Founded in 1950, the International Association of Universities (IAU) is a membership-driven organisation advancing the contributions and impact of higher education.
In 2018, IAU built the thematic cluster for Higher Education and research for Sustainable Development (HESD) to mobilise institutions around the UN 2030 Agenda and SDGs.
An independent, non-governmental organisation, IAU is an official UNESCO partner with Association status and has consultative status at the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). Convening over 600 institutional members from more than 130 countries, IAU is a global forum for leaders to pursue common agendas, such as SDGs.
The 2022- 2023 cluster work report is the Higher Education Partnerships to accelerate action for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). More than a static document, the report delivers;
- Rich cases studies associated with achievements across each SDG
- Examples of and learnings from global best practice
- Invitations to contribute and partner in future work
- Opportunities for satellite collaboration and extension of the networks
- Future work plans and agendas for each lead and satellite group
- A program of upcoming global events aligned to the SDGs
- Institutional resources available to accelerate initiatives and activity
With 16 lead institutions each championing a specific SDG there are additional institutions invited as satellites; SDG 17 is an institutional lead from IAU. There are around 70 global universities engaged.
Current Australian engagement is through two universities providing satellite support;
- Western Sydney University for SDG 3: Good health and well-being
- Western Sydney University for SDG 6: Clean water and sanitation
- University of Western Australia for SDG 14: Life Below Water
No surprise from Western Sydney University (WSU) given consecutive global rankings of 1 in the Times Higher Education Impact Ranking across 2022 and 2023.
(the WSU commitment aligns to 2023 global rankings of 4 in the THE Impact ranking SDG 3 Good health and well-being and 2 in THE Impact ranking for SDG 6 Clean water and sanitation)
In a sector that champions collaboration, the Global Portal is a repository of over 480 news items, 1200 listed actions from 1100 institutions and 200 organisations globally. Like all repositories, it’s only as good as those who contribute. So, if you have a tool, program or initiative that will uplift the sector’s capability – now is the time to submit it.
While the cluster is primarily open to IAU Members, non-members can be accepted.
The Cluster works on all dimensions of the SDGs, combining environmental, social, cultural, and economic dimensions of sustainability, with partnerships the key enabler for joint action.
Engagement in peer-to-peer learning sparks new ideas and creativity, enabling the cluster to inspire other universities to invest in their capacity to deliver a more sustainable future. For Australian institutions embedding sustainability into their strategy (TKN 13 Sept 2023) this is another opportunity to showcase their commitment on the global stage.
Read the 2022-23 IAU Global HESD Cluster report here
Note: The current IAU member site lists Australian members as Monash University, Murdoch University, Western Sydney University and Box Hill Institute.
