Declaration on University Global Engagement

Declaration on University Engagement and the SDGs

In November 2017, under the leadership of George Mason University President Ángel Cabrera, a group of senior international education administrators met during the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities’ Annual Meeting to discuss the role that universities play in bridging nations and societies even in times when political winds may create some divides. The outcome of this discussion was an overwhelming sense that universities ought to reaffirm their commitment to global engagement and the necessity of such engagement to solve the world’s most pressing problems as articulated by the global community through the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

In the months that followed, with continued leadership from President Cabrera and APLU's Commission on International Initiatives, a declaration was drafted articulating a set of commitments from public universities toward collective global engagement. In July 2018, President Cabrera and UNITAR Executive Director Nikhil Seth ceremonially signed the declaration to symbolize the United Nations' support of the efforts undertaken by our university community.

We are pleased to invite presidents and chancellors from non-profit colleges and universities to sign this declaration to reaffirm their university's commitment to global engagement in pursuit of progress towards achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

More information

http://globallyengageduniversities.org/