United Nations Academic Impact Conducted a Workshop on the SDGs for the USACH Community

Through coordination by the Department of International Relations, the University of Santiago of Chile recently hosted a workshop focused on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) delivered by Omar Hernández, director of the United Nations Academic Impact program. The activity was held in a virtual format and was open to the entire USACH community.

 

United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI) is an initiative that seeks to align higher education institutions with the United Nations. The University of Santiago of Chile has been part of UNAI since 2022, considering that it is a network that allows working in alignment with the Institutional Strategic Plan and the commitment to direct university activities towards the challenges posed by the 2030 Agenda.

 

“UNAI provides a variety of opportunities and relevant international connections, both for internationalization and the incorporation of an academic dimension into university activities, always ensuring the promotion of the sustainable development goals, an area with which the University has a high connection,” details the director of DRII, Fernando Olmos Gallegullos.

 

The workshop began with an introduction to UNAI that allowed participants to understand this program as an instance of coordination and a network for students and universities to foster the Sustainable Development Goals. Additionally, the first stage of the workshop conveyed the principles of the program, whose commitment is to use higher education to foster capacities, develop skills, create educational opportunities, inspire actions for global citizenship, among other purposes.

 

Subsequently, the workshop aimed to familiarize the university community with the activities of UNAI, which range from promoting innovations and teaching methodologies to disseminating information about calls and academic events.

 

The activity continued with an immersion into the Sustainable Development Goals, initially through the “Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development (1987)” and then through the “Report of the Secretary-General - In Larger Freedom: towards development, security and human rights for all (2005),” eventually leading to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, its 17 goals, 169 targets, and the 232 indicators for monitoring.

 

Later, the workshop led by Omar Hernández covered the actions that universities can take regarding the SDGs, including the implementation of internal policies, awareness and sensitization, conducting research, community engagement, among others. Regarding UNAI's recommendations for higher education institutions, the director of UNAI highlighted the possibility of creating a conceptual framework or strategy on sustainability at the institutional level, designing a system to map courses and academic programs, establishing a coordination procedure and a monitoring mechanism to exchange best practices.

 

For this activity jointly coordinated by DRII and UNAI, 90 people registered, including undergraduate and graduate students, academics, professionals, researchers, and directors from various faculties and units of the University of Santiago of Chile. Those who connected and participated in the workshop received a certificate of participation.