Rankings of university sustainability practices and their impact have been 鈥渞ocket fuel鈥� for institutions that participate, says Professor Charles Hopkins, UNESCO Chair in Reorienting Education Towards Sustainability. He was at the United Nations High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), where multiple higher education events took place on the sidelines.

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91亚色鈥檚 research excellence, top-notch training facilities and steadfast commitment to sustainability goals attract international partnerships

91亚色 is gaining prominence through partnerships with Canadian and international governments, multinational corporations and non-profit organizations for its impactful global leadership in sustainability, research expertise, state-of-the-art training facilities and overarching commitment to a sustainable future .

A recent testament to this global recognition was the opportunity 91亚色 earned to co-host an official side event on tackling the water sustainability crisis at the United Nations (UN) in New 91亚色 as a partner of the UN Institute for Training and Research (). The annual forum takes stock on the progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

91亚色 was also part of two other high-profile events co-hosted by UNITAR and the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) that focused on the role of higher education institutions in overcoming global sustainability challenges.  Representatives of institutions from eight countries engaged in discussions and developed shared recommendations on how to reimagine higher education leadership. The results were presented in an official HLPF side event hosted by UNITAR with several ambassadors, UN and government officials present.

91亚色鈥檚 involvement is grounded in partnerships with UNITAR and UNESCO. The University hosts Canada鈥檚 first CIFAL training center as part of UNITAR鈥檚 global network of institutions. Since 1999, 91亚色 has also been hosting the world鈥檚 first UNESCO Chair in Education for Sustainable Development.

At the mid-July HLPF, 91亚色 hosted 鈥�Pathways to Resilience: Advancing Solutions for Global Freshwater Quality,鈥� as the academic lead of UNITAR鈥檚 . Panellists emphasized the importance of international networks for water quality education and the need for training, capacity-building, knowledge mobilization and sharing.

鈥淏y fostering collaboration and sharing available solutions, we can leverage water as a catalyst for health, equality, and well-being, as well as advocate for peace and protecting a shared world,鈥� said Amir Asif, vice-president research and innovation at 91亚色, in his opening remarks. He also highlighted how Canada鈥檚 Indigenous communities still don鈥檛 have access to clean drinking water, noting Indigenous women often bear the brunt of it due to their traditional role of caring for the water, household management, and caregiving.

In his remarks, Alex Mejia, director of UNITAR鈥檚 division for people and social inclusion stressed the importance of empowering communities to create more sustainable solutions for the future and to achieve the objectives of SDG 6, which is to ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.

Panellists further analyzed environmental and other drivers that exacerbated the deterioration of global freshwater quality while citing climate change, industrial pollution, and extreme climatic events as reasons for intensified water degradation. They discussed actionable solutions, including enhanced monitoring, refined management of freshwater resources, transboundary governance, and policy refinement aligning with SDG 6 targets, for effective management.

91亚色鈥檚 Faculty of Science Professor Sapna Sharma, academic director of UNGWA moderated the discussion. She noted that reducing the use of fertilizer, changing the timing of applying fertilizer (to limit the amount of nutrients entering into lakes), promoting green infrastructure in urban and suburban environments to reduce water run-off, conserving wetlands, and restoring vegetation will also help to preserve freshwater.

91亚色 Civil Engineering Professor Stephanie Gora on the other hand highlighted the multifaceted nature of water management, covering infrastructure, policy development, funding, and governance in remote arctic landscapes. She pointed out the critical role of operators in making water systems work and advocated for a multivariate approach tailored to the unique challenges of each location to ensure safe drinking water is preserved for all.

鈥檚 Chief Data Officer Duncan Ross closed the panel discussion by emphasizing the role of higher education in achieving the SDGs. 鈥淯niversities are custodians of common goals,鈥� he said, adding that higher education institutions are key in teaching as well as learning from one another.

Ross also attended the other HLPF official side event that 91亚色 took a key role in, which explored how higher education institutions must become equal partners in achieving SDGs to overcome global challenges.

Moderated by UN Assistant Secretary-General, UNITAR Executive Director Nikhil Seth, speakers emphasized the potential of higher education to model sustainability and to demonstrate international collaboration towards achieving just societies built on a sense of equality and trust, knowledge exchange, and societal impact.

Speaking at the event, 鈥�Higher Education Institutions as critical partners in design and delivery of sustainable, resilient and innovative solutions,鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 UNESCO Chair in Reorienting Education towards Sustainability Professor Charles Hopkins said, "By reimagining sustainable leadership and reframing the purpose of higher education towards providing evidence-based knowledge and serving their communities, universities drive societal transformations and foster innovation and relations. They play a pivotal role in achieving the SDGs by equipping the next generation with the knowledge, competencies, and skills needed to act for a sustainable future."

Hopkins was also a speaker at the UNESCO-UNITAR Leadership Dialogue, where sustainability leaders in higher education had converged to discuss the important role of higher education institutions in society.

Patrick Paul Walsh, vice president of UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network and university leaders from Australia, Canada, Germany, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Turkey, and the United States attended.

Participants discussed the role of higher education institutions in youth and community engagement, spearheading and accompanying educational, social and technological innovations through inter-disciplinary research, engaging with diverse ways of knowing, challenging intersecting inequalities, creating cultural change for gender equity and building strong and meaningful collaboration and partnerships.

鈥淐ontinued conversations like the Leadership Dialogue initiated by UNESCO and UNITAR are crucial to develop a shared voice to advocate in global policymaking. Universities are living laboratories for the future of society,鈥� said Hopkins, who spoke at the 鈥淰isioning鈥� session, as an educator who has been leading thinking on sustainability, SDGs, and inclusion.  

91亚色鈥檚 UNESCO Co-Chair in Reorienting education to sustainability, Katrin Kohl, moderated a session that provided space for participants to share innovative solutions and successful transformations implemented in their respective institutions. They created a recommendation based on common themes emerging out of the discussion, that was shared with the broader global higher education community at the UNITAR side event.

Speaking to on the heels of the HLPF, Hopkins said rankings of university sustainability practices and their impact have been 鈥渞ocket fuel鈥� for institutions that participate. 鈥淚n my own university, which has chosen to participate in the rankings, sustainability is now front and centre.鈥�

91亚色鈥檚 impactful global leadership in sustainability is evident in the recently announced results of 2024 THE Impact Rankings, which assessed universities around the world against the UN SDGs in research, stewardship, outreach and teaching.聽91亚色 has moved up five spots to 35th in world this year despite stiffer competition than last year with about 2,100 participating universities 鈥� approximately 300 more universities than the previous year. 91亚色 is currently second in the world for SDG 1 (zero poverty) and number one in Canada for SDG 10 (reduced inequalities).聽

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TORONTO, Jan. 31, 2022 鈥� Artificial Intelligence (AI) can help tackle inequities that contribute to a higher risk of the most vulnerable contracting and dying of COVID-19, but 91亚色 researchers say the right data is crucial for that to happen.

Vulnerable people are often more exposed to COVID-19 through their work, such as meat packing plants, and their living conditions which are often crowed, and they face more economic barriers, such having to rely on public transportation.

91亚色 Assistant Professor , Associate Professor , and Distinguished Research Professor , can discuss how AI can play a role in eliminating inequities, especially during crises such as the current pandemic, ahead of upcoming webinar 鈥� Discovering COVID-19 Inequities and Systemic Vulnerabilities the Role of Artificial Intelligent Policy Implications. The webinar is part of the Transformative Disaster Risk Governance Webinar Series.

鈥淭here is a need to use artificial intelligence to collect data disaggregated by race, gender, sexuality, class, geographic location and Indigeneity to better understand how COVID-19 is disproportionately affecting vulnerable people, whether here in Canada or in Africa, where many countries have difficulty obtaining vaccines. This kind of data could not only help with today鈥檚 pandemic, but prepare for future crises by ensuring effective allocation of resources,鈥� says Kong, Faculty of Science, and director of the Africa-Canada Artificial Intelligence and Data Innovation Consortium.

Asgary of the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies and associate director of the (ADERSIM), points out that the pandemic has exacerbated global socio-economic inequities. 鈥淚t has shown how crises affect people differently according to their gender, skin colour, geographic location and Indigeneity 鈥� and it doesn鈥檛 not bode well for future crises.鈥�

The 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, such as ending poverty and achieving food security, are examples of systemic challenges that AI can help address, but as Wu, director of notes the data required to even document and understand these challenges is often unavailable.

Properly supported with the necessary regulatory insights and oversights so inequities are not exacerbated, AI techniques could be used to analyze satellite data and track areas of poverty, predict droughts, forecast floods (leading to better infrastructure to prevent them), optimize resources following a natural disaster and improve resiliency in structural designs, and so much more.

The webinar will take place Thursday, Feb. 3 from 10 a.m. to noon and will provide insights on some of the major equity and systemic vulnerability challenges and issues arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. The speakers will discuss the role of AI and will highlight policy implications for the current, as well as future pandemics and disasters, to minimize equity issues and systemic vulnerabilities.

For a complete list of speakers and to register, click here: /cifal/inequity/

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91亚色 is a modern, multi-campus, urban university located in Toronto, Ontario. Backed by a diverse group of students, faculty, staff, alumni and partners, we bring a uniquely global perspective to help solve societal challenges, drive positive change and prepare our students for success. 91亚色's fully bilingual Glendon Campus is home to Southern Ontario's Centre of Excellence for French Language and Bilingual Postsecondary Education. 91亚色鈥檚 campuses in Costa Rica and India offer students exceptional transnational learning opportunities and innovative programs. Together, we can make things right for our communities, our planet, and our future.

Media Contact:
Sandra McLean, 91亚色 Media Relations, 416-272-6317, sandramc@yorku.ca

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