Education is a critical driver of the 2030 Agenda. Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) including universities and colleges worldwide are preparing future professionals, conducting meaningful research, and engaging with the community and stakeholders to tackle local, national, regional, and global challenges. These HEIs are at the forefront of the solutions required to advance the Sustainable Development Goals, which underscores the fundamental role of education in creating healthy and inclusive societies as envisioned in the 2030 Agenda.
The role of HEIs is not confined to that exclusively of higher education per se. In practice, the contribution of HEIs is quite significant to creating a continuum between all levels of education while training future and current teachers, making curricula adjustments and developing new curricula, nurturing ideas and new pedagogical approaches, instilling fundamental values through various learning methods and platforms, and cultivating innovations -including technological ones- to improve the educational experience and educational outcomes.
The debate about the education we need for the future largely depends on the complexities we face and the several conflicting crises and emergencies around us. In this sense, universities and colleges are very well placed to assess such challenges and how they can be addressed. To analyze this, the United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI) within the context of the Transforming Education Summit convened by the United Nations, co-organized this event to be hosted by the Center for Global Affairs of New York University, a UNAI member institution in the United States.
Topic: THE ROLE OF HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS IN THE TRANSFORMATION OF FUTURE-FIT EDUCATION
Date: Thursday, 22 September 2022
Time: 10am - 12:30pm (EDT/New York time)
Venue: New York University (United States), with broadcast (further details to be announced prior to the event)
RSVP/Registration form: Click here
Those who would like to attend this event in-person will need to upload proof of vaccination and booster if eligible to the New York University (NYU) portal and show a "Green" Daily Screener pass upon entry to the campus. Attendees will also be required to follow any mask requirements or COVID-19-related protocols in place. Attendees will receive more information via e-mail about accessing the campus 1-2 weeks before the event.
Please note that UNAI cannot cover travel-related expenses to attend this event, if you decide to do so in-person.
No certificate of attendance or participation will be provided.
First panel: The role of higher education in the transformation of education for the realization of the SDGs
Moderator:
Mr. Robert Skinner, Deputy Director and Chief of Partnerships and Global Engagement at the Outreach Division of the United Nations Department for Global Communications
Presenters:
Mr. Sarmad Khan, Board Director of the Academic Council on the United Nations System. Co-author of the upcoming book The Sustainable University of the Future: Reimagining Higher Education and Research. Former Head and Senior Policy Adviser of the Resident Coordinator System Leadership Branch at the United Nations Development Operations Coordination Office.
Dr. Patrick Paul Walsh, Vice President of Education and Director of the SDG Academy at the Sustainable Development Solutions Network. Professor of International Development Studies and Director of the Centre for Sustainable Development Studies at the University College Dublin (Ireland)
Dr. Mette Morsing, Head of the Principles for Responsible Management Education - PRME institute at the United Nations Global Compact. Chair of Sustainable Markets and Scientific Director at the Stockholm School of Economics (Sweden)
Dr. Priyadarshani Joshi, Senior Research Officer at the Global Education Monitoring Report of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization – UNESCO. Former Coordinator of the Regional Economic Outlook at the International Monetary Fund and Consultant at the World Bank Group
Second panel: Best practices and case studies from the UNAI SDG Hubs
Moderator:
Dr. Waheguru Pal Singh, Clinical Professor and Director of the United Nations Specialization at the Center for Global Affairs of New York University (United States). Co-Author of the book The Future of Global Affairs Managing Discontinuity, Disruption and Destruction [2021]
Presenters:
Prof. Juan José Vásquez, Legal Advisor and Professor of Conflict Resolution, Peace and Mediation at the University for Peace (Costa Rica) / SDG Hub for Goal 12
Dr. Katja Enberg, Professor at the Department of Biological Sciences of the University of Bergen (Norway) / SDG Hub for Goal 14
Prof. Sheryl Hendriks, Professor and Head of the Department of Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development at the University of Pretoria (South Africa) / SDG Hub for Goal 2
Dr. Jonas Richard, Professor and Head of the Department of Social Work at Kristu Jayanti College (India) / SDG Hub for Goal 1