In 2014, the SDG Academy (then called SDSNedu) launched its first online course, The Age of Sustainable Development. Ten years later, the SDG Academy has launched 50 courses—and enrolled more than 1 million learners!
Reaching this milestone is a testament to learners’ rapidly accelerating interest in sustainable development over the past decade, and the incredible power of online education to reach people at scale.
These 1 million learners include researchers, policymakers, civil servants, social entrepreneurs, businesspeople, and concerned citizens of all ages, from around the world. We are proud to have inspired people like Atula, a Kenyan agricultural engineer who advocates for crop intensification to meet rising food demands; Sandeep, a landscape architect who teaches urban resilience to architecture students in India; Noa, an Israeli social entrepreneur whose dedication to supporting children in conflict led her to pursue a Master’s degree in education; and many more.
Our successes have enabled us to move beyond MOOCs to build the SDG Academy Library, an important resource for sharing SDG learning materials; to support degree programs and pathways; to empower critical academic voices through thought leadership; and to advocate for education for sustainable development at the highest levels.
None of this would have been possible without the support of our dedicated partners, including Tan Sri Sir Dr. Jeffrey Cheah and the Jeffrey Cheah Foundation, whose first generous grant in 2016 funded the production of 10 courses and enabled the SDG Academy to grow, and whose second grant in 2021 led to the establishment of our team at Sunway University in Kuala Lumpur. We must also thank edX, where we have proudly hosted our courses since 2018; UNESCO, our partner on five courses, the UNESCO-SDSN Joint Committee on the OER Recommendation, and Mission 4.7; and, of course, our colleagues past and present at the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network.
Finally, we are grateful to our 1 million learners around the world. Whether you have completed all 50 of our courses or simply browsed a video in the SDG Academy Library, your pursuit of sustainable development knowledge inspires us every day.
Learn more about our journey in our 2024 Annual Report.
