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Read below IAU news both from the Association and from its Members. Search or filter news by category (IAU or Member News), as well as by subject matter.
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IAU at the UN HLPF 2025
The IAU took part in the discussions and events at this year’s HLPF, including a side event on SDG 8 and partnering with other major HE organisations for the first Global Higher Education Symposium at the UN.
Shaping the Future of Higher Education for Innovation and Sustainable Development in Africa
The International Association of Universities (IAU) was proud to participate in the 16th Quadrennial General Conference of the Association of African Universities (AAU), taking place this week in Rabat, Morocco. Held under the theme “Shaping the Future of Higher Education for Innovation and Sustainable Development in Africa,” the conference provides a vital platform for reflection, exchange, and collaboration among higher education leaders from across the African continent and beyond.
Sustainable, Inclusive, Science- and Evidence-Based Solutions for the 2030 Agenda
From 14 to 23 July 2025, the IAU actively participated in the United Nations High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), held under the theme “Advancing sustainable, inclusive, science- and evidence-based solutions for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for leaving no one behind.” With a focus on SDG 3 (Health), SDG 5 (Gender Equality), SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), SDG 14 (Life Below Water), and SDG 17 (Partnerships), the Forum provided a key opportunity to highlight the transformative potential of higher education institutions (HEIs) in advancing the 2030 Agenda.
Out Now: IAU Horizons issue, Volume 30, no. 1, 2025
The UNESCO Future of education Initiative, the UN 2023 SDG Summit, in New York, the Pact for the Future adopted at the UN in 2024, and upcoming discussions at the 2025 UN High-Level Political Forums all in which the IAU is strongly involved, underscore the pressing need to reflect on what has worked, what has not, and what must come next. In this critical moment, this issue of IAU Horizons is devoted to the topic Transforming Our World: Shaping the Path Forward. It is an invitation for the members of the higher education community to reflect on their engagement with the SDGs and to share insights on both the achievements and shortcomings of the current agenda. More importantly, the aim is to steer a forward-looking discussion on the evolving role of higher education in driving transformation beyond 2030.
Responsible Futures International Grant Opportunity
Beginning with the 2025-26 cohort, the IAU offers one grant to cover the participation of one IAU Member HEI for the Responsible Futures International programme. With the IAU RFI Grant, we hope to increase access and diversity of participating institutions working towards the development of a truly global programme. The grant will cover the participation fee for the full programme, including ad hoc support; the institution will cover the travel and subsistence costs if opting for an audit in person.
Sustainability at the whole institution
With just five years remaining until the 2030 deadline for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), it is increasingly clear that progress is falling short. Global efforts to advance climate action, reduce inequality, and ensure quality education have been hampered by compounding crises, political inertia, and widening structural divides. Yet, across university campuses, there is a markedly different mood: students are not waiting passively. Around the world, young people are demanding that their institutions take bolder, more integrated action to confront the intersecting social and environmental challenges of our time.
Navigating Common Waters: Ocean Science Diplomacy for a Sustainable Common Future
The IAU was pleased to co-organise a side event with the University of Bergen (UiB), INPO - Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Oceânicas, the International Science Council, and the United Nations Academic Impact (UN AI) in the context of the UN Ocean Conference 2025 in Nice, France.
World Earth Month 2025: the Role of Higher Education Institutions in Addressing Sustainability Challenges
To mark World Earth Month 2025, the International Association of Universities (IAU) joined global partners at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris for an event convened by UNESCO IESALC in collaboration with National Geographic Learning. This high-level gathering brought together education leaders, sustainability experts, and policymakers to explore the transformative role of higher education in addressing global sustainability challenges.
IAU Celebrates the International Day of Women and Girls in Science at UNESCO
The 2025 International Day of Women and Girls in Science (IDWGS) brings renewed focus to closing the gender gap in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. To mark the occasion, the International Association of Universities (IAU) was onsite at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris to take part in a series of events highlighting the importance of diversity, inclusion, and representation in science.
IAU Horizons 30.1 - Call for papers on Transforming Our World: Shaping the Path Forward
The International Association of Universities (IAU) calls on higher education leaders to reflect on their engagement with the SDGs and to share insights on both the achievements and shortcomings of the current agenda.
A new kind of internationalisation to help achieve SDGs
“A new kind of internationalisation to help achieve SDGs” was published by on University World News on 4 November 2023. It was written by Isabel Toman, IAU Programme Officer for HESD, Giorgio Marinoni, IAU Manager for Internationalization, and Margaret Harris, IAU Communications and Media Officer.
World Teacher’s Day 2024
On 5 October, the International Association of Universities (IAU) joined the global education community at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris to celebrate International Teachers’ Day 2024. This year’s observance held special significance as it was coupled with the award ceremony of the UNESCO-Hamdan Prize for Teacher Development, a prestigious biennial prize supported by the Hamdan Foundation.
Co-Creating Change for Sustainability
The IAU was pleased to take part in the 2024 Higher Education Summit, held at the Università degli Studi di Padova under the theme “Co-Creating Change for Sustainability.” Organised in collaboration with the COPERNICUS Alliance, the Summit brought together academic leaders, practitioners, and students to explore transformative approaches to embedding sustainability in higher education.
IAU at the UN HLPF 2024
IAU took part in the HLPF 2024 with its members and co-organised a side event around Monitoring Air Pollution with the University of Bergen and the ISC.
Higher Education at COP 28
IAU and its Member institutions are committed to working together towards a more sustainable future, including for SDG 13: Climate Action ahead of COP27. Key concepts are: ESD: Education for Sustainable Development and the Greening Education Partnership (UNESCO); ACE: Action for Climate Empowerment (UNFCCC); and, CCE: Climate Change Education (MECCE).
IAU HESD Global Portal Relaunched
During the IAU 2023 International Conference, the Association presented the latest version of the IAU HESD Global Portal. This portal is a tool developed by the International Association of Universities (IAU) for its Members, partners and the general public. It provides access to university actions and more initiatives developed around the world to promote sustainability and contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Launch Announcement : IAU-SOS Responsible Futures International Pilot
Responsible Futures is a whole-institution approach to embedding holistic sustainability across the formal and informal curriculum in higher education. It is a supported change programme and accreditation mark that works to put sustainability at the heart of student learning. The Responsible Futures framework assists in creating an environment for staff and students to work together, in partnership, to embed sustainability throughout teaching and learning.
IAU Partners with UWN on the SDGs Hub
The IAU and University World News have partnered to support the work of universities by providing them with adequate and constructive visibility though the UWN’s SDGs Hub. In view of the critical importance of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), University World News dedicates a news section of their website to highlighting the work that universities, and the higher education sector as a whole, do to contribute to the achievement of the Goals.
IAU at the UN HLPF 2023
The High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) was held from Monday, 10 July, to Wednesday, 19 July 2023, under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council. The theme was "Accelerating the recovery from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at all levels”.
Higher Education Partnerships to Accelerate Action for the SDGs
The IAU Global Cluster on HESD promotes the role and potential that HEIs globally have in order to achieve the SDGs and the 2030 Agenda. The Cluster encourages collaboration and takes a holistic approach to the SDGs, focusing specifically on the whole-institution approach. The IAU Global Cluster on HESD brings HEIs from all continents together and encourages them to develop joint initiatives and synergies.