This Wednesday, 5 October 2022, at the campus of?, a member institution of the?United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI)?in the United States, located in the city of Orem, Utah, took place the opening of the??co-organized by the host institution and the United Nations Department of Global Communications, through the Civil Society Unit and UNAI, with participants from around the world.
The conference is a hybrid event to academically address the challenges and opportunities related to achieving the?Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)?and the contribution of institutions of higher education and civil society organizations, as well as relevant stakeholders in their advancement. Teaching, research, community engagement, and student activism are the pillars promoted throughout the conference while harnessing knowledge sharing and innovative ideas for implementing the Goals.
Dr.?Astrid S. Tuminez, President of the host institution, said that all seventeen SDGs “are very aspirational but are also something existential to us and for our future.” In highlighting the role of global cooperation in achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Dr. Tuminez underlined that “big issues are multilateral in nature as they are problems common to everybody and respect no borders.” “We must nurture curiosity about us and the rest of the world,” she added.
Melissa Fleming, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications, explained in a special??while referring to the SDGs as a “universal call for action,” that “academia, civil society, and the private sector play a critical role in determining our collective path forward.” Ms. Fleming said: “Your commitment to open dialogue and collaboration and your support to the universal principles of the SDGs is inspiring because education is key in advancing progress for all people.”
“We need to bring communities together to rebuild the momentum we need for the SDGs,” stressed Robert Skinner, Deputy Director and Chief of Partnerships and Global Engagement at the United Nations Department of Global Communications. Echoing his words, Jayashri Wyatt, Chief of the Education Outreach Section, also at the United Nations, commented that “we need to look at the role of academia in global cooperation and invite people around the world to share their best practices on the SDGs.”
On the margins of the conference, Lauren Taylor, an Australian student at Utah Valley University, said, in a message to fellow students inspiring them to be proactive concerning the SDGs: “We really do have power.” Indeed, students were the panelists during a special session moderated by Mr. Skinner on the first day of the conference, which featured young refugees from Eastern Europe, Africa, and Asia. In addition to sharing their stories of overcoming challenges, they all pointed out the importance of education.
In the conference that will conclude on 7 October, and it is the first of its kind, more than seventy papers are being presented -some of them written by students- and thematic sessions on all the SDGs are taking place, with speakers coming from academia, civil society, and the private sector as well as other stakeholders, that have been exchanging ideas and thoughts with the audience. Furthermore, side events related to specific topics are also part of the conference’s program, including one on “Sustainable Universities.”
To see the video recordings of the conference click .
