In time for Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Week Canada, York is releasing its second annual report highlighting how the University is an agent of positive change around unprecedented global challenges, from climate change to a global pandemic, poverty, systemic inequality and political polarization.
This year’s UN SDG Report and accompanying website highlight stories of progress, community ambition and a commitment to answering the call on a community-wide SDG Challenge. It also reflects why York has remained in the top 6 per cent among global universities for four years in a row in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings.
“York faculty, course directors, researchers, staff and students have really taken on the SDG Challenge. Our research, academic innovation, student learning experiences and global partnerships are having an impact that can be felt around the world and I am tremendously proud of this,” said Lisa Philipps, provost and vice-president academic.
This report also demonstrates why York is the University to host Congress 2023, under the theme ”Reckonings and Re-Imaginings.” The theme for Congress calls on scholars to imagine a more just world, reflecting on lessons learned from Truth and Reconciliation, Black Lives Matter, the evidence of Indigenous children buried at former residential schools, the death of George Floyd and more recently Tyre Nichols, mass protests in the streets for racial justice, and increasing calls for awareness about climate change and the state of the planet.
Stories profiled this year include Collette Murray’s work to address racism in Ontario’s cultural arts curricula, (UN SDG 10) a statement of York’s commitment to the Indigenous Framework and decolonizing research (UN SDG 16) and Advancing YU (UN SDG 8), a program to advance mentorship and skills development by connecting alumni with third- and fourth-year Black and/or female students.
The report and website highlight a fraction of the work happening across the community. Some meaningful stories and metrics have been selected to demonstrate how Canada’s third largest university is advancing the 17 UN SDGs and tackling the biggest challenges of our times. With each year’s report, the University will feature more of the work that reflects how the University Academic Plan and corresponding SDG Challenge are at the core of York’s commitment to driving positive change.
Join the many activities happening across York for SDG Week Canada, learn more about York’s progress on the UN SDGs (following #YorkUSDGs) or register here to attend Congress 2023, hosted by York University and the Federation of the Humanities and Social Sciences from May 27 to June 2.