As part of the 2026 United Nations ECOSOC Partnership Forum and in parallel to the Learning Planet Institute Festival, this virtual side event highlighted how higher education institutions, students, and civil society are driving transformative action on the SDGs - beyond education only.
Under the overarching ECOSOC theme “Transformative, equitable, innovative and coordinated actions for the 2030 Agenda,” this official side event explored how universities act as societal partners, co-creating solutions with cities and communities for SDG6: Clean water and sanitation, SDG7: Affordable and clean energy, SDG9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure, SDG11: Sustainable cities and communities, and SDG17: Partnerships for the goals through place-based partnerships, futures thinking, and whole-institution approaches.
This event was organized by the IAU in collaboration with:
United Nations Academic Impact
Education & Academia Stakeholder Group
Global Student Forum
SDG Academy
York University's UNESCO Chair
IAU HESD SDG4 Cluster Lead
De Montfort University, UK
UNAI SDG11 Hub Chair
Speakers
Keynote
Nudhara Yusuf – Co-Chair, Coalition for the UN We Need; Fellow, Princeton University, United States
Topic - Global youth governance, futures thinking, and multilateralism
Case Study 1
Mark Charlton – Chair Lead, United Nations Academic Impact SDG 11 Hub; Associate Professor of Sustainable Development, De Montfort University
ZamZam Yusuf – Alumni De Montfort University, Founder ZamZam Unlimited Possibilities CIC
Topic - Local partnerships for sustainable and inclusive cities: university–city collaboration and students as co-designers
Case Study 2
Robert Didham – UNESCO Chair on Education for Sustainable Lifestyles; SDG 4 Cluster Lead; University of Inland Norway
Topic - Mobilising global higher education networks to advance SDGs 6, 7, 9, 11, and 17 across regions
Case Study 3
Abel Kinyondo – SDG Academy; Associate Professor of Geography and Economics at University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM), Tanzania
Topic - Innovation, infrastructure, and energy transitions with strong student and community engagement
Student Perspective
Jacob Blasius – Executive Director, Global Student Forum
Topic - Lived experience of student engagement in SDG partnerships, accountability, and access to decision-making
Closing Remarks
Jayashri Wyatt – United Nations Academic Impact
Reflections on how partnership models can inform ECOSOC processes and High-Level Political Forum follow-up
Co-Moderators
Isabel Toman – Senior Programme Officer, Sustainable Development, IAU
Katrin Kohl – Co-Chair holder of the UNESCO Chair, York University
Find the full concept note here.
Access a list of links and resources shared by speakers and webinar participants.