Our commitment to the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals
In a world which is increasingly uncertain and dominated by major shocks, our students, colleagues and other members of our UofG community care about how our University can be a force for good and enact sustainable social impact.
Our landscape is shifting fast as global and societal challenges proliferate and this demands that our sector step up its game and make clear the wider benefits universities can bring. Our funders and, importantly, our students: more attuned than ever before to the socioeconomic and environmental crises facing our nations; expect much more from our institutions.
Our strategy is now being driven by our impact as much as it is by our research. The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide us with a framework through which we can identify ways to contribute to the most pressing global challenges facing humanity and the natural world. This framework supports us to measure outcomes, articulate our impact and develop our strategies.
We collected and submitted evidence to all 17 SDGs in the most recent THE Impact Rankings and were enormously proud to improve our rank to 13th in the world (from 19th in the world last year). We are committed, through the Impact Rankings and the publication of this annual report, to hold ourselves accountable and to give our community the opportunity to celebrate and build upon their contributions.
Increasingly, we do not only want to be recognised as one of the best universities in the world, but we also want to be the best university for the world. I’m grateful to each and every member of our community who has played their part in addressing each of the 17 UN SDGs and supporting our University to make a tangible difference to society.
Professor Sir Anton Muscatelli
Principal and Vice-Chancellor
Purpose
Our 2023 report is our third annual publication, intended to provide an update on some of the work and activity that has been taking place across the University of Glasgow to contribute to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
We continue to look at four areas of activity:
- Research
- Learning and Teaching
- University Operations
- Civic Engagement.
We are immensely proud of the commitment, dedication and innovation shown by every part of our community.
This report was produced and steered by Strategy & Planning and External Relations. Special thanks go to Eleanor Miller, Tom Campbell, Andrew Barr, Leanne Whiteside, and colleagues in both directorates for their help and guidance in producing this document, as well as to colleagues across the University for their valuable input.
Find out about our progress towards the 17 SDGs:
