IAU HESD Vision & Action

IAU Vision

Future well-being of humanity and the planet will only be possible by resolving the environmental, social, economic and cultural challenges in a sustainable way. All actors, individual, private and institutional are presented with the same tasks. The International Association of Universities is an international non-governmental organization and an official partner of UNESCO (Associate Status) that recognizes the key role higher education (HE) plays in the overall process of achieving sustainable development. Currently, IAU gathers almost 600 Members (Institutions, Organisations, Affiliates and Associates) from over 120 countries (February 2023).

For over three decades, the Association takes part in international and regional initiatives and holds events to promote the integration of sustainable development (SD) into higher education policies, strategies and work.  

IAU HESD strategy 2022-2026

Download our flyer 'IAU for HESD'.

IAU’s Strategic Plan and related actions in support of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development provide a framework for university leaders to develop inter-institutional collaboration in pursuit of sustainable development. The aim is to help HEIs leaders, from our Members and Partners, embed sustainable development concepts and principles in strategic planning, academic and organizational work.

Our objectives for 2022-2026 are the following :

• Strengthen IAU’s work in support of the 2030 Agenda and related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
• Develop and share expertise on the SDGs.
• Work towards the increasing implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in higher education globally.
• Enhance IAU Members’ involvement in HESD.
• Create regional and international initiatives among universities committed to Sustainable Development and to share these achievements with others wishing to engage in social, environmental and ethical responsibility.
• Encourage peer-to-peer learning using the IAU global network of HE leaders.
• Foster ‘Whole Institutional Approaches' at the Leadership level in order to mainstream the priority of Sustainable Development in all areas (management, administration, teaching and research, campus operations) and to involve all stakeholders (student, technical and administrative staff, teachers, researchers, managers) in Environmental, Ethical, Social and Economical Responsibility.
• Monitor trends and issues related to HESD.
• Provide leadership training, capacity building and networking services.
• Map and analyze assessment tools related to HESD.

IAU will pursue its ABC strategy through:

• Advising & advocating
• Building synergies & networking
• Communicating & convening

IAU Horizons

You can also download IAU Horizons, the Association's news and information magazine; these volumes focus more specifically on sustainable development: 

• IAU Horizons, vol. 26, no.2 - Leadership for a Sustainable Future

• IAU Horizons - Vol. 24, no. 1 - Universities and Agenda 2030: Engaging with the SDGs

• IAU Horizons, vol. 21, no.1 - The Role of Higher Education in developing and fostering Social Innovation

• IAU Horizons, vol. 20, no.3 - Where in the World is Higher Education in the Post-2015 Development Agenda? 

• IAU Horizons, vol. 18, No.2 - The Contribution of Higher Education to Sustainable Development

• IAU Horizons - Vol. 18, no.3 & Vol.19, no.1 - IAU 14th General Conference on: Higher Education and the Global Agenda – Alternative Paths to the Future

All other volumes are available on the IAU website. 

Surveys and Special Publications

IAU conducted its first Global Survey on HESD in 2016. The results of the survey are available in the publication: Higher Education Paving the Way to Sustainable Development: A Global Perspective.  The IAU 2^nd Global Survey (2019) and the corresponding Report on Higher Education and Research for Sustainable Development (Higher Education and the 2030 Agenda: Moving into the ‘Decade of Action and Delivery for the SDGs’) was published in January 2020. The 3rd IAU HESD survey Accelerating Action for the SDGs in Higher Education was conducted in 2022 with the report published in January 2023.

IAU Series of Publications for the 17 Sustainable Development Goals:

• Higher Education and SDG 14: Integrating Ocean Research for the Global Goals, 2021
• IAU-UNODC Young Scholars Competition: Higher Education engages with SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, 2021
• Higher Education and SDG 5: Achieve Gender Equality and Empower All Women and Girls, 2021
• Higher Education & SDG 13: Climate Action Through University Teaching, Research and Community Engagement, 2019

New editions are in planning with the IAU Cluster and HESD Partners.

IAU HESD Cluster

Launched in 2018, the IAU Cluster on HESD promotes the role of higher education institutions in building more sustainable societies. It is a consortium of IAU Member universities from all parts of the world, working in collaboration to develop existing and new exciting initiatives to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by all United Nations Member States in the framework of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The Cluster encourages a holistic approach to the SDGs, promoting the whole institution approach, where institutions aim to embed sustainable development in their strategic planning, academic and organizational work.

IAU Actions

This timeline highlights important dates related to HESD as well as the IAU main contributions to the UN-DESD (The United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, 2005-2014) and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development since 1993. IAU was one of the Key Partners in UNESCO’s Global Action Programme on Education for Sustainable Development (GAP ESD 2014-2019), and is currently a partner to the follow-up initiative, the ESD for 2030 Global network.

To know more about IAU's actions, please consult IAU's profile. 

* IAU pursues a 8-year Strategic Plan, wit the current Strategic Plan adopted during the 16th IAU General Conference in October 2022. It deepens IAU’s focus on four key higher education challenges, namely Leadership, Internationalization, Sustainable Development, and Digital Transformation, while improving support and services to Members as well as enhancing their visibility and engagement.