Higher Education for Sustainable Development Goals (POK)

The course introduces the concept of Sustainable Development and the recent debate and policies promoted at the global level to face urgent environmental and societal challenges. 17 Sustainable Development Goals, the SDGs, have been promoted by the United Nations in 2015 aiming at responding to those global challenges by 2030. We all are called to transform our world toward a sustainable future, combating most of the inequalities and reducing the environmental impact of our societies. No one has to be left behind in this race, hence we need innovative solutions to address most of the SDGs on time and achieve these ambitious targets.

It is evident that Higher Education plays a major role in this challenge and has a big responsibility in driving the change. Educating future society leaders to sustainability is a must and has to permeate all aspects of your future career and personal life. We want our students to be ambassadors for a sustainable development.

Let’s start by creating knowledge and awareness on sustainability, discovering the richness and interdisciplinary connections that can be established among several topics, at least among the 17 SDGs. In the first week, the course introduces the main concepts and aims at giving back the transversal links existing among the goals. Along the next five weeks, the SDGs are presented, grouped according the 5Ps principles: people, prosperity, planet, peace and partnerships. Beside introducing the main concepts and definitions, we will accompany the SDG with practical examples, from research outcomes to on campus applications. Hence, a comprehensive picture of all the challenges will help you getting a holistic vision of the global challenges and position yourself with your theoretical and professional competences acquired through your study plan as part of the broad society. You will understand your potential contribution and societal mission; in short, you can make the difference towards a sustainable future!

You can access the course absolutely free of charge and completely online.