- Interim Vice-Chancellor and Students’ Union President jointly sign the UN Sustainable Development Goals Accord
- The purpose of the Accord is to inspire, celebrate and advance the critical role that education has in delivering the Sustainable Development Goals
- It is a commitment that learning institutions are making to one another to do more to deliver the goals.
The Interim Vice-Chancellor of Aston University, Saskia Loer Hansen, and President of the Students’ Union, Balraj Purewal, have signed the UN Sustainable Development Goals Accord.
The 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, were established by world leaders in 2015 to create a better world, end poverty, fight inequality and take action on climate change.
The purpose of the Accord is to inspire, celebrate and advance the critical role that education has in delivering the Sustainable Development Goals and the value it brings to governments, business and wider society.
The Accord is a commitment that learning institutions are making to one another to do more to deliver the goals, to annually report on each signatory's progress, and to do so in ways which share the learning with each other both nationally and internationally.
Aston University already undertakes activities which contribute to many of the UN Sustainable Development Goals through its research, learning and teaching and its community of staff, students and alumni. It has been ranked joint 17th in the 2021 People & Planet University League, which assesses 154 UK universities against sustainability and ethics criteria, placing the University in the League’s 1st Class category.
Saskia Loer Hansen, Interim Vice-Chancellor of Aston University, said:
“Sustainability flows through everything that we do as a university and the aims of the UN Sustainable Development Goals chime completely with our focus on social mobility, the environment and sustainability. Students are one of our key beneficiaries and so it is vital that we work together on this important mission.
“By signing this accord, we are formally recognising the important role we have to play in attaining the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, through our corporate decision-making and our wider community of staff, students and alumni.”
Balraj Purewal, Students’ Union President at Aston University, said:
“Signing up to the Accord is important to our students. We recognise the importance of the Sustainable Development Goals to our student body, especially in reducing inequality, ending poverty and climate change.”
- Notes to Editors
Founded in 1895 and a University since 1966, Aston is a long established university led by its three main beneficiaries – students, business and the professions, and our region and society. Aston University is located in Birmingham and at the heart of a vibrant city and the campus houses all the university’s academic, social and accommodation facilities for our students. Saskia Loer Hansen is the interim Vice-Chancellor & Chief Executive.
Aston University was named University of the Year 2020 by The Guardian and the University’s full time MBA programme has been ranked in the top 100 in the world in the Economist MBA 2021 ranking. The Aston MBA has been ranked 12th in the UK and 85th in the world. The University also has TEF Gold status in the Teaching Excellence Framework.
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