The 2025 Partnership Forum of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) will be held in February 2025 both virtually and at the United Nations Headquarters in New York under the theme, “Advancing sustainable, inclusive, science- and evidence-based solutions for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals for leaving no one behind.” The Forum will highlight and discuss forward-looking actions by governments and other stakeholders through innovative partnerships that aim to mobilize commitments and actions to advance the 2030 Agenda and address new challenges.
To contribute to the dialogues to unfold, the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), York University, and Columbia University, in partnership with UNESCO, have been invited to facilitate an official virtual side event.
Date: 4 February 2025
Time: 9-10:30am ET
Venue: Zoom
The side event will also serve as a preview for a special issue of the Journal of Education for Sustainable Development. The special issue, representing scholars in 9 countries from over 21 institutions, will present a range of perspectives on ESD, encouraging the ongoing and critical dialogue needed to advance sustainable, inclusive, science- and evidence-based solutions. The special issue ultimately aims to offer suggestions for better pathways forward, in addition to serving as a space for debate related to ESD priorities and plans for implementation, particularly within the framework of the SDGs.
This ECOSOC side event will focus on a particularly strong thread in the upcoming journal issue: the relationship between ESD and higher education. ESD has emerged as a key facilitator of goals to combat climate change, enhance decent work and economic growth, and strengthen human rights and social justice. Overtime, the field has seen robust uptake by the international community and been inextricably linked to global policy objectives. Higher education institutions serve as incubators for ESD and foment changes to policy on a national and global level. However, changes must be made to ESD in higher education systems in order to progress the contribution to the 2030 Agenda and the impact ESD has on global climate objectives.
Speakers will question if we are truly progressing towards our global goals in effective, efficient, and transformative ways within higher education. Commentary will address critical ideas and present new solutions on how to strengthen and reshape the field of ESD including higher education’s contribution, ensuring inclusion of indigenous voices, rethinking our indicators of progress, etc. Specifically, speakers will discuss the future of sustainable higher education, the impact of higher education on policy and practice, incorporating sustainable development in business schools, ESD in higher education networks, and ESD in higher education in Africa. These critical voices serve to inform the ECOSOC Partnership Forum and its outcomes.