Today, our knowledge base supporting the concept of sustainable development emerges from our learning that nature of problems is interrelated and require contributions from multi- and inter- disciplinary knowledge rather than explicit disciplinary moorings. The emergence of SDGs is a testament to the evolving nature of approach that the United Nations has taken to transform the world.
In the year 2015, the United Nations committed to 17 goals, as the global goals of sustainable development that are to be achieved by the year 2030. An articulation of universal goals for planet earth resulted in deliberations in countries to prepare and map pathways on fulfilling the targets. Consequently, attention was re-drawn to institutional policies, vision, and practices in respective countries.
India has a history of dovetailing developmental policies with sustainable goals and accordingly, institutional policies and vision too are evolving in India. For example, NITI Aayog spelt out in the year 2022 an Indian model of implementing SDGs through “Localization.” NITI Aayog’s model may arguably be viewed as an evolution of Indian perspective- from Technology Vision 2020 in 17 volumes covering 17 key sectors spelled out in March 1996, to developing a framework and roadmap for India through the India Millennium Missions (IMM) 2020 and so on.
Universities play an important role in advancing 2030 Agenda for sustainable development by theorizing cross-cutting or inter-related goals of SDG. Academic scholars have signified the need for Integrating Science and Politics, Linking Social and Ecological Systems, Integrating Science and Policy, Sustainability Transition and so on. While these theorizations offer fresh perspective to address complex problems, the need for tackling knotty problems confronting the humanity remain. There is an immediate need to address this lacuna to realize effective implementation of the SDGs goals by the year 2030. In this connection, the New Education Policy of 2020, which places an emphasis on multi- and inter- disciplinary education at institutions of Higher Education, affords research and teaching opportunities that may spread implementation of SDGs in India.
At University of Hyderabad, the Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC) with funding from the Directorate of Institution of Eminence (IoE) is coordinating wide-ranging experiences and deliberating on accelerating pace of implementing SDGs at the university. The webpage (www.uohyd.ac.in/sdg) provides ready access to activities relating to the university’s SDG.
On the SDG webpage of the university, contributions of the entire university community (faculty, students, and staff) through, research, teaching, innovations, patent, training programs and other significant activities are listed for each of the seventeen goals. Presently information of the past 4-5 years is given, which will be further updated regularly.
The university also organized a university-wide initiative in the form of an international conference, held in January 2024, which was titled “Knowledge for Sustainable Development: Dialogue Across Disciplines to implement Sustainable Development Goals.” The objectives of this conference were to:
- deliberate on models of implementing SDGs in India;
- discuss use cases of SDG to draw lessons for implementing SDGs;
- spotlight the need for exchanging ideas on implementing SDGs within the Indian context; and
- discuss evolving relationship between academics, practitioners, and policy makers.
The above noted initiative brought together wide-ranging experiences from India and abroad to deliberate on the status of implementing sustainable development goals in India. Details of this conference can be accessed via the SDG webpage.
IQAC plans to assist and continue its support to peers and collaborators to realize the full potential of SDGs by the year 2030, as there is an urgent need to further transcend disciplinary barriers for implementing SDGs, and conduct robust deliberations to develop successful implementation of aspirations across the entire university.
- Dr. Arvind S. Susarla, Centre for Regional Studies and member, sub committee, SDG of University of Hyderabad