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13 September 2024, Geneva, Switzerland – The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in collaboration and support from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and CIFAL Global Network are organizing an official side event held during the Action Days titled “LEAP-FAST: Accelerating Sustainable Transformations through Higher Education Networks”. The side event will take place in a hybrid mode on Saturday, 21 September 2024, from 1:15 pm to 2:30 pm in Room GA-3B-760-1, UNHQ GA Conference Building.

The Pact for the Future defines the 2030 Agenda as a blueprint for sustainable futures and meeting the needs of present and future generations. Yet, humanity is off track on the SDGs, and there is a need to accelerate their implementation. The Pact recognizes the important contributions of young people “as critical agents of change in promoting sustainable development, human rights and peace and security” and calls for “investment in universal, accessible, quality and inclusive education, at all levels”.

Higher education can be a key accelerator in the achievement of sustainable futures for all. Fully harnessing its potential will require better partnerships with governments, the private sector, and civil society.

The side event will showcase a UNITAR-UNESCO initiative Leaders in Higher Education Alliance and Programme – For Accelerating Sustainability Transformations (LEAP-FAST) that aims to position higher education – through UNESCO Chairs and CIFAL Global Networks – as a critical enabler for accelerating progress on sustainable development. The initiative engages higher education leaders in a process of collective reflection on how to advance sector transformations, and strengthen partnerships at local, national and global levels.

The event will launch a Certificate Programme supported by Saudi Arabia as a concrete solution to strengthen investment in education and empower faculties to develop educational models based on inclusive and transformative learning experiences. This high-impact Certificate Programme was specifically designed to reshape institutional practices, reimagine educational programmes, and innovate pedagogical approaches by integrating critical sustainability competencies in the cognitive, socio-emotional, and behavioural domains. It champions transdisciplinary collaboration and new ways of knowing while advancing sustainability, inclusion, and global citizenship. Senior faculty members will engage in cross-disciplinary initiatives, co-create transformative curricula with students, and collaborate with executive leadership to ensure the programme’s strategic alignment. The programme will also address the psychological levers of change.

Moreover, this initiative emphasizes the importance of global cooperation among higher education institutions, fostering strategic alliances between developed and developing nations, including small island developing states and lower-income countries. Supported by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Certificate Programme seeks to enhance strategic investment in education and empower academic leaders to design inclusive, forward-looking educational models. This effort also contributes directly to advancing the objectives outlined in the Pact for the Future, reinforcing leadership commitment to sustainable development at the highest level.

This side event will provide space for an exchange between University leaders and policy-makers on the roles of higher education in promoting sustainable development and successful models of harnessing its full potential such as the LEAP-FAST initiative drawing on successful University networks.