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Latest Sustainable Development Goals Progress Report
Monash Progress Report 2021 – Goal 17

Monash Progress Report 2021 – Goal 17

Monash University Progress Report 2021 on the Sustainable Development Goals

Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development.

Research

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The Local SDGs Program View

Launched in 2019, the Local SDGs Program aims to develop robust pathways for local Australian communities to adapt, prosper, and thrive under future uncertainty, taking a bottom-up approach to achieving the SDGs. A collaboration between Deakin and Monash universities, working with non-governmental organisations, state government and local communities, is helping communities answer how they can be more resilient, adaptive, cleaner, greener, manage risks, and cope with surprises using state-of-the-art computational and participatory approaches.

Localising the SDGs PhD Research Cohort View

PhD students at the Monash Sustainable Development Institute are taking a closer look at how the SDGs framework can enable transformative change in different levels of society – from cities and urban spaces, to regional areas, and universities. Our students are researching the ways in which people in different sectors are currently working with the SDGs. And they’re working to understand whether or not the SDGs are indeed leading to systemic change.

Topics include: the relationship between the SDGs and the transformative role of Higher Education Institutions towards sustainable development; the role the SDGs can play in changing the ways in which cities are planned and shaped; and the scope for transformative local action in implementing the SDGs.

Education

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Unit statistics and highlights View

In 2021, 62 units directly related to SDG17 were offered across Monash University, with a total enrolment of 3,975 students.

The units highlighted below are a small sample of the units at Monash relating to the Sustainable Development Goals:

APG5434 Sustainability measurement
ENS5010 Global challenges and sustainability
ENS5020 Perspectives on sustainability

Leave No One Behind View

Leave No One Behind is a program designed to support current students and alumni to develop a social business idea that addresses a social inclusion challenge in the local community. It provides participants with an opportunity to harness the skills from their degrees, develop foundational entrepreneurship skills, and orient that towards solving entrenched social disadvantage challenges.

In 2021, the program kicked off with the Social Innovation Summit, a one-day event of inspiring conversations and workshops around the SDGs and social impact with founders of leading social enterprises, including She’s a Crowd and Good Cycles. Sixty students and 15 teams went on to participate in the 10-week program. In 2021, Monash also ran a tailored version of the program with 100 students from a local secondary school.

Master of Environment and Sustainability View

The award-winning Master of Environment and Sustainability is a forward-thinking, interdisciplinary, two-year course that integrates the knowledge needed to mitigate and adapt to global change with sustainability principles. The course focuses on developing a global change knowledge base and a diverse vocational skill set, and provides evidentiary and interdisciplinary approaches to problem solving. Students can choose from five specialisations, and have the opportunity to work in real-world contexts, combining theory and practice, to respond to local and international, corporate, government and social environmental concerns.

Graduate Certificate of Innovation for Sustainability View

The new Graduate Certificate of Innovation for Sustainability is helping learners create innovative solutions to some of the world’s most complex sustainability problems, by providing them with the knowledge, tools and frameworks to implement innovative responses to our most pressing sustainability challenges. Designed for students from a diversity of sectors, ranging from business to the public sector and not-for profit, the units deal with innovation and change on the individual, organisational and systems level, within the context of sustainability.

Youth Environmental Alliance in Higher Education (YEAH) View

Monash is one of the principal partners in the Youth Environmental Alliance in Higher Education (YEAH) Network, a transdisciplinary, multi-institutional network that equips students with real-world experience of collaborative, evidence-based approaches to global environmental sustainability. The YEAH Network develops virtual classrooms at the undergraduate and graduate levels that provide environmental learning through structured and real-life experiences of international negotiations.

MGF5020 – Business Ethics in a Global Environment View

Business Ethics in a Global Environment touches on all 17 SDGs as it encourages students to critically engage with the connections between business and sustainability and inclusion. As Associate Professor Michelle Greenwood explains, the main objective is that students should explore what they believe to be the purpose of business and the values and assumptions embedded in these various purposes. Students are encouraged to come to their own understanding of what they see to be the role and responsibilities of business, and the values that they believe should be pursued.

Bachelor of Science (Hon) - Global Challenges View

The Monash Science Advanced – Global Challenges (Honours) is the first degree of its kind in Australia that pushes the boundaries of science, and uses science to solve the world’s biggest challenges: climate change, conflict, obesity and an ageing population. This undergraduate course is for high-achieving science students who have the drive and passion to use science to influence business, government, the not-for-profit sector and the wider community.

Global Immersion Guarantee View

The Global Immersion Guarantee is a ground-breaking funded study opportunity to work with overseas communities on local solutions to some of the most pressing global challenges. Students are placed at the intersection between the environment, society and technology, and explore how these concepts can influence how we to respond to the human impact on the environment. Despite the program being cancelled due to border closures in 2021, it won an International Education Association of Australia Excellence Award for Best Practice in International Education.

Green Steps View

Green Steps is an award-winning transformational sustainability leadership program, equipping Monash students with the skills, tools and knowledge needed to become effective leaders and sustainability change agents. The program offers innovative and practical sustainability training and consultancy projects for ambitious emerging leaders. Over more than 20 years, the extracurricular program has transformed lives, launched careers and most importantly, created a network of leaders who are now working in organisations to make the world a more sustainable place to live.

Engagement

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Social Systems Evidence View

In partnership with McMaster University in Canada, Monash is creating the world’s most comprehensive repository of research evidence of ‘what works’ to address the SDGs. The Social Systems Evidence (SSE) platform provides free and fast access to the evidence-base on programs and policy options to help decision-makers decide which option is best to address Sustainable Development challenges in their part of the world.

City of Melbourne Voluntary Local Review View

In 2021, the Monash Sustainable Development Institute partnered with the City of Melbourne and the Melbourne Centre for Cities at University of Melbourne to develop and prepare the City of Melbourne's Voluntary Local Review (VLR), which is reporting on the City's progress against the SDGs. The review aims to enable all Melburnians to take stock of what is happening in their municipality, and assess what is being done and how well. The data and insights from the report will inform where the Council will prioritise its effort through the annual planning and budget process. The final VLR report was launched by the project partners in July 2022 at the Partnerships for the UN SDGs: Melbourne Leadership Forum.

UN and Australia Sustainable Partnerships Forum View

In April 2021, Monash partnered with the United Nations Association of Australia (Victoria Division) to host the two-day inaugural United Nations and Australia Sustainable Partnerships Forum. The forum brought together, virtually, 350 represenatives of governments of all levels, business, universities, students and organisations to discuss and workshop the partnerships needed to progress the SDGs. Monash University President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Margaret Gardner AC officially opened the forum.

The UNAA SDGs Handbook View

The Monash Sustainable Development Institute was one of the key contributors to the 2021 SDG Handbook produced by the United Nations Association of Australia (Victoria Division) and Spark Strategy. The Handbook aims to provide insights, advice, and practical strategies for using the SDGs, informed by the experiences of Australian organisations from different sectors, geographical remits, industries and impact areas.

Global Sustainable Development Report 2023 and Pacific SDG engagement View

In September 2020, Dr Malekpour, a senior lecturer at the Monash Sustainable Development Institute (MSDI), was selected by UN Secretary-General António Guterres to be part of the Independent Group of Scientists that will draft the UN’s 2023 Global Sustainable Development Report. The Report is the peak scientific input to the UN on global progress on the UN’s 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals.

To support this work, in 2021 MSDI partnered with the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to undertake a 2-year project that engages with stakeholders across the Pacific and Australia to capture the challenges and opportunities presented by the SDGs framework.

What Happens Next? podcast View

What Happens Next?, a podcast from Monash University, examines some of the biggest challenges facing our world and asks the experts, what will happen if we don't change? And what can we do to create a better future? With over 70 episodes since 2019, the podcast provides listeners a chance to learn from leaders, listen to the people making a difference, and discover how they can help drive change.

Challenges of the Age Webinar Series View

The Monash Impact 2030 strategy has identified three challenges of the age on which Monash intends to focus: Climate Change, Geopolitical Security, and Thriving Communities.

To engage key Monash alumni and other stakeholders on these challenges, the University organised a webinar on each topic. The webinars were hosted by President and Vice-Chancellor, Prof Margaret Gardner AC, and featured a short address by Prof Sachs, as well as by other experts from the Monash Community.

Links to recordings can be found here:

Session 1: Climate Change
Session 2: Geopolitical Security
Session 3: Thriving Communities

Sustainable Development Solutions Network View

Monash is host to the Australia, New Zealand & Pacific Regional Network of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), a global network of universities and knowledge institutions that mobilises global scientific and technological expertise to promote practical problem solving for sustainable development.

SDSN AusNZPac aims to empower and mobilise universities and knowledge institutions in our region to support the achievement of the SDGs in the region and globally, focussing on supporting the localisation of the SDGs in our region across all sectors, facilitating greater support and engagement by the university and knowledge sector with the SDGs, and engaging young people and university students in the region on the SDGs.

360info View

Launched in November 2021 after extensive development at Monash University, 360info is an open access global information agency that tackles the world’s biggest challenges and offers practical solutions. It publishes research-driven, solutions-focused, and ready-to-use content, and delivers it to publishers without charge under Creative Commons. It focuses on major global news events, but goes beyond breaking news to deliver features content of interest to global audiences. By partnering with hundreds of publishers looking to add in-depth context and more diverse voices to their news journalism, it aims to better inform readers worldwide.

The BehaviourWorks Method Book View

Monash's BehaviourWorks Australia has been sharing a suite of accessible behaviour tools and learnings for designing better behaviour change for good programs through the release in 2021 of The Method Book. This free online resources provides a practical guide to the steps in the behaviour change process, and a list of research and decision-making tools for practitioners that will increase the chances that any behaviour change efforts will be effective.

Operations

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Impact 2030 View

Released in 2021 after extensive consultation, Impact 2030 is Monash University’s strategic plan for 2021 to 2030. It affirms Monash's focus on addressing the challenges of the age for the betterment of our communities, both locally and globally, and charts the path for how the University will actively contribute to addressing these challenges through its research and education, and in collaboration with government, industry, alumni, donors, and community. It also identifies three key global challenges that Monash seeks to address: Climate Change, Geopolitical Security, and Thriving Communities.

Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) View

Monash Business School is a proud signatory to the Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME). PRME is an initiative that was founded in 2007 with the support of the United Nations. Its aim is to serve as a platform to raise the profile of sustainability in schools around the world and to equip today's business students with the understanding and ability to deliver change tomorrow.

University Commitment to the SDGs View

Monash University was one of the first signatories to the University Commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals, in 2016. As a signatory, Monash is committed to support and promote the principles of the SDGs through our world leading research, innovation and education, and strives to ensure our campuses and major programs are environmentally sustainable and socially inclusive.

ESG Statement 2021-2025 View

The 2021-2025 ESG Statement provides Monash a clear position on the principles underpinning its actions that is consistent with the ethics and values of the University. This second ESG statement (2021-2025) for the University builds on the actions and initiatives achieved under the first statement.