2024 INTERNATIONAL UNESCO CHAIRS CONFERENCE: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS AT UNIVERSITIES

From October 7 to 9, 2024, the UNESCO Chair Higher Education for Sustainable Development, Leuphana University in Lüneburg hosted the international UNESCO Chairs conference, which provided an important platform for exchange and discussion on the role of the UNESCO Chair network and its international partners regarding the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The conference aimed to exchange ideas and discuss practical ways in which universities can improve their sustainability efforts and better align their programmes with these goals.

The UNESCO Chair "Historic Urban Landscape and Heritage Impact Assessments" at Hochschule RheinMain was represented by the Chairholder Prof. Dr.-Ing. Michael Kloos, the Chair Coordinator Dr. Merve Demiröz Torun, and Hjördis Dall as a student representative of young researchers. Together, the delegation contributed their approaches and experiences to the conference, presented a poster on the Chair’s activities, and strengthened exchanges with international partners. Under the motto “Halfway to 2030: UNESCO Chairs’ perspectives on the SDGs”, the participants of the conference reflected on the progress made and challenges faced so far.

The conference opened with the question: “Is the glass half full or half empty?”, setting the mood for a critical discussion. In this context Prof. Dr.-Ing. Michael Kloos moderated a plenary discussion panel on the status of the SDGs. This was followed by a varied programme of keynote speeches, plenary discussions and group workshops in which the Chairs and their international partners presented and discussed their diverse research approaches and teaching concepts in connection with the SDGs. Musical performances, a historical city tour and a visit to the nearby UNESCO biosphere reserve “Niedersächsische Elbtalaue” rounded off the programme and made the topic of sustainability a practical experience. Special attention was paid to networking and dialogue between experienced scientists and young researchers. The latter were represented at such a conference for the first time and took the opportunity to contribute their perspectives and demands. The young delegates emphasised the need to involve them more actively in research and suggested intensifying cooperation between students and UNESCO chairs in order to promote innovative concepts for sustainable orientation at universities.