAU and SOS Responsible Futures Programme

Learn about the participants in this international pilot and their achievements so far in the journey of integrating ESD at the whole institution. First up: Trinity College Dublin in Ireland!

Call for Contributions: The Ocean Decade Vision 2030 White Papers Review Process

A milestone initiative of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development 2021-2030 (‘Ocean Decade’), Vision 2030 is a strategic ambition setting process which aims to identify a common measure of success for each of the Ocean Decade Challenges. Led by 10 Working Groups, one per Challenge, the White Papers are the result of several months of collaborative work initiated in early 2023. Between 22 January and 22 February 2024, we are inviting you to participate in the review process of the draft White Papers developed by the 10 Working Groups.

Spotlight #6 on pilot participants - IAU and SOS Responsible Futures Programme

Learn about the participants in this international pilot and their achievements so far in the journey of integrating ESD at the whole institution. We're pleased this month to highlight Responsible Futures International pilot institution University of the West Indies (UWI, several locations in the Caribbean).

Spotlight #7 on pilot participants - IAU and SOS Responsible Futures Programme

Learn about the participants in this international pilot and their achievements so far in the journey of integrating ESD at the whole institution! We're pleased this month to highlight Responsible Futures International pilot institution Mohawk College (Canada).