Boosting Academia’s role in achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda

‘Universities, as institutions, have a responsibility to give back to the society of which they are an integral part, and to be catalysts for a positive change’ according to Ms. Veronika Hunt Safrankova, Head of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP)’s Office in Brussels. At two distinct occasions in Brussels in October 2019, Ms. Hunt Safrankova proclaimed support and further encouragement of the role academia play in helping achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and climate action in particular.

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Speaking at an event organized by the Coimbra Group during the #EURegionsWeek, Ms Hunt Safrankova observed that “the youth’s involvement in manifestations, whose main aim is to put pressure on political leaders to act upon the climate crisis we are facing, is perhaps one of the brightest hopes we have in this rather dull moment of urgency.”

UNEP’s representative highlighted in a panel discussion on 'the role of Universities as driving forces for change in regions and cities,' that “Universities as institutions have a responsibility to give back to the society of which they are an integral part, and to be catalysts for a positive change”. Traditionally, members of the Academia have always been more receptive of scientific findings and more open to innovation, she noted.  According to Hunt Safrankova, their call for their Governments to listen to science and act accordingly has been fundamental to restore faith in the scientific community and in easing the development of further policy-science interfaces.

Since their establishment in Medieval times, Universities have been knowledge and innovation hubs that have contributed to the development of the cities they were based in. The population growth and massive urbanization forecasted to happen in the next few years will probably be amongst the biggest challenges we will have to face, especially if we are to take into account that we are already using more resources than our planet is capable of providing us, Ms. Hunt Safrankova pointed out. In her view, the only way we will be able to provide a proper future for the upcoming generations is by recognizing and respecting the limits of our environment and embracing solutions for sustainable development. These should be adopted in all different sectors, from energy to infrastructure, from food processing to textile recycling. Universities, building on their pioneer role, could help our societies by leading by example, for instance, showcasing the feasibility of carbon-neutral campuses and raising environmental awareness off-campus.

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Later in October, Ms. Hunt Safrankova further highlighted the important role Universities could play in achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at Unilion’s “Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Universities- Quo Vadis” event in Brussels. Other than SDG 4, quality education, which is the most intuitive one to associate, Universities could, and are already, achieving many more such as SDG5, gender equality and SDG8, decent work and economic growth, in her view. “Aligning everyday activities with the SDGs is not an easy task, but the interest Academia has shown in raising awareness and providing tools and knowledge for achieving them is truly inspiring”, said Ms. Hunt Safrankova, advocating for a stronger partnership between the UN agencies and Academia in the future.

“As civil servants, our primary role is to cooperate with society for a better tomorrow. We should give more visibility to the successful projects that were the result of a partnership between UNEP and Academia, such as the Frankfurt School-UNEP Collaborating Centre for Climate & Sustainable Energy Finance, and actively look for further areas of cooperation.”