In October 2020 the Global University Network for Innovation (GUNi) launched the 2nd GUNi International Conference on SDGs. Higher Education & Science Take Action. Summary Report, which contains articles by 104 authors that participated in the International Conference on Sustainable Development Goals: Higher Education & Science Take Action, held in Barcelona on March, 5th and 6th, 2020.

“The crisis stemming from the Covid-19 pandemic demands that we rethink higher education, its mission and values, and its role in relation to the public good and social responsibility. GUNi, as a laboratory of ideas, has a crucial role to play in promoting analysis and debate on higher education policies and management for the benefit of societies” said María José Figueras, President of the Global University Network for Innovation (GUNi) in the Foreword of the publication.

The GUNi editorial team considers this publication “a valuable tool and a valuable example of how different higher education institutions and communities are moving forward to achieve the 2030 Agenda.”

In its preface, the Director of the UNESCO International Institute for Higher Education in Latin America and the Caribbean (IESALC), Francesc Pedró, states that “…higher education institutions could lead the process of transforming activities to reduce negative impacts on the environment and ensure the adoption of a sustainable development model. Most higher education institutions are as big as small or medium-sized towns. They form real communities whose practices can set an example for other communities, from small towns to big cities”.

Access to the report here