Resident Coordinator's speech: University Presidents Meeting

Former UN Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon,

Professor Jeffrey Sachs, SDSN Chair

Esteemed University Presidents, 

Ladies and Gentlemen, 

It is an honor and privilege to address you this morning. I thank Professor Jeffrey Sachs for this opportunity to highlight the vital role played by universities in driving transformation towards a more inclusive, equitable and sustainable future. 

As a United Nations Resident Coordinator and advocate of the 2030 Agenda and Paris Agreement as our guiding frameworks, I am humbled by the level and geographical reach of the participants in today’s session. 

I have three sets of messages to convey. 

1. The centrality of partnership

Foremost, and as a one-time university lecturer, I would like to emphasize higher education’s place at the heart of the partnership principle, fundamental to realizing the Sustainable Development Goals. Universities’ contributions extend well-beyond nation-state frontiers, with institutions leveraging tangible SDG impacts regionally and globally. 

Universities have a multifaceted role. I summarize this under two headings. 

There is a set associated with delivering high-quality teaching, research and scholarship.  These support the SDGs directly, including SDG4, by educating cohorts of professionals and experts, and shaping future leaders’ skills. They also contribute insights and solutions, and with these, technologies that can help weather the perfect storm and multiple crises we face today; climate change being one among many. 

Equally, universities shape policy debates and public discourse. This is through intellectual leadership and the inculcation of values, both within its core population of influential and engaged young adults, and beyond, with government, civil society and the business sector. These channels have the power to hardwire sustainability in popular thinking, shaping individual and societal conduct, and enable difficult policy choices. 

1. The Severity of the SDG challenge 

My second message is the sheer scale of the SDG challenge that we face. Progress at midpoint to 2030 is extremely disquieting. According to the global SDG Progress Report 2023, only 15 per cent of the 169 SDG targets are on track, about half show lagging performance and a striking 37 per cent show regression. 

The position for Asia and the Pacific is also highly problematic. Analysis undertaken by the UN Regional Commission (ESCAP) shows that on aggregate, none of the SDGs are where they should be at this point. At the more granular level, the region is set to miss more than 100 of the SDG targets. Country level performance varies considerably, but all member States face performance challenges.

Many of the challenges that need urgent remedial action are chronic and deep rooted, and predate the Covid-19 pandemic and most of the ongoing geopolitical crises. 

Critically also, SDG weaknesses but also breakthroughs underscore the pivotal contributions that Universities can and have made. Several SDG priorities– ranging from the environmental goals to hunger, nutrition and clean water, underline the importance of knowledge-based and technological solutions to bring the SDGs back from the brink. Additionally, structural challenges, including raging inequalities and  governance deficits, speak to higher education’s role in shaping values and public consciousness. 

1. A re-invigorated partnership for the goals

My third key message is the need to capitalize on partnerships between universities and other key stakeholders, particularly the UN, in delivering at the speed and scale required.

I highlight several promising directions:

One is the emergence of global and regional university SDG networks and tools that enable the sharing of data, findings, and solutions. SDSN is an excellent example of the value of these networks. Other global platforms, with a more sector-based focus, such as the UNESCO-sponsored Higher Education Sustainability Initiative, also make invaluable contributions. Incorporating SDG impact within global university rankings, notably by Times Higher Education (THE), is a major development. It is especially encouraging that in 2023, institutions from our region occupied 10 of the top 20 positions. 

Another positive trend is the scaling-up of a strategic focus on SDG teaching and research within and across institutions. This is seen in the three countries I cover (Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei) and around the region. These range from mainstreaming the SDGs within their undergraduate and graduate curricula, to the resourcing of SDG-applied research projects and piloting on the ground.  The latter has become increasingly significant in delivering user-ready scalable solutions and models. The Malaysia-UN SDG Trust Fund we launched last year supports this nexus.

Finally, I emphasize the opportunities offered for universities to engage with the UN globally and at country level, spearheaded by my RC colleagues across Asia and the Pacific. The coming global Summit of the Future, and the currently negotiated Pact for the Future, Global Digital Compact and Declaration on Future Generations are providing vehicles for universities to engage and contribute to building the future we want on a livable planet.  I am pleased to hear that SDSN member universities are joining efforts to contribute input to the Summit of the Future.

I thank you again for the opportunity to address such a distinguished audience and wish you well with your discussions.