The University of Technology Sydney has again demonstrated that it is one of the top universities in the world in supporting sustainable development goals.
In the newly released Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings 2024, UTS has been named equal 13th best performing university among 1,963 institutions globally, with a standout number one world ranking in a category assessing universities’ capacity for partnership and collaboration.
The final goal of 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is Partnerships for the Goals, with the objective to “strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development.”
In the THE Impact Rankings this is a mandatory category, evaluating universities’ support for all the SDGs through collaboration with other countries, promotion of best practices and publication of data and evidence.
The assessment looks at linkages between institutions, governments, companies, non-government organisations (NGOs) and communities.
Aside from the number one placement for SDG 17, UTS ranked fifth in the world for SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation, equal 12th for SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production, 15th for SDG 13: Climate Action and 19th for SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth.
The THE Impact Rankings results showcase UTS’s strengths in research, teaching, technology, social impact, sustainable initiatives and community engagement.
UTS Vice-Chancellor Professor Andrew Parfitt
“The results for UTS, particularly in the Partnerships for the Goals category, demonstrate the university's unwavering commitment to making a positive social and environmental impact aligned with the UN's SDGs,” said UTS Vice-Chancellor Professor Andrew Parfitt.
“We've shown robust performance across all metrics in SDG 17, with a consistent rise over the past three years.
“This ranking evaluates our research output relating to SDGs 1 to 16, efforts on the progress of the SDGS internationally and in promoting best practice and collaboration, as well as educating the next generation of professionals in the context of sustainability for a better future.”
Initiatives that figured in UTS’s performance in the Impact Rankings 2024 result, particularly in Partnerships for the Goals included:
- UTS’s leadership of the RACE for 2030 initiative, a cooperative research centre for energy and carbon transformation
- The Institute for Sustainable Futures (ISF) partnering with UNICEF to develop 21 country fact sheets on the self-supply of water in Asia and the Pacific
- A collaborative learning initiative under the Asia Pacific Water for Women Fund involving the World Health Organization (WHO) and SDG joint monitoring programs, with the ISF as research partner
- The One Earth Climate Model research project focusing on climate and energy pathways for Nepal
- Collaboration with NGOs to tackle the SDGs through students and research programs, such as the UTS Soul program.
“The THE Impact Rankings results showcase UTS’s strengths in research, teaching, technology, social impact, sustainable initiatives and community engagement,” Professor Parfitt said.