Short Abstract:

The role of Universities as leaders in the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals - inviting a range of perspectives from within and outside academia to build consensus on the opportunities for greater University leadership and the challenges that need to address to enable this to happen.

Long Abstract:

As we enter the final decade of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), and with greater awareness of the challenges ahead to meet the SDG goals and targets by 2030, the role of Universities is gaining greater prominence. The Times Higher Education ran for the first time in 2019 a global ranking for University contribution to the SDGs and this will be repeated again in 2020 with publication of the findings expected in advance of the next DSA conference in June; in July 2019 the Association of Commonwealth Universities established a new network to 'boost the contribution of universities to the SDGs'; and there has been increasing UN activity including through the Higher Education Sustainability Initiative to examine and support the critical role of Universities in SDG achievement. This roundtable will build on the roundtable event held at DSA 2019 which looked at UK progress towards SDG implementation to focus in on the leadership role of Universities in SDG engaged teaching, research, and outreach and knowledge exchange activities. It will invite perspectives from University managers, Government and Politicians, and Civil Society leaders to build consensus on the leadership role for Universities and the opportunities that can be taken and the challenges that need to be overcome to enable Universities to act as leaders in international development.