The Society for the Environment sign the SDG Accord and encourage other organisations (and individuals) to follow suit, joining 51 supporting organisations, 38 educational institutions and 163 individuals.
The SDG Accord was created by the Environmental Association of Universities and Colleges (EAUC) and the Australasian Campuses Towards Sustainability (ACTS) in response to the announcement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by the UN. Announced at the World Congress on Environmental Education (WEEC) held in Vancouver, the SDG Accord is ‘the university and college sector’s collective response to the SDGs – a global pledge by educators that they will accept a key role in creating a new generation that can and will balance people, planet and prosperity’.
The management and collation of signatories and reporting is administered by the EAUC on the behalf of the education sector. They state that the purpose of the SDG Accord is twofold:
First it is to inspire, celebrate and advance the critical role that education has in delivering the SDGs and the value it brings to governments, business and wider society. Plus, the SDGs can inspire teaching and learning with their goal of education, for all, for sustainable development.
Secondly, the Accord is a commitment learning institutions are making to one another to do more to deliver the goals, to annually report on each signatory’s progress, and to do so in ways which share the learning with each other both nationally and internationally. An objective is that sector SDG reporting metrics will be presented at the annual UN High Level Political Forum.
The SDG Accord commits educational institutions to ‘align all major efforts with the SDGs’, involve key stakeholder groups, collaborate across geographical boundaries, inform others of good practise and report annually on ‘how does my institution contribute to the Goals and what more can we do’.
Dr Emma Wilcox, CEO of the Society for the Environment confirms that “the Society has signed the SDG Accord as a supporting organisation because it believes that education is a key factor in reaching the targets set out by the SDGs both locally and globally. We support the work of EAUC and the SDG Accord in championing education as a driving force for making a difference, and we want others to join us.”
The Society is therefore urging organisations, educational institutions and individuals to sign the SDG Accord to promote the aims of the UN initiative and to encourage action across colleges, universities and beyond.
Who should sign the SDG Accord?
The Accord can be signed on three levels.
1. Leaders of institutions sign to make a corporate commitment
2. Leaders of related university, college and student organisations sign to make a corporate commitment to supporting the sector
3. Individual students, researchers, academics and operational staff can sign to make a personal and professional commitment to playing their part in advancing sector performance.
For further information about the SDG Accord and to sign, visit SDGAccord.org.
