Higher Education Sustainability Initiative
The Higher Education Sustainability Initiative (HESI), launched in the lead-up to the Rio+20 Conference in 2012 as an open partnership between several United Nations entities and the higher education community, aims to enhance the role of the higher education sector in advancing sustainable development by facilitating multi-stakeholder discussions, actions, and the dissemination of best practices.
In 2024 - 2025, HESI is chaired by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), UN University, UNESCO International Institute for Higher Education in Latin America and the Caribbean (IESALC), and the Sulitest Association - a non-profit organization and online platform aimed at improving sustainability literacy for all.
Additional UN partners include UNESCO, UN Environment Programme, UN Global Compact’s Principles for Responsible Management Education initiative, UN-HABITAT, UNCTAD, UNITAR, UN Office for Partnerships, and UN Academic Impact. Together with hundreds of university networks, student organizations, and higher education institutions they collectively form the HESI Community.
2024 HESI Global Forum, 15 July 2024 - The Future of Higher Education for Sustainable Development
Each year, HESI organizes a global forum as a special event to the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) – UN’s main platform for the follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at the global level - to highlight the critical role of higher education in achieving sustainable development. The 2024 HESI Global Forum took place on 15 July 2024, under the theme "The Future of Higher Education for Sustainable Development." Hosted by the Higher Education Sustainability Initiative (HESI), this special event of the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development featured a multi-stakeholder discussion on the intersection of education, innovation, and sustainability, emphasizing the impact of AI and other technologies. The forum also showcased inspiring initiatives from the UN system and HESI action groups, highlighting higher education's role in advancing implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.
- Post COVID-19
- Integrating SDGs
- Featured initiatives
- Rankings, ratings and assessments
- Education for Green Jobs
- SDG Publishers Compact
Rankings, ratings and assessments (9 February 2023)
Education for Green Jobs (1 March 2023)
SDG Publishers Compact (22 March 2023)
Transformation of higher education post COVID-19 (27 April 2022)
The disruptions that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused to societies, including in the education sector, is unprecedented. The webinar explored how the pandemic has transformed higher education’s approaches to education and learning, its ability to reach and engage students, including challenges and inequalities for those that lack capacities for rapid digital transformations and online learning.Integrating Sustainable Development Goals into higher education (1 June 2022)
On 01 June 2022, the second HESI+10 Webinar on “Integrating Sustainable Development Goals into higher education”, organized by DSDG, took place lining up to the preparation for the HESI+10 Global Forum (to be held on 6 July as a special event during HLPF 2022). The webinar, attended by 70+ participants from various sectors, explored explore different approaches to integrating SDGs into higher education, through research, teaching, and learning. Speakers included the United Nations University, Iscte Business School, University of the West Indies, PRME Working Group Sustainability Mindset, IPB University and Monash Sustainable Development Institute & Climateworks Centre. The discussion was moderated by Jean-Christophe Carteron from Sulitest. The next webinar in the series will take place on 21 June to showcase “Inspirational higher education initiatives for SDG 4, 5, 14, 15 and 17Inspirational higher education initiatives for SDG 4, 5, 14, 15 and 17 (21 June 2022)
As 2022 marks 10 years since the establishment of the HESI network, the webinar and the forum will highlight and celebrate key higher education initiatives that drive implementation of the 2030 Agenda through education, teaching and learning - particularly around SDGs under review at HLPF (Goal 4, 5, 14, 15, 17).Other initiatives
Action Groups
Each year, HESI designates Action Groups to tackle topics related to higher education for sustainable development. Action Groups draw upon the full HESI community to carry out its work and is often composed of several organizations and contributors. Results are published on the HESI website and promoted by the network.HESI Community
The HESI network consists of several UN partners, university networks, student organizations, and a number of higher education institutions - that together form the HESI Community. Please visit our HESI Community page to see all members.Partners
Co-chairs |
2024 - 2025
2022 - 2023
2019 - 2021
2012 - 2019
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UN Partners |
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