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The conference included a special session featuring young refugees (Photo: UNAI)

Utah Valley University Hosts International Academic Conference on the SDGs

This Wednesday, 5 October 2022, at the campus of听, a member institution of the听United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI)听in the United States, located in the city of Orem, Utah, took place the opening of the听听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.

All activities are carried out on the campus鈥 160 hectares of agricultural area (Photo: UFSM)

From University Classrooms to the Field: Promoting Sustainable Agriculture

"Future improvements in agriculture and food systems will continue to rely on enhanced efficiency 鈥 producing more with less 鈥 but greater emphasis will be needed on the social and environmental dimensions of sustainability," says a technical reference document titled听听published by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations.

Advanced Farm 360听is an institutional development project of the Polytechnic School at the听, a member institution of the听United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI)听in Brazil, which aims to enhance teaching, research, extension, and innovation in agriculture. It has three main focuses: precision agriculture, precision animal science, and sustainable agricultural production.

Researchers aim at mitigating environmental issues in Cerr贸n Grande, the largest water body in El Salvador (Photo: UCA)

University Scientists in El Salvador Research to Protect Biodiversity

The Cerr贸n Grande reservoir is the largest water body in El Salvador and is home to over fifteen species of fish and a wide variety of submerged and floating flora. Due to its international importance in conserving biological diversity, this wetland received the听听(short for the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat) designation in 2005.听

Although the reservoir was constructed between 1973 and 1976 to produce electricity, the natural wealth found in its 135 km2 provides water and food for the sustenance of local communities, allowing the commercialization of products derived from artisanal fishing, shell-fishing, and hunting. This is particularly important in 2022, the听.

Almost 2,000 children from 14 schools have participated, showcasing nearly 90 scientific projects of their own (Photo: UdA)

Promoting Children鈥檚 Interest in Science: The Children鈥檚 University Project

鈥淎t a time of rampant misinformation, climate denial, and attacks on human rights, we need education systems that distinguish fact from conspiracy, instill respect for science, and celebrate humanity in all its diversity,鈥 said the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ant贸nio Guterres, on 19 September 2022, during the opening of the Transforming Education Summit. The role of institutions of higher education in instilling that respect for science cannot be underestimated.

鈥淭his is an important demonstration of science put to the service of diplomacy,鈥 said professor Paiva (Photo: UFPB/UFPE)

Energy Diplomacy and the UN: Data-Intensive Research from Brazilian Universities

A group of Brazilian researchers is turning to large-scale data to answer critical questions on global affairs, including at the multilateral level. These initiatives are intended to highlight the utility of such tools to a wide range of stakeholders听while promoting the critical work conducted in the institutions of higher education that are part of the United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI) initiative.

The first product, Energy Treaties Matrix 辞谤听, is a web platform for registering and monitoring international agreements related to energy. 鈥淚t is a system that provides specialized resources, versatile solutions, and diversified analysis of energy agreements between countries and transnational organizations,鈥 explained Henry Iure Paiva, Professor, and Coordinator of the Research Group on Energy Security at the .

Millennium Fellowship Class of 2022: Young Leaders Making the SDGs a RealityPrinciples Reality

The Millennium Campus Network (MCN) and the United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI) are proud to present the Class of 2022, an ambitious program to help make the Sustainable Development Goals and UNAI principles a reality. The Class of 2022 Millennium Fellows have been selected among a record-breaking 31,397 applicants from over 2,417 campuses across 140 nations.听听听

Millennium Fellows are university undergraduates selected based on their leadership on sustainable development-related projects that advance the SDGs in their communities.听 As Millennium Fellows, they will participate in a semester-long leadership development program to improve their student organizing, partnership building and community impact skills.听听

鈥淭hese students dug deep into some of the world鈥檚 most intractable issues,鈥 said Professor and student project mentor Todd Watkins (Photo: Lehigh University)

Fostering Experiential Education: Lehigh University Partners with ILO

For over a decade,听, a member institution of the United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI) in the United States, has collaborated with the听听to create a series of experiential education opportunities for its students, faculty, and staff. However, due to the challenging effects of the ongoing听COVID-19 pandemic, there was a significant shift in how such opportunities can take place.听

University Combats Xenophobia in South Africa

Imani Khumalo, a recent graduate of a university in Johannesburg, South Africa, still remembers the shock she felt during a Philosophy class in her second year.

Students were asked by the lecturer to give their opinion on whether the immigration law in South Africa should be more stringent. Imani felt her heart quiver as one of her classmates spoke up: 鈥淟aws should be stricter. All foreigners come here illegally to steal our jobs.鈥 Imani, who asked a pseudonym to be used for personal reasons, couldn鈥檛 speak up against him. 鈥淚 was afraid that people were going to gang up on me if I did.鈥

This initiative "contributed to raising society's awareness of the phenomenon of hatred and fighting it in all its forms,鈥 explained Dr. Aiman Albarakati (Photo: Majmaah University)

Saudi Students Lead Initiative to Counter Hate Speech

When launching the听United Nations Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate Speech听in June 2019, Secretary-General Ant贸nio Guterres said that hate speech 鈥渋s in itself an attack on tolerance, inclusion, diversity, and the very essence of our human rights norms and principles. More broadly, it undermines social cohesion, erodes shared values, and can lay the foundation for violence, setting back the cause of peace, stability, sustainable development, and the fulfillment of human rights for all.鈥

Academia Helps Farmers Balance Production and Conservation

According to the World Bank, more than 1.3 billion people globally rely on small scale livestock production for their livelihoods and nutrition. In Botswana, a landlocked country in southern Africa where cattle production comprises 80 per cent of agricultural gross domestic product, foot and mouth disease (FMD) has negatively impacted the livestock and wildlife sectors since the late 1950s, when beef exports were expanded in the days of colonial rule.

Foot and mouth disease is a viral disease that affects cattle, goats and other cloven-hoofed animals. The virus does does not normally infect people, but in animals it can cause blisters on the gums, tongue and feet that may eventually lead to lameness and an inability to eat, and a loss of meat and milk production.听

International Youth Day: Its Origins and the Promise of Youth Leadership

This article, in line with the International Youth Day on 12 August, was written by听 (@samvaghar), Co-Founder and Executive Director of Millennium Campus Network (MCN).听 MCN and the United Nations Academic Impact partner to present the annually for university undergraduates advancing the Sustainable Development Goals.

A 缅北禁地peacekeeper serving in South Sudan stands guard at an airbase in Mundri (Photo: 缅北禁地Photo/Isaac Billy)

University of Oxford Brings Cutting-Edge Research to the Front-Line of Conflict Resolution

鈥淯niversities are places that nurture incubation, exchange, innovation, and interdisciplinary analysis, setting the pathway to change,鈥 said Amina J. Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations in a video message in April this year. 鈥淯niversities are at the intersection of knowledge and action,鈥 she added. Certainly, the significant contribution that has been made by institutions of higher education worldwide and their research, cannot be underestimated.听

A holistic approach is needed to address ways to shift the population to more sustainable diets (Photo: University of Aberdeen)

University of Aberdeen Studies Healthy and Environmentally Sustainable Diets

The food we eat affects our health, and that of our planet. Food insecurity, poor nutrition and climate change are some of the global major challenges. Malnutrition for instance, which includes micronutrient deficiencies and obesity, has a devastating impact on health. According to published by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, over 800 million people went hungry in 2020.

The toolkit development was a cross-university collaborative process (Photo: UCC)

Enhancing SDGs-Related Teaching: Irish University Offers Open-Source Toolkit

Universities and colleges are critical components for implementing the听, as indicated in the agenda itself. Their prominent role is even crucial as the achievement of its Goals has been severely impacted by the听COVID-19 pandemic听and other global as well as regional crises. Such circumstances have created a wide range of challenges, affecting in particular developing and vulnerable countries.

Basic sanitation is a public health problem as open sewage contaminates water and affects mainly the children (Photo: UNISINOS)

University in Brazil Develops Social Cartography of an 鈥業nvisible City鈥

While restrictions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic are being eased and the new normal is a reality worldwide, for many, particularly those who are 鈥榮ocially invisible,鈥 the recovery might be much more challenging. For instance, prior to the pandemic at the end of 2018, many families living in areas of S茫o Leopoldo, southern Brazil, became the target of an eviction order. A vast majority of these populations were in vulnerable areas prone to environmental hazards.

The听, a member institution of the United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI) in Brazil, decided to partner with various stakeholders to create the听Miss茫o pela Moradia Digna or 鈥楳ission for Decent Housing鈥 in Portuguese, a movement focused on addressing challenges in vulnerable communities while liaising with authorities.