By Helen Perham
On February 27, UN SDG:Learn hosted an empowering syllabus-building event to equip educators and learners with the tools and resources needed to incorporate SDGs into their education. UN SDG:Learn is a platform, partnership, and program that works closely with UN and non-UN entities to provide learning resources about the SDGs. The SDG Academy has been a partner of UN SDG:Learn since its inception.
The event brought together representatives from several UN agencies and partners from around the world to collaborate and share best practices, new offerings, and online learning resources.
One of the highlights of the event was the showcase of educational resources available online from UN SDG:Learn partners, including the SDG Academy. Other event presenters included:
- UN System Staff College (UNSSC)
- International Trade Center (ITC)
- United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC)
- United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)
- UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
- United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR)
The SDG Academy offers a diverse range of courses covering various aspects of sustainable development, providing educators and learners with the flexibility to tailor their education to their specific needs and interests. These courses are not only informative but also interactive, engaging learners through multimedia content, real-life case studies, and opportunities for reflection and discussion. At the event, in addition to promoting its newest courses—Mining and Materials for Sustainable Development Transformations and The Living Amazon: Science, Cultures and Sustainability in Practice—the SDG Academy highlighted its professional development offerings and the unique Master’s Pathway program with University College Dublin.
UN SDG:Learn showcases not only online courses, but also reports, tools, and other content that can be used to explore and understand sustainable development. As a platform partner, the SDG Academy has made available resources from the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), such as the SDG Transformation Center, which houses prominent reports such as the annual Sustainable Development Report and World Happiness Report, and SDGs Today, SDSN’s real-time data portal. These resources provide valuable insights into the progress made towards achieving the SDGs, allowing educators to incorporate real-world examples and data into their teaching and empowering learners at any level to critically analyze global challenges and develop innovative solutions to address them.
Webinar participants also had the opportunity to network with like-minded educators and experts in sustainable development, in line with UN SDG:Learn’s aim to create a community of educators committed to advancing the SDGs through education, fostering collaboration and knowledge-sharing. UN SDG:Learn users can join communities to deepen their engagement with materials and join conversations centered around a specific topic.
The SDG Academy is proud to have contributed to UN SDG:Learn’s syllabus-building, which was a resounding success, providing educators and learners with the tools, resources, and support needed to integrate SDGs into their curriculum effectively.
Find SDG Academy courses and more on UN SDG:Learn!
Helen Perham
Helen is the Communications Coordinator with the SDG Academy. Helen received her Bachelor’s degree in International Development and Social Change and Studio Art and her Master’s degree in International Development from Clark University. Helen is interested in gender, health, and economic justice. She is passionate about SDG 16 and the incorporation of peace studies and conflict resolution in sustainable development.
