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IAU PARTNERS IN HESD

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To enhance international cooperation in HESD, IAU cooperates with various key partners and sits on several committees.
Click on each partner to learn more about our cooperation:

UNESCO ESD for 2030	Copernicus Alliance	University World News	SULITEST
Green Gown Awards	EAUC -The Alliance for Sustainability Leadership in Education	Association of Commonwealth Universities	SOS-UK

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WHAT IS THE IAU GLOBAL CLUSTER ON HESD ?

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Launched in 2018, the IAU Cluster on HESD promotes the role of higher education institutions in building more sustainable societies. It is a consortium of IAU Member universities from all parts of the world, working in collaboration to develop existing and new exciting initiatives to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by all United Nations Member States in the framework of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The Cluster encourages a holistic approach to the SDGs, promoting the whole institution approach, where institutions aim to embed sustainable development in their strategic planning, academic and organizational work.

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HOW DOES THE IAU GLOBAL CLUSTER ON HESD WORK?

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Each of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals is assigned an institutional team leader, joined by a group of Satellite Universities. IAU is responsible for leading the work on SDG 17 - Partnerships for the goals.
IAU and the 16 lead institutions, together with their satellite universities, are acting as the voice for higher education at the United Nations’ High-Level Political Forum. Through this international cooperation, the project has the most global outreach than any other project in the field.

Read the latest IAU HESD Cluster Activity Report (2023-24) here to discover:

• The latest updates from all 16 SDG Clusters and Member institutions
• Updates from the IAU on work towards SDG 17: Partnerships for the SDGs
• Good practices and initiatives to replicate
• Tools and Resources developed by the Cluster for working on SDGs

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WHO ARE THE MEMBERS OF THE IAU GLOBAL CLUSTER ON HESD ?

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Discover the Members of the IAU Global Cluster on HESD !
Click on each SDG to learn more about the lead institution and its initiatives on the IAU HESD Portal

• SDG 1: No Poverty: University of Ghana, Ghana

• SDG 2: Zero Hunger: Antonio Nariño University, Colombia

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being: Open University of Catalonia (UOC), Spain

• SDG 4: Quality Education: York University, Canada

• SDG 5: Gender Equality: University of Bologna, Italy

• SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation: University de la Manouba, Tunisia

• SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy: Assam Don Bosco University, India

• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth: University of Gothenburg, Sweden

• SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure:Beirut Arab University, Lebanon

• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities: University of Tsukuba, Japan

• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities: Siam University, Thailand

• SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production: University of Regina and Luther College, Canada

• SDG 13: Climate Action: University of the West Indies, Jamaica/Caribbean

• SDG 14: Life Below Water: University of Bergen, Norway

• SDG 15: Life on Land: University of Costa Rica, Costa Rica

• SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions: University of Nairobi, Kenya

• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals: International Association of Universities (IAU)

The full list of IAU HESD Cluster Leads and Satellites, as well as examples for Cluster actions, can be found here.

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DO YOU WANT TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE IAU GLOBAL CLUSTER ON HESD?

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If you wish to get involved in the activities of the IAU Global Cluster on Higher Education and Sustainable Development, please contact Isabel Toman, IAU Programme Officer for HESD. Please indicate your institution’s name, and contact details and do not hesitate to provide information on the existing and/or future initiatives towards sustainable development at your institution!

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IAU developed a dedicated portal on Higher Education and Research for Sustainable Development: www.iau-hesd.net

This global portal presents IAU’s strategy to support sustainable development in higher education, reports on all IAU activities in the the field, provides useful resources about sustainable development in higher education and maps more than 1000 inspiring initiatives implemented by higher education institutions and organizations to reach the SDGs.|

The Higher Education and Research for Sustainable Development (HESD) global portal is a tool developed by the International Association of Universities; it provides access to actions and initiatives developed around the world to promote sustainability. It showcases best practices of universities and higher education institutions worldwide. Actions include student initiatives, Living Labs, Green Campuses, faculties engaged in sustainable development, and leadership initiatives.

The portal is searchable by Sustainable Development Goal (SDG), type of initiative, organisation/HEI and area of work. Currently, the portal lists up to date News items , inspriring actions from hundrets of HEIs and HE Organizations globally.

If you wish to add your higher education institution, action, or news to the portal, please contact Isabel Toman.

>> WWW.IAU-HESD.NET

The High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) is the yearly conference of the United Nations where governments, UN Agencies and civil society come together to discuss the achievements that have been made towards the 2030 Agenda and SDGs.

HLPF 2025
The High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) will be held from Monday, 14 July, to Wednesday, 23 July 2025 under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council. This includes the three-day ministerial segment of the forum from Monday, 21 July, to Wednesday, 23 July 2025 as part of the High-level Segment of the Council.

The 2025 theme is: “Advancing sustainable, inclusive, science- and evidence-based solutions for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals for leaving no one behind”.

The 2025 HLPF with full appreciation for the integrated, indivisible and interlinked nature of the Sustainable Development Goals, will conduct in-depth reviews of: SDG 3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages; SDG 5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls; SDG 8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all; SDG 14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development; and SDG 17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development.

The full programme and side events, special events etc. will be announced in the spring.

Preparatory process and regional meetings
UN Regional Forums on Sustainable Development serve as platforms for regional consultation and preparation ahead of the HLPF. Some of the processes are invitation only, some include public consultations. IAU recommends checking information on the respective pages of the regional consultations and shared by the facilitators of these meetings.

2025 RFSD Schedule

• Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development (APFSD) Dates: 25–28 February 2025, Location: Bangkok, Thailand, Facilitator: UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)
• Arab Regional Forum on Sustainable Development Dates: 25–28 March 2025, Location: TBC, Facilitator: UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA)
• Latin America and the Caribbean Regional Forum on Sustainable Development Dates: 31 March – 4 April 2025, Location: Santiago, Chile, Facilitator: UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC)
• UNECE Regional Forum on Sustainable Development Dates: 2–3 April 2025, Location: Geneva, Switzerland, Facilitator: UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)
• Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development (ARFSD) Dates: 9–11 April 2025, Location: Kampala, Uganda, Facilitator: UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA)

Learn more here on the page of the MGO groups (Major Groups and other Stakeholders).
Kindly note that IAU is not involved in these processes and no responsibility is taken for the correctness of this information.

IAU Delegation and Side Events
IAU is currently in conversation with partners regarding the organisation of side events. More information is available upon request.

IAU Members interested in co-organising events (institutions and organisations) or to be part of the delegation (individuals from IAU Members) are invited to contact the IAU (contact[a]iau-hesd.net) to be part of this year’s delegation. Please note: IAU can only register a very limited number of people to access the UN conferences, hence an active engagement in events and HESD activities is desirable. Also, participants need to be able to fund their travel and accommodation independently.

More information on events of interest for HE stakeholders will be published in spring 2025.

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HESI Global Forum 2025

date tbd
UN HQ (in person)

Each year, HESI organizes a global forum as a special event for the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) – UN’s main platform for the follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at the global level - to highlight the critical role of higher education in achieving sustainable development.
HESI website: https://sdgs.un.org/HESI

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IAU at the HLPF

IAU has Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), enabling participation in this High-Level event. While 2019 was the first year that IAU participated in the HLPF in New York (IAU secretariat with a delegation of 18 Members), in the years before IAU was represented by its Members (and in particular through the University of Bergen, Norway). Read about it in the 2019 HLPF Report. In 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023, participation in the HLPF was virtual. Find out more about IAU’s involvement in previous years by clicking on the boxes 2019, 2020 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 below.

Follow us for updates on the UN HLPF also here:

• HESD Portal
• UN livestream

>>> IAU’s participation in the UN HLPF 2024 <<<

>>> IAU’s participation in the UN HLPF 2023 <<<

>>> IAU’s participation in the UN HLPF 2022 <<<

>>> IAU’s participation in the UN HLPF 2021 <<<

>>> IAU’s participation in the UN HLPF 2020 <<<

>>> IAU’s participation in the UN HLPF 2019 <<<

IAU provides research and monitors trends in order to help higher education institutions worldwide implement HESD.

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RESEARCH & ANALYSES

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>>> Mapping HESD worldwide – IAU HESD Global Portal

The IAU HESD portal is a tool accessible to all, spotlighting IAU Members’ and Partners’ contributions to the sustainable development goals. The aim is to generate synergies and networking around the world in favour of sustainable development. The portal www.iau-hesd.net features more than 1500 initiatives and counts some 3000 monthly visitors.

>>> Researching HESD trends

• IAU HESD global survey 2022: Accelerating Action for the SDGs
• IAU HESD global survey 2019
• IAU HESD global survey 2016

>>> Publications

• Higher Education and SDG 14: Integrating Ocean Research for the Global Goals, 2021
• IAU-UNODC Young Scholars Competition: Higher Education engages with SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, 2021
• Higher Education and SDG 5: Achieve Gender Equality and Empower All Women and Girls, 2021
• Higher Education & SDG 13: Climate Action Through University Teaching, Research and Community Engagement, 2019
• Higher Education Paving the Way to Sustainable Development: A Global perspective, 2017
• The Role of Higher Education in the Post-2015 Development Agenda, 18 experts worldwide shared their views in IAU Horizons, 2014
• The Contribution of Higher Education to Sustainable Development, 26 experts worldwide shared their views in IAU Horizons, 2012

IAU started a Series of Publication, one for each of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. The first one on SDG 13 (Climate Action) was released in July 2019, followed by a publication on SDG 5 (Gender Equality) published on the occasion of International Women’s Day in March 2021. In November 2021, a special collection of papers on Higher Education and SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions) resulting from a paper competition for young scholars with UNODC/E4J was released. Also in 2021, the work on a publication for SDG 14 (Life below water) with the University of Bergen was completed.

The International Association of Universities (IAU) has advocated for the role universities and other higher education institutions (HEIs) have played in support of sustainable development since the early 1990s. Already in 1993, the IAU Kyoto Declaration called for higher education leaders to articulate better HE’s work to achieve a sustainable future. This was reaffirmed in 2014 with the IAU Iquitos Statement. IAU is one of the strongest advocates for the inclusion of higher education as a key stakeholder in achieving Agenda 2030 and the SDGs, including at high-level events such as the UN-HLPF, at UNESCO conferences and other global events with its Members and partners.

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UNESCO ESD Net 2030 and recent UNESCO engagement

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ESD for 2030 Global Network IAU was a key partner of the UNESCO GAP ESD, which ended in 2019. IAU is again a partner in the follow-up programme ESD for 2030, which was launched at the UNESCO World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development in May 2021. IAU actively participated at this 2021 ESD Conference, with IAU Secretary General Hilligje van’t Land and IAU Board Member and president, Siam University, Thailand Pornchai Mongkhonvanit, speaking in the expert panel on ‘Putting ESD into action: in higher education’. IAU supports the Berlin declaration and the ESD for 2030 Roadmap. In March 2023, IAU facilitated a UNESCO Webinar on on ESD Pedagogy, and in June 2023, IAU was invited to attend and speak at the ESD for 2030 Regional Meeting in Paris at UNESCO HQ.

UNESCO UNITWIN Chairs Conference November 2022
IAU attended the 2-day UNESCO UNITWIN Chairs Conference at UNESCO HQ in Paris, on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the programme which connects academics, HEIs and UNESCO’s work all over the globe. IAU Secretary General Hilligje van’t Land spoke on the plenary Responding to Multi-dimensional Crises: Implications for Research. She stressed the importance of collaboration in higher education for democracy, fairness, and inclusion to transform knowledge systems for the future, including the role of research to achieve this. IAU met with many UNESCO Chairholders that are also IAU Member representatives, as well as colleagues from UNESCO IESALC, IIEP, and other.

UN Transforming Education Summit 2022
Among the events in which theIAU participated were the UN Transforming Education pre-Summit (pre-TES) at UNESCO in Paris in June, and the UN TES at the UN Headquarters in New York in September. The IAU presented in both events as a partner to the session organised by the SDG Academyof the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), placing focus on the importance of sharing Open Educational Resources for SD to ensure proper circulation of knowledge around the world. While the Summit provided an important opportunity to mobilise support of governments across the world for the importance of investing in education, higher education unfortunately remains at the fringes of the conversations. The IAU thus continues to call for more specific attention to the higher education sector.

UNESCO WHEC22
IAU was invited to co-organise a session on higher education and ESD at the UNESCO World Higher Education Conference (WHEC22) in May 2022 in Barcelona, Spain. The panel included experts from UNESCO and IAU Board members and partners.

IAU HESD Cluster Workshop 2022
After successful application for the 2020-2021 UNESCO Participation Programme, IAU was able to implement an expert workshop in March 2022 originally foreseen in 2021), which brought together over 81 participants including university leaders and researchers from 37 universities from 31 countries around the world taking part – with participation from 18 representatives from 6 LDC countries. During the 3-day virtual workshop, many aspects of Agenda 2030 were discussed, and the universities exchanged on good practices towards higher education’s contribution towards the SDGs, as well as elaborate two key documents for the future commitment of the IAU HESD cluster: A statement on the Joint vision from the IAU Higher Education for Sustainable Development (HESD) Cluster members and Strategy and Working Plan 2022-2024.

In 2021, IAU also supported its member universities in the creation of the UNITWIN Network on ESD and Social Transformation (UNiESD&ST).

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HIGHER EDUCATION AT COP

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COP29 is set to take place in Baku, Azerbaijan for 12 days between 11 Nov to 22 Nov 2024. More information is forthcoming, and as the event approaches the IAU will update with how higher education institutions are engaging with the event. IAU and its Member institutions are committed to working together towards a more sustainable future, including for SDG 13: Climate Action ahead of COP29. Key concepts are:

• ESD: Education for Sustainable Development and the Greening Education Partnership (UNESCO)
• ACE: Action for Climate Empowerment (UNFCCC)
• CCE: Climate Change Education (MECCE)

Several initiatives are in place to stress the role of higher education in research, teaching, student and community engagement, and more at COP29. More information will be shared soon.

>>> IAU HESD Cluster on SDG 13

The University of the West Indies leads SDG 13: Climate Action in the global IAU HESD Cluster. It is located in the Caribbean with campuses in Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago and hence in one of the regions already affected by climate change. The University has multiple initiatives focusing on sustainable development: the Climate Studies Group Mona (CSGM), Institute for Sustainable Development (ISD), the Centre for Resource Management and Environmental Studies (CERMES), and the cross-campus UWI Resilience Working Group (UWIRWG).

More information on their SDG13 Activities with the University Consortium on SDG 13 is available here.

>>> Key events during COP29 for the (higher) education sector

On the road to COP29
As in the previous two editions of COP, UNESCO and UNFCCC have been releasing a series of six webinars on the topic of climate change education for social transformation. The third webinar was held on 30 July 2024, titled "How can educators be supported to teach skills relevant for green jobs?". It spoke on the challenges and solutions in higher education and technical, vocational education and training (TVET) from a multitude of perspectives. The recording is accessible here.

COP28
At COP28 in Dubai last year, the Greening Education Partnership (GEP) coordinators and UNESCO Secretariat collaborated with the UAE Ministry of Education on the programming of the Greening Education Hub. To learn more about climate change education at COP28, please click here.. The GEP will meet again at COP29, more information will follow shortly.

>>> IAU Partners working on higher education and climate

UNESCO and the Greening Education partnership will organise a meeting and host a pavillion at COP28. The Greening Education Hub - During the 13-day COP28 event in Dubai (30 Nov to 12 Dec), the Greening Education Partnership coordinators and UNESCO secretariat will collaborate with the UAE Ministry of Education on the programming of the Greening Education Hub. This is the first education-focused pavilion hosted by a COP presidency. It will feature over 200 sessions related to each day’s COP theme, emphasizing education’s crucial role in addressing climate change, with a focus on greening schools, curriculum, teacher training, educational systems, and communities. The full timetable and hybrid links will be provided soon - find out more here.

The Higher Education Sustainability Initiative (HESI).

SDSN is organising several on-site and online events and has created a Resource Hub for COP28.

The EAUC has created a resources page for COP28 and is calling on universities and individuals can sign on to the SDG Accord and "Race to Zero" commitments. More information here.

The Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU), a close partner of IAU for HESD. The ACU Commonwealth Futures Climate Research Cohort participated at COP28 with a delegation and co-organised several events.

The MECCE Project, in which IAU is a partner, also send a delegation to COP 27 and is involved in discussions around ACE (Action for Climate Empowerment). More information on how MECCE is involved at COP27 is available on the MECCE website. Furthermore, MECCE launched an interactive data platform on CCE around the globe.

SOS-UK is a student-led education charity focusing on sustainability. SOS was represented at the COP and involved in various activities.

Second Nature brought together a small higher education delegation and has organised webinars leading up to the COP28. Find out more here.

The Network of Networks (NoN) - network led by Zero Cambridge and University of Toronto.

>>> Updates on general COP negotiations can also be found on the UNFCCC page here.

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STATEMENTS & DECLARATIONS

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>>> IAU Policy Statements on HESD & supported declarations

• UNESCO Berlin Declaration on Education for Sustainable Development (adopted at the UNESCO World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development in 2021)

• IAU Iquitos Statement on Education for Sustainable Development (drafted in 2014 and adopted in 2016 at the General Conference) IAU Members commit to build synergies and promote collaboration in favour of sustainable development.

• IAU Kyoto Declaration on Sustainable Development (drafted and adopted in 1993) IAU Members urge all universities worldwide to undertake research and action to achieve sustainable development.

>>> Letter from the President of the United Nations General Assembly (2017)
H.E. Mr. Peter Thomson, Former President of the United Nations General Assembly, reached out to the IAU to call on all leaders of higher education institutions to embrace the sustainable development goals. The Association disseminated the UN letter to all IAU Members and Partners worldwide.

>>> Open Letter to COP21 Ministers and Governments (2015)
On 1 December 2015, a global alliance of higher education sustainability networks, including the IAU, representing more than 3,000 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.

>>> Rio+20 People’s Sustainability Treaty on Higher Education (2012)
A partnership of over 30 agencies, organizations and associations, led by Copernicus Alliance and the IAU, developed the Higher Education People’s Sustainability Treaty to influence Rio + 20 dialogues.