
On
7th November SGH, as a first Polish university, joined the
Sustainable Development Goals Accord – an international agreement of tertiary
education institutions brought into beginning for a realization of the
seventeen Sustainable Development Goals. The initiative has been taken to
emphasize a key role of science and education in fulfillment of the Sustainable
Development Goals set by the United Nations General Assembly for years
2015-2030. The SDG Accord is a mutual obligation of the agreement participants
that they are going to contribute to sustainable development, report actions in
this area and share best practices.
The Sustainable Development
Goals Accord, which partner has become SGH, is the agreement of tertiary
education and science institutions initiated by two organizations: a British
one – the Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges –
and an Australian-New Zealand one – the Australasian Campuses Towards
Sustainability. Hitherto the Accord has been signed by 92 tertiary
education and science institutions from 6 continents. Among the members of the
agreement are the SGH Warsaw School of Economics and i.a.: the Boston
University, the Business School Lausanne, the Kedge Business School, the Kyoto
University, the University of Copenhagen, the University of Edinburgh, the
University of Manchester, and partner universities of our School – the Aalto
University and the University of Otago.
In September 2015 the United
Nations General Assembly had set 17 Sustainable Development Goals and
169 more specific targets. The challenges are a continuation for
years 2015-2030 of Millennium Development Goals.
The priorities are the
following:
1. End poverty in all
its forms everywhere.
2. End hunger, achieve
food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture.
3. Ensure healthy lives
and promote well-being for all at all ages.
4. Ensure inclusive and
equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for
all.
5. Achieve gender
equality and empower all women and girls.
6. Ensure availability
and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.
7. Ensure access to
affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all.
8. Promote
sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive
employment and decent work for all.
9. Build resilient
infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster
innovation.
10. Reduce inequality within
and among countries.
11. Make cities and human
settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.
12. Ensure sustainable
consumption and production patterns.
13. Take urgent action to
combat climate change and its impacts.
14. Conserve and sustainably
use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.
15. Protect, restore and
promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests,
combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt
biodiversity loss.
16. Promote peaceful and
inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for
all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.
17. Strengthen the means of
implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable
development.
First of all, the SDG Accord
has been initiated to emphasize and reinforce the key role that universities
play in sustainable development due to their tasks that include: educating
young generations, building space for debate and creating added value for
governments, business, and society. The characteristic of tertiary education
institutions activity is the main reason for treating them as the key change
agents. Moreover, an objective of originators
of the SDG Accord was the mutual obligation of the agreement participants
that they are going to contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals
fulfillment and share best practices with other partner universities. Yearly
SGH Warsaw School of Economics is going to report, together with other
endorsing partners, own progress in SDG fulfillment and share the
most efficient solutions in the area. Based on the partial reports is
going to be created an overview of the situation in tertiary
education overall to deliver to the United Nations High Level
Political Forum.
If you are interested in
cooperation in identifying the key areas for implementing by SGH Sustainable
Development Goals and carrying out initiatives in the area, please, contact the
Office of the Chancellor (sekretariat.kanclerza@sgh.waw.pl).