Higher education is a critical driver of the 2030 Agenda, yet it has not fully transformed to equip all students with the sustainability competencies needed to tackle today's complex challenges. This session explores scalable, coordinated actions to reshape teaching and learning systems, empowering graduates as agents of change for the SDGs.
The first part of the session will present a data-driven analysis of current trends in sustainability education, drawing on TASK™ data from a sample of over 100,000 students across 27 countries. This analysis will highlight key knowledge gaps and priority opportunities, based on the levers and entry points identified in the Sustainable Development Goals Report 2023, with a focus on SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure), and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities).
The second part will bring together leading voices across key system levers — including universities, institutional strategy leaders for students and faculty, and accreditation bodies — to identify coordinated actions to strengthen sustainability education. Panelists will discuss how sustainability education can be embedded, incentivized, and scaled across higher education systems, and will explore the approaches needed to drive systemic change across the sector.
Participants will gain data-driven insights into the current state of sustainability education, as well as actionable perspectives and approaches from panelists representing networks, accreditation bodies, and higher education institutions.
The panel will focus on how higher education systems can move from commitment to implementation, ensuring that all students develop sustainability literacy and are empowered to act as agents of change for the SDGs.
The discussion is structured around three pillars:
Embedded – How can sustainability be integrated into curricula, pedagogy, assessment, learning outcomes, and institutional strategies across disciplines?
Incentivized – How can accreditation, quality assurance, rankings, funding, recognition, and faculty reward systems encourage institutions and educators to prioritize sustainability education?
Scaled – How can promising practices move beyond individual courses or institutions to become part of coordinated transformation across higher education systems?