UN Academic Impact Announces New Sustainable Development Goals Hub Chairs — Connecting Academic Institutions with 2030 Agenda

United Nations Academic Impact, an initiative that has engaged institutions of higher education since November 2010 in supporting and contributing to the realization of the Organization's purposes and principles, including the promotion and protection of human rights, access to education, sustainability (including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) since 2015) and conflict resolution, has appointed UN Academic Impact SDG Hub Chairs.

The new cohort of UN Academic Impact SDG Hubs will play a critical role in advancing the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development through innovative education, research and strategic partnerships.

UN Academic Impact SDG Hubs are designated institutions of higher education within the initiative's network that actively work to promote SDGs by leveraging the power of academia to create positive social, economic and environmental change. Each SDG Hub will focus on a specific SDG, fostering education, research and partnerships to advance that goal, while respecting the strong interdependencies across all 17 Goals.

Each SDG Hub Chair will lead the work of its Hub over a three-year term from January 2025 to December 2027, as part of the larger UN Academic Impact's network, which comprises 1,700 universities and colleges across more than 150 countries.

The inaugural meeting of the SDG Hub Chairs took place online on 22 January, where the new cohort of Chairs shared their vision statements and objectives. Maher Nasser, the Director of the Outreach Division at the UN Department of Global Communications, emphasized the vital role of academic collaboration and innovation in advancing the SDGs, stating:

"While the challenges our world faces today are immense, it is undeniable that they are interconnected and require the collective commitments and actions from all of us. The strong interest in and support for the SDG Agenda across the world, and in this case universities and academic institutions, fuels our determination and hope that by working together and leveraging the transformative power of education, we can drive meaningful change and leave no one behind."

UN Academic Impact members are making significant progress towards advancing the 2030 Agenda. To further encourage innovation and commitment to sustainable development among future generations, UN Academic Impact appointed the following institutions as SDG Hubs Chairs for the 2025-2027 term:

• SDG 1: No Poverty - University of São Paulo (Brazil);
• SDG 2: Zero Hunger - [Co-Chair] EARTH University (Costa Rica) and University of California, Davis (United States);
• SDG 3: Good Health and Well Being - University of Pretoria (South Africa);
• SDG 4: Quality Education - Al Balqa Applied University (Jordan);
• SDG 5: Gender Equality - CHRIST (Deemed to be University) (India);
• SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation - [Co-Chair] Shiv Nadar Institution of Eminence (India) and University of Manitoba (Canada);
• SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy - [Co-Chair] Lagos State University (Nigeria) and National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (Greece);
• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth - University of Auckland (New Zealand);
• SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure - Mount Kenya University (Kenya);
• SDG 10: Reduce Inequalities - York University (Canada);
• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities - De Monfort University (United Kingdom);
• SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production - National University of Sciences and Technology (Pakistan);
• SDG 13: Climate Action - University of West Indies (Jamaica);
• SDG 14: Life below Water - University of Bergen (Norway);
• SDG 15: Life on Land - Macquarie University (Australia);
• SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions - George Mason University, Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter School for Peace & Conflict Resolution (United States); and
• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals - Tsinghua University (China).

For more information about the new UNAI SDG Hub cohort and their activities, please visit www.un.org/en/academic-impact/page/meet-unai-sdg-hub-chairs-cohort-2025-2027.

Background on United Nations Academic Impact

UN Academic Impact is an initiative that aligns institutions of higher education with the United Nations in supporting and contributing to the realization of the Organization's goals and mandates. For more information about Academic Impact, please visit www.un.org/en/academicimpact

For more information, please contact Malgorzata Gosia Juszczak, Manager, United Nations Academic Impact, Education Outreach Section, Outreach Division, UN Department of Global Communications at email: [email protected].

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