This October eight students from the University of Westminster attended and presented at the first international academic conference on Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs), entitled Why It Matters, organised by the United Nations Department of Global Communications (UN-DGC) and hosted by the Utah Valley University (UVU) in the United States. The University of Westminster received the invitation to the conference following recently acquiring UN-DGC Associate status.
As part of the UN’s Decade of Action aimed at mobilising forces towards the achievement of the 2030 Agenda, this three-day conference was attended by hundreds of delegates from academia, the UN, civil society and the private sector, offering thematic panel debates and discussions on individual SDGs and sustainability efforts from around the world.
The Westminster delegation, led by Dr Sahar Taghdisi Rad, Course Leader for the International Relations and Development BA Honours course, included eight students from the School of Social Sciences selected from a large pool of applicants for the trip. The Westminster student delegation delivered a comprehensive group presentation on Sustainable Universities, highlighting the ways in which Westminster contributes to the SDG agenda through research and teaching, sustainable campus initiatives, and the forging of meaningful and sustainable partnerships.
Dr Taghdisi Rad also took part in a panel discussion on SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) and 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure) highlighting the importance of ‘decent’ and high-quality employment generation in a rapidly evolving global economy.
“Events such as these help me experience the potential to make a greater impact on our SDGs beyond the work that is done by us as an individual. We were able to make connections and form relationships to take on achieving the SDGs as a collective,” said Linda Halimi, a Level 6 International Relations and Development student who participated in the trip.
Mia Atkins, also studying International Relations and Development at Westminster, added that “it was not just within the panels where informative discussion was being had. Outside of the panels we were also able to engage in conversation with presenters and panellists which made it a great opportunity to make connections.”
The fieldtrip was generously funded by the Quintin Hogg Trust, and according to the organiser Dr Taghdisi Rad, “it provided a unique opportunity for our students and university to gain international exposure, engage in global debates on sustainability, and build meaningful networks that enhance our work and opportunities that we provide to our students.”
Michelle Ceruti, a Level 6 student of Politics and International Relations, reflected that “the connections made during the trip helped me understand my career goals and gave me the perfect motivation form my last year of undergraduate studies. Before this trip, I never truly considered the idea of working for international organisations, but after this conference, especially after seeing how students, academics and delegates can effectively cooperate and create a constructive dialogue, I am now motivated to pursue a career with international organisations or private corporations with similar sustainability interests.”
The fieldtrip participants, who were chosen from various School of Social Sciences’ disciplines including Politics, International Relations and Development, Sociology and Psychology enjoyed forming bonds across the various disciplines, while also forging close relationships with other attending delegates including those from Lehigh University, Pennsylvania, building the foundations for future collaborations. Following the end of the three-day conference, students attended a concert in Salt Lake City, visited nearby mountain towns, and enjoyed tours of Utah’s canyons and natural beauty bolstered by autumn’s changing leaf colours.
Earlier this year the University of Westminster has been recognised as one of the top 15% out of over 1400 universities in the world for its work on contributing to the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals, according to the Times Higher Education (THE)’s Impact Rankings 2022. This was the third year in a row that the University has maintained its high overall ranking with notable achievements across several individual SDGs.
Learn more about how the University is pursuing the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations.
