HESI Communities of Practice
At the 2025 HESI Global Forum, the Higher Education Sustainability Initiative (HESI) launched the HESI Partnership Framework — a mechanism designed to coordinate the contributions of its broad and growing community of over 1,300 United Nations entities, university networks, student organizations, and higher education institutions. At the heart of the framework are the HESI Communities of Practice (CoPs) — thematic groups that provide a structured, action-oriented space for members to collaborate, exchange knowledge, share innovative solutions, and co-develop relevant policy recommendations. Each CoP focuses on a critical priority area of higher education’s contribution to sustainable development:|
Teaching & Learning (led by UNU)
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Advancing higher education for sustainable development through curricula, pedagogy, and capacity-building. |
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Research & Innovation (led by UNESCO-IESALC)
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Accelerating scientific discovery, applied research, and innovation to address sustainability challenges. |
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Partnerships & Engagement (led by UN DESA)
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Building cross-sector collaborations and connecting academia with governments, industry, and civil society. |
- Highlight innovations that advance sustainable development.
- Inform policy and decision-making by generating actionable recommendations that guide higher education’s contributions to the SDGs.
- Strengthen multi-stakeholder partnerships by fostering collaboration between academia, governments, the private sector, and other stakeholders.