“The strengthening of universities role in the implementation of the SDGs”

On February 3, 2023, an international webinar was held on the topic: “The strengthening of universities role in the implementation of the SDGs” organized by the UNESCO chair for Sustainable Development of the Faculty of Geography and Environmental Management together with the Institute for Sustainable Development of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University.

The purpose of the webinar was to assess the contribution of universities in achieving the SDGs, strengthen international cooperation and promote joint initiatives aimed at transforming knowledge for a sustainable future.

More than 50 people took part in the Webinar, including representatives of the National Commission of the Republic of Kazakhstan for UNESCO and ISESCO, the academic community of universities in Kazakhstan and around the world - Italy, France, USA, Canada, Haiti, Nigeria, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan and other.

Speakers at the Webinar stated that modern universities are INTELLECTUAL, INNOVATIVE AND SPIRITUAL CENTERS FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT for their countries and regions. Universities really influence sustainable development through their research, quality education and direct participation in society, generating knowledge to solve global problems such as adaptation to climate change, ecosystem conservation and sustainable use of natural resources, energy and resource conservation, including the use of renewable energy sources , the creation of sustainable and smart cities, the introduction of a green economy and, of course, the development of education and international cooperation for their implementation.

Summarizing the reports presented at the Webinar and the discussion that took place made it possible to possible to formulate the following proposals and recommendations:

- contribute to increasing the potential of young people in the implementation of educational, scientific and social programs and projects for the implementation of the SDGs;

- strengthen international cooperation of universities for the implementation of the SDGs, sing the information and communication online platform «Green Bridge through Generations» https://greenbridgework.kaznu.kz/;

- based on the materials of the Webinar, prepare a special issue of Bulletin of the UNESCO Chair on Sustainable Development to disseminate the best practices of universities in the implementation of the SDGs among the UNESCO Chairs of the universities of the world, as well as to inform the UNESCO Headquarters (Paris) and all interested parties, as well as for placement on https://greenbridgework.kaznu.kz//