York University’s global leadership in sustainability gains momentum

York’s research excellence, top-notch training facilities and steadfast commitment to sustainability goals attract international partnerships

York University 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 York earned to co-host an official side event on tackling the water sustainability crisis at the United Nations (UN) High-level Political Forum (HLPF) in New York as a partner of the UN Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR). The annual forum takes stock on the progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

York 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.

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

At the mid-July HLPF, York hosted “Pathways to Resilience: Advancing Solutions for Global Freshwater Quality,” as the academic lead of UNITAR’s Global Water Academy. Panellists emphasized the importance of international networks for water quality education and the need for training, capacity-building, knowledge mobilization and sharing.

“By 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,” said Amir Asif, vice-president research and innovation at York, in his opening remarks. He also highlighted how Canada’s Indigenous communities still don’t 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’s 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.

York’s 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.

York University 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.

Times Higher Education (THE)’s Chief Data Officer Duncan Ross closed the panel discussion by emphasizing the role of higher education in achieving the SDGs. “Universities are custodians of common goals,” 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 York 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, “Higher Education Institutions as critical partners in design and delivery of sustainable, resilient and innovative solutions,” York’s 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.

“Continued 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,” said Hopkins, who spoke at the “Visioning” session, as an educator who has been leading thinking on sustainability, SDGs, and inclusion.  

York’s 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 University World News on the heels of the HLPF, Hopkins said rankings of university sustainability practices and their impact have been “rocket fuel” for institutions that participate. “In my own university, which has chosen to participate in the rankings, sustainability is now front and centre.”

York University’s 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. York has moved up five spots to 35th in world this year despite stiffer competition than last year with about 2,100 participating universities – approximately 300 more universities than the previous year. York is currently second in the world for SDG 1 (zero poverty) and number one in Canada for SDG 10 (reduced inequalities).