sustainable development goals in education

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The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is guided by the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and is grounded in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

As such, the Agenda's Sustainable Development Goals aim not only to achieve sustainable development in its three dimensions – economic, social and environmental – but also to foster peaceful, just and inclusive societies, realizing the human rights of all.

They offer a blueprint for tackling the defining issues of our time, such as climate change, which requires urgent and transformative action that leaves no one behind.

The United Nations and its agencies, funds and programmes are working with Member States, civil society, the private sector and other stakeholders to accelerate progress toward the Goals, in a spirit of global solidarity, focused in particular on the needs of the poorest and most vulnerable.

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This exhibit was launched in September 2020 and updated in August 2023

Related SDGS

Ensure inclusive and equitable quality educat ....

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Education for all has always been an integral part of the sustainable development agenda. The World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in 2002 adopted the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation (JPOI) which in its Section X, reaffirmed both the Millennium Development Goal 2 in achieving universal primary education by 2015 and the goal of the Dakar Framework for Action on Education for All to eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education by 2005 and at all levels of education by 2015. The JPOI addressed the need to integrate sustainable development into formal education at all levels, as well as through informal and non-formal education opportunities.

There is growing international recognition of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) as an integral element of quality education and a key enabler for sustainable development. Both the Muscat Agreement adopted at the Global Education For All Meeting (GEM) in 2014 and the proposal for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) developed by the Open Working Group of the UN General Assembly on SDGs (OWG) include ESD in the proposed targets for the post- 2015 agenda. The proposed Sustainable Development Goal 4 reads " Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote life-long learning opportunities for all " and includes a set of associated targets.

ESD is closely tied into the international discussions on sustainable development, which have grown in scale and importance since, Our Common Future appeared in 1987, providing the first widely-used definition of sustainable development as the " development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. "

The crucial role of education in achieving sustainable development was also duly noted at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, through Chapter 36 of its outcome document - Agenda 21 .

The importance of promoting education for sustainable development and integrating sustainable development actively into education was also emphasized in paragraph 233 of the Future We Want , the outcome of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, Rio+20, in 2012.

In 2005, UNESCO launched the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development which reaffirmed the key role of education in shaping values that are supportive of sustainable development, and in consolidating sustainable societies. The final report of the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, Shaping the Future We Want , was launched at the UNESCO World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development , held in November 2014, Nagoya, Japan.

In the run-up to the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, Rio+20, the Higher Education Sustainability Initiative (HESI) was created as a partnership of several sponsor UN entities (UNESCO, UN-DESA, UNEP, Global Compact, and UNU) aiming at galvanizing commitments from higher education institutions to teach and encourage research on sustainable development, greening campuses and support local sustainability efforts. With a membership of almost 300 universities worldwide, HESI accounts for more than one-third of all the voluntary commitments that came out of the Rio +20 Conference, providing higher education institutions with a unique interface between policy making and academia.

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• January 2015 SDG 4 The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development commits to "provid[e] inclusive and equitable quality education at all levels – early childhood, primary, secondary, tertiary, technical and vocational training. All people, irrespective of sex, age, race, ethnicity, and persons with disabilities, migrants, indigenous peoples, children and youth, especially those in vulnerable situations, should have access to life-long learning opportunities that help them acquire the knowledge and skills needed to exploit opportunities and to participate fully in society. We will strive to provide children and youth with a nurturing environment for the full realization of their rights and capabilities, helping our countries to reap the demographic dividend including through safe schools and cohesive communities and families". SDG 4 aims to "Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all".
• January 2015 HESI Partner of GAP HESI became in 2015 an official partner of GAP for priority area 2: "Transforming learning and training environments". Through this partnership, HESI has aimed at supporting institutions in designing sustainability plans in partnership with the broader community, and assisting universities in incorporating sustainability into campus operations, governance, policy and administration.
• January 2015 Incheon Declaration The Incehon Declaration was adopted on the occasion of the World Education Forum (WEF), held in May 2015 in Incheon, Republic of Korea. The Declaration aims at promoting education opportunities for all by 2030, within a framework to be finalized by November 2015 and has supported the core aspects of the Education 2030 Framework for Action, building on the UN-led Education For All (EfA) framework and goals.
• January 2014 Muscat In the “Muscat Agreement”, the final statement delivered at the Global Education For All Meetings, education was included as a target on the top of the global development agenda for the 2015 – 2030 period. Participants indeed pledged to galvanize international support for the overarching goal to “ensure equitable and inclusive quality education and lifelong learning for all by 2030”.
• January 2014 GAP As a follow-up to the DESD, ended in 2014, the Global Action Programme has been designed as a concrete, tangible contribution to the post-2015 development and education agendas. Based on broad consultations and input from a wide range of stakeholders, the Programme came at a time when the international community was charged with proposing a new set of sustainable development goals that are action-oriented, global in nature and universally applicable.
• January 2014 World Conf. on ESD The 2014 UNESCO World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) was held in Aichi- Nagoya, Japan from 10 to 12 November 2014. The Conference celebrated the results achieved during the UN Decade of ESD, identified lessons learnt while setting future action under the Global Action Programme.
• January 2012 Future We Want (Para 229-235) In the Future We Want, Member States reaffirm their commitment to the right to education, their engagement to strengthen international cooperation to achieve universal access to primary education, particularly for developing countries. They also reaffirm the importance to achieve full access to quality education at all levels as an essential condition for achieving sustainable development, poverty eradication, gender equality and women's empowerment, as well as human development. The Future We Want also stresses the need for ensuring equal access to education for persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples, local communities, ethnic minorities and people living in rural areas and for providing better quality and access to education beyond the primary level.
• January 2012 HESI Created in the run-up to the Rio+20 Conference, the Higher Education Sustainability Initiative (HESI) is a partnership of UN entities (UNESCO, UN-DESA, UNEP, Global Compact, and UNU) counting today a membership of almost 300 universities from around the world. HESI also accounts for more than one-third of all the voluntary commitments that came out of Rio +20.
• January 2005 UN Decade of ESD With the adoption of Resolution 57/254 in 2002, the UN General Assembly declared a Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD) to take place for the period 2005 – 2014. The inauguration of the DESD represented the beginning of 10 years of improvement and reorientation of education systems towards sustainable development, building on earlier commitments to ESD in Agenda 21. More specifically, the DESD’ s vision aims at the integration of principles and practices of sustainable development into all aspects of education and learning, encouraging changes in knowledge, values and attitudes for enabling a more sustainable and just society for all. The mandate of the DESD has energized a vast number of stakeholders – across Member States, UN agencies, the education sector, the private sector and civil society – to work in partnership to reorient education systems towards sustainable development.
• January 2000 MDG 2 Goal 2 aims at achieving universal primary education by 2015 and to ensure that. as target 2.A reads "children everywhere, boys and girls alike, will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling".

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Statement to the Education post-COVID-19: Extraordinary session of the Global Education Meeting

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What Do Students Really Know About Sustainability?

• Business schools are integrating more sustainability content into their curricula, but often, they are doing so based on assumptions about students’ knowledge and attitudes toward the topic.
• When faculty at BI Norwegian Business School recently surveyed their students, they were surprised to discover that less than one quarter of the students could describe a single United Nations Sustainable Development Goal in specific terms.
• In response to student feedback, BI has revised its curriculum in ways that will require students to engage more frequently with the SDGs and apply sustainable principles in multiple business contexts.

  Most business students today care about sustainability, believe in the importance of adopting responsible business practices, and want to see more sustainability content in their courses. But as business schools integrate sustainability into their courses and programs, what assumptions are faculty making about what students know and believe about sustainability and social responsibility in practice?

At BI Norwegian Business School in Oslo, we wanted to discover our own assumptions. Earlier this year, we surveyed 112 students enrolled in Ethics and Sustainability in Organizations, a mandatory six-week MSc course held in the second half of the spring semester. Their responses offered us a clearer understanding of their perspectives, which we are using to tailor our teaching to how students actually view this important topic.

How Do Students Define Sustainability?

In our survey, we asked students questions such as the following to gain a more complete picture of their attitudes:

How would you define the term “sustainable development” in three words? Here, about one-third of students offered future-oriented responses that aligned with the 1987 report from the United Nations’ Brundtland Commission. The report defines sustainable development as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” The remaining two-thirds of students placed less emphasis on social conditions and more on the environment; renewable energy; and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) policies.

When you think about the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which goals do you think of first? At BI, we display a large poster featuring the U.N.’s 17 SDGs in public and private spaces throughout our building. Even so, we found that only about half of the students surveyed could refer to terms related to the goals, and less than one quarter could name one specific goal or describe it in exact terms. The majority of those who could name specific SDGs referred to SDG 4 (quality education) and SDG 5 (gender equality).

What do you think is the world’s biggest sustainability challenge? Students’ top answer to this question was climate change, followed by war and waste. In addition, we asked students to rank six sustainability challenges in order of greatest priority. Once again, they ranked climate change first, followed by pollution, food insecurity, resource depletion, loss of biodiversity, and social inequality.

Are you pessimistic or optimistic about the future of sustainable development? Students were evenly split on this question—a finding that is especially important to us as teachers. If half of our students are lacking hope for the future, how can we deliver content in ways that inspire students to imagine positive solutions? We did not ask students why they were optimistic or pessimistic, but we plan to add that question to the survey we conduct next semester.

How well do you think BI integrates sustainability into its curriculum? In 2022 and 2023, BI worked to better integrate the topic into our courses, and we wanted to learn whether students thought we had succeeded. We found that 80 percent of first-year students either strongly agreed, agreed, or somewhat agreed that sustainability was a part of BI’s courses. Now, however, we must continuously update our curriculum to reflect the rapidly changing world.

If half of our students are lacking hope for the future, how can we deliver content in ways that inspire students to imagine positive solutions?

How can we do a better job at integrating sustainability at BI? We received a range of answers to this question. Students recommended that we put “more focus on coming up with actual sustainable solutions for real companies,” offer a “view of both sides, both negative and positive,” and provide “more concrete examples.”   

Their most common request was that we integrate more examples of successful sustainability practices into the curriculum. With their feedback in mind, this upcoming semester we are including more relevant examples in our courses. On top of that, we will use more mini case studies, particularly from IMD , which students will then discuss in groups.

Students also suggested that we put more emphasis on the basics and cover issues currently in the news. In our own observations, we also have noticed that students are particularly engaged with assignments that focus on debates they have had in previous classes. Therefore, in Ethics and Sustainability, students are required to write two well-informed opinion essays on an assigned topic for the final exam. There are no right or wrong perspectives—rather, assessments are based on their critical analyses.

For example, two semesters back, a debate was underway in Norway about whether to open the continental shelf to deep sea mining. On the final exam, we asked students to pick a country and write an argument about whether its government should ban or allow deep sea mining, discussing the tradeoffs involved. After the course, many students told us how much they liked the final exam question. They noted that it helped them understand the public debate in a completely new light and showed them how they might engage in debate with others on the topic.

It was students’ positive feedback on this teaching experiment that shaped the way we designed exam questions going forward. Their feedback also prompted us to encourage and require students to read and reference more primary sources. Before, for instance, we would ask students simply to read about the Paris Agreement . Now, we ask them to read the Paris Agreement, think about its benefits and shortcomings, and develop and argue for solutions they believe in. Knowing the value of this approach has been especially useful for faculty who teach courses that focus on sustainability.

Reflecting on the Results

Every semester, the faculty involved in teaching the sustainability component of the Ethics and Sustainability in Organizations course meet to discuss what worked, what did not work, and what we should consider adjusting for the next semester. These discussions cover not only how we might improve course content, but also how we can continuously improve course delivery by experimenting with different teaching and assessment approaches.

Our survey, along with other student feedback, has been instrumental in helping us question our assumptions and has inspired us to make some substantive changes for the upcoming fall semester. For example, we took note of the fact that students ranked climate change as the biggest sustainability challenge both globally and locally. Is this why students feel pessimistic about the future of sustainable development? Do they view the challenge as too big for a solution? This reflection led to new questions about how we can overcome students’ pessimism and help them see sustainability in context beyond climate-focused issues.

For example, even though BI’s faculty align sustainability content with the SDGs, few faculty connect the topics explicitly to the SDGs in course descriptions or in the classroom. In an internal mapping of our curriculum, we found that more than 50 percent of our courses integrate SDG topics, but only 6 percent explicitly mention the SDGs. How can we ensure that students apply sustainability concepts to all that they learn, even if not explicitly instructed to do so?

In other words, how do we teach them to recognize sustainability content in their other classes even if we do not tag that content directly to terms such as sustainability, green business, and ESG issues in the syllabus? If faculty teaching a strategy course use a case study on an African agritech startup without calling it an ESG case, will students still connect it to the relevant SDGs?

We must train students to think in terms of sustainability, responsibility, and societal impact even when these terms are not directly mentioned in course content.

Our survey question on the SDGs offered us some initial insights. Yes, BI students are familiar with the SDGs, but if less than a quarter of the students can describe the specific focus of a single SDG number (for example, that SDG 13 relates to climate change), it signals to us that these goals are not in their working memory. It tells us that students have not deeply engaged with the framework. Have we been incorrectly assuming that students are taking the opportunities available to apply the SDGs in business contexts? We will find out in the upcoming semester, when we will spend more time in class having students actively engage with the SDGs.

We spent the early part of this summer evaluating different SDG tools and projects, determining which would best allow students to work hands-on with and actively apply the SDGs in a business case. Our hypothesis is that this deeper engagement will help students not only see how the SDGs apply to real-world business contexts, but also recognize sustainability content in their subsequent courses—and, eventually, in the workplace.

Creating a Ripple Effect

We realize that current trends of unsustainable development have stemmed, at least in part, from many of the theories that have long been taught in business and economics courses. These theories have led businesses to focus on economic growth over societal welfare and to measure their success in terms of their gross national product rather than sustainable progress. If we want to reverse that trend, we must diverge from “business education as usual” and prepare students for a future that is yet unknown to us.

For this to happen, we must do more than include words such as “environment” and “sustainability” in our course descriptions. We must train students to think in terms of sustainability, responsibility, and societal impact even when these terms are not directly mentioned in course content.

We realize that what students say they want is not necessarily what will help them learn the most—or what they most need to learn. That said, our survey’s results provide a valuable window into students’ understanding of and attitudes about sustainable development.

Over the next semester, we are interested to see if the minor changes we have made in Ethics and Sustainability will have a ripple effect throughout students’ studies. In the future, we plan to conduct a slightly revised survey, so that we can gain insights into each incoming class. We also plan to design a short exit survey to see whether we are achieving our intended objectives.

As sustainability becomes even more important to business, we offer the following suggestions to other business schools and faculty: Question your assumptions. Experiment with your teaching, measure the effects of each approach, and adjust as necessary. Finally, maintain strong connections with practitioners so that you not only know what is happening in the real world today, but also can anticipate what competencies students will need in the future.

As educators, we must all be critical and teach our students to be critical. We need to ask students tough questions, have them struggle to understand the big picture, and let them reach their own conclusions. Through this process, they will develop systems thinking, a skill they will need as they tackle the world’s biggest problems.

Most importantly, instead of preaching sustainability, we need to foster students’ ability to cultivate informed opinions, understand opposing perspectives, and remain optimistic about future possibilities. Students need to discuss sustainability challenges in different fora—not just in dedicated sustainability courses or modules. They must be ready to confront sustainability issues in every relevant business context.

Educators who would like to read or replicate our survey can contact [email protected] .

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Green skills and sustainable learning: A collaborative path forward 

Under the banner of the Green Jobs for Youth Pact (GJPY) -developed by the UN Environment Program ( UNEP ), the United Nations Children’s Fund ( UNICEF ), and the International Labor Organization ( ILO )-, young people around the world created a youth-shared definition of green skills and called for educators, policymakers, and employers to make critical societal reforms to support youth in developing green skills and progressing into green jobs. 

Last July, in New York, members of the Higher Education Sustainability Initiative (HESI) Student Action Group organized and presented the “International Green Skills and Green Jobs for Youth Roundtable”. This event featured a three-part dialogue between young people and high-level stakeholders representing leading universities, intergovernmental representatives, and major private sector employers. The goal was to foster conversations and collaborative actions to make meaningful progress toward a shared vision for green skills and sustainable learning in higher education. 

This event marked the launch of the Green Skills and Green Jobs Youth Consultation Report , where Quinn Runkel ( SOS-International ) shared how this report has helped young people to understand green skills as interdisciplinary and encompassing inclusive of both technical and ‘softer’ skills, and to see the potential for all jobs to be green jobs. She emphasized the need for youth voices to be at the heart of decision-making and solutions   that engage all stakeholders in collaborative actions. Runkel provided an interesting example of a regional outcome, that was led by an online survey disseminated by the All Africa Students’ Union (AASU) and an in-person workshop organized at the Inaugural Green Jobs and Skills Development Workshop, in Nairobi, Kenya.  

Zamzam Ibrahim ( SOS-International and moderator of the event) explained that to achieve a just transition, it is necessary to create accessible and resourceful opportunities for all, as equity and social justice must be extended globally. She called on institutions to collaborate and cooperate to transform the ways students learn. 

During the roundtable discussion, Andre Karolyi ( Cornell Business School & PRME) emphasized the importance of the interdisciplinarity of green skills, while Kwasi Mitchell (Deloitte) provided the perspective of the private sector and the need to work with active organizations that can bring valuable knowledge. Bosen Lily Liu ( UNESCO IESALC ) focused on the importance of enhancing policy interventions to facilitate the acquisition of green skills and access to green jobs for young people. She noted that “capacity building is what brings policy down to earth” and that “the work is not done until action is taken”.  Platforms such as CAMPUS IESALC serve this purpose. The involvement of young people was highlighted as essential to drive cross-sectoral cooperation and promote a sustainable future.  

In the open discussion, the young climate activist, Aishwarya Puttur, acknowledged that financial support is crucial to enable vulnerable youth to access higher education and condemned the invisibility of community-based work. She called for resources to be made available to young activists so that they can put their ideas into action and create real change. 

In closing, Runkel emphasized that the Green Skills and Green Jobs Youth Consultation Report is a tool to be used for real action that contributes to tangible change. In addition, Urmila Sarkar ( UNICEF ) suggested that green empowerment and youth engagement can be achieved by fostering intergenerational dialogue and support, and Sarkar concluded that “green skills and green jobs are not just about employment, they are about empowerment”. 

Drawing on the Canadian context, Kathleen Mahoney ( University of Calgary ) emphasized the importance of governments and institutions supporting youth to access to quality education, especially for vulnerable communities. Diversity among youth is essential when addressing greening skills, and commented on the collaboration between the public and private sectors to achieve good practices. When it comes to developing new policies and support programs, Mahoney was critical of the challenges faced by administrations to leave no one behind. She emphasized the importance of using data and tools to ensure that young people’s voices are heard and put in the center. 

The event highlighted the challenges youth leaders face in accessing quality green jobs and skills: Scaling for action by integrating and contextualizing interdisciplinary and inclusive green skills and jobs in higher education, investing in communities to scale up action, and recognizing the power of bringing young people into decision-making and policy-making spaces. Therefore, UNESCO IESALC acknowledges the efforts of SOS-International , a youth-led organization that co-creates impactful solutions with young people. 

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Exploration of Learner-Centric Assessment and Outcomes to Achieve Education for Sustainable Development

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• Stephen Deepak   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-2197-802X 8 ,
• D. Ravindran   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-1672-9552 8 ,
• Mary Gavaskar   ORCID: orcid.org/0009-0002-9536-1994 9 ,
• Soya Mathew   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-7355-722X 10 ,
• Mini Gopalakrishnan   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-9736-7615 10 &
• P. Tamilselvan   ORCID: orcid.org/0009-0005-3083-5847 11  

Part of the book series: Studies in Systems, Decision and Control ((SSDC,volume 535))

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The Sustainable Development Goals, outlined by UNESCO, consist of 17 ambitious targets for the world to achieve by 2030. UNESCO has clearly defined Governance Policy, Principles, and Methodologies for stakeholders to pursue and contribute towards their realization. Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is a distinct goal aimed at engaging educators and learners in creating a sustainable and conducive learning environment. This involves raising awareness among learners and guiding them toward these goals by sharpening their minds to achieve sustainability The creation and development of an ESD Pedagogy depend on understanding the current learning states and identifying learning gaps. This information serves as input for developing the curriculum and assessing its effectiveness. ESD can be effectively imparted through the implementation of Place-Based Education, providing an immersive experience for learners to gain a meaningful understanding of sustainable development, impacting the cognitive, behavioral, and socio-emotional domains. ESD deliverables can be effectively conveyed through a combination of learner-centered, action-oriented, and transformative learning pedagogies.

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Hernandez Gonzalez, F.: Exploring the affordances of place-based education for advancing sustainability education: the role of cognitive, socio-emotional and behavioural learning. Educ. Sci. (2023)

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School of Management, Kristu Jayanti College (Autonomous), Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

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Deepak, S., Ravindran, D., Gavaskar, M., Mathew, S., Gopalakrishnan, M., Tamilselvan, P. (2024). Exploration of Learner-Centric Assessment and Outcomes to Achieve Education for Sustainable Development. In: El Khoury, R. (eds) Anticipating Future Business Trends: Navigating Artificial Intelligence Innovations. Studies in Systems, Decision and Control, vol 535. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-63569-4_6

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Role of self-help groups on socioeconomic development and the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) among rural women in Cooch Behar District, India

• Basak, Debanjan
• Roy Chowdhury, Indrajit

This study examines the transformative role of self-help groups (SHGs) in the socioeconomic development of rural women in Cooch Behar District, India, and their contribution toward achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations. In this study, we explored the effect of SHGs on rural women by specifically addressing SDGs, such as no poverty (SDG 1), zero hunger (SDG 2), good health and well-being (SDG 3), quality education (SDG 4), and gender equality (SDG 5). Given this issue, a cross-sectional survey and comparison analyses are needed to assess the socioeconomic development of rural women and their awareness level before and after the participation of rural women in SHGs. The survey conducted as part of this study was divided into three sections, namely, demographic characteristics, socioeconomic development, and awareness level, with each focusing on different aspects. A group of 400 individuals who were part of SHGs completed the questionnaire survey form. The results showed that the participation of rural women in SHGs significantly improved their socioeconomic development and awareness level, as supported by both mean values and t test results. Memberships in SHGs and microcredit programs were the major elements that boosted the socioeconomic development of rural women, which also achieves SDGs 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. This study revealed that participation in SHGs and related financial services significantly aided rural women in economically disadvantaged communities in accumulating savings and initiating entrepreneurial ventures. Moreover, participation in SHGs was instrumental in enhancing the self-confidence, self-efficacy, and overall self-esteem of rural women. Finally, doing so enabled them to move more freely for work and other activities and to make family and common decisions.

• Self-help groups;
• Rural women;
• Socioeconomic;
• development;
• Sustainable;
• Development Goals;
• Microcredit;

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How can responsible AI advance progress towards the UN SDGs?

EY Global Corporate Responsibility Leader

Contributors

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• Link Copied

AI can add speed, scale and impact to efforts to solve humanity’s most urgent problems while building a more sustainable and inclusive future.

Three questions to ask:

• How will responsible AI advance progress towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)? 
• How will AI unlock solutions to the biggest environmental challenges? 
• How will AI help social innovators go further, faster to address inequity?

T he EY organization believes in the power of responsible artificial intelligence (AI) to support people and communities and help the planet to thrive. The responsible use of AI unlocks unprecedented opportunities for social impact and is key to achieving the EY Ripples ambition of positively impacting one billion lives by 2030.

AI can be interwoven into the EY approach to solutions, addressing a spectrum of challenges facing humanity. It is not a singular solution but is meant to complement broader systems change. But AI’s potential to create positive human impacts and accelerate sustainable outcomes can only be fully realized if stakeholders have confidence in AI as an exponential technology for good, rather than experiencing it as an accelerator of unsustainable practices. Confidence in AI will also be built by transparently reporting on the net impacts of the technology.

For the global EY organization, the goal is to identify and seize responsible AI opportunities that scale social impact and advance progress towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Our AI for Social Impact strategy combines EY Ripples, Responsible AI, and EY.ai to help accelerate progress towards the UN SDGs in three areas:

AI for social innovation

Ai for education, ai for the environment.

By coming together with like-minded organizations to develop, scale and share responsible AI, we are helping accelerate social impact for people, communities and the planet.

Equipping and helping empower social innovators with the tools and knowledge to harness AI to rapidly scale proven impact solutions.

Impact entrepreneurs are playing a pivotal role in driving positive, grassroots change – especially in communities that are often overlooked. Their work is instrumental in ensuring that technological advances translate into equitable and sustainable progress for society at large. AI has the potential to be a powerful force to help impact entrepreneurs scale new and existing solutions and drive operational efficiencies to extend the reach of social initiatives.

Driving knowledge and insights to enable the AI for social innovation ecosystem

At the 2024 Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, the global EY organization came together with social innovators, other private sector stakeholders and technology organizations to launch the  AI for Social Innovation initiative , hosted by the Schwab Foundation’s Global Alliance for Social Entrepreneurship, co-initiated by Microsoft and supported by the EY organization.

We also collaborated with Microsoft, the World Economic Forum and the Schwab Foundation’s Global Alliance for Social Entrepreneurship to produce a series of white papers. These landmark papers map the current landscape across the globe and highlight case studies of innovators and the supporting ecosystem at the forefront of driving the deployment of AI for social impact; as well as introducing the PRISM framework, presenting a strategic roadmap for social innovators assessing how to ethically include AI in their operations or models.

Supporting female impact entrepreneurs

According to recent assessments by the  United Nations Statistics Division , indicators used to measure progress toward SDG 5 — to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls — are significantly off track from the 2030 targets. Increasing the number of women at the forefront of AI design and development will be a significant step forward. But we cannot be what we cannot see. We need to support women to reskill and upskill in AI and educate, inspire and encourage women to seek out AI-related roles.

As part of the  Technovation AI Forward Alliance , led by Technovation, teams are providing mentoring and coaching to support 25 million girls and young women through AI, coding and entrepreneurship education. The program aims to help create a generation of female leaders and innovators capable of tackling complex global challenges through unique skill sets and digitally-native innovation. Our shared goal is to see six million of these young women enter the workforce in tech-related fields by 2030.

Empowering social innovators to harness and scale AI solutions

Impact entrepreneurs are an important driver to make sure that AI is becoming a force for positive social change. By extending the knowledge of EY teams and collaborating with leading organizations, we can support impact entrepreneurs to harness the potential of AI and scale their existing groundbreaking AI solutions.

The EY organization provides not-for-profit professional services as well as a variety of skills development and coaching programs for impact entrepreneurs. This year we launched the AI SDG Accelerator, supporting pioneering AI solutions aimed at driving significant progress towards achieving the SDGs through a portfolio of pro bono services.  Our first cohort, in collaboration with Microsoft, Acumen and Meaningful Business, supported selected impact entrepreneurs using AI to advance action towards SDG 4: Quality Education. At EY, we recognize that Quality Education will be crucial to help in creating a more sustainable future and address inequalities around the world.

Bridging learning gaps by delivering quality education to underserved cohorts, improving accessibility and personalizing learning.

AI will have a transformative impact on the future of education, creating a pressing need for updated curriculum standards, courses, tools and assessments to prepare students for an age of AI.

The technology itself offers increased opportunities for generating ideas and receiving instant feedback. GenAI tools that offer immediate feedback offer students access to an unparalleled breadth of information beyond what a single educator can typically provide.

AI can also give students greater access to adaptive technologies, which empower young people with disabilities through speech recognition, text-to-speech options and the ability to set their own pace. In addition, just as the internet has opened borders and deepened opportunities for global fellowship, AI promises to enable international collaboration unhampered by language, cultural, and geographic differences.

Training teachers to deploy and deliver AI in the classroom

EY teams are working with TeachAI to support educators to teach with and about AI. The TeachAI initiative guides policy, increases awareness, and builds community and capacity to help education leaders and policymakers understand and act on the implications of AI in education. In addition, through EY’s continued collaboration with Teach For All ,  we are providing guidance on a GenAI curriculum framework, as well as participating in video interviews with EY professionals working in AI field, to be shared with a network of 15,000 teachers across the globe.

We are also supporting teachers and students by providing AI-training through our skills-based volunteering efforts. The EY Future Skills Workshops transform the skills, knowledge and experience of EY professionals by facilitating engaging and fun content on a variety of topics. Our newest module, “All about AI”, is geared towards youth aged 11-18 and provides students with an introduction to AI concepts (including real-world application and ethical considerations) to prepare them for the future of work. Additionally, students learn how to exercise critical thinking when leveraging AI and discover career opportunities that use AI technology.  This initiative not only educates but also inspires the next generation to be innovators in a world where AI plays an increasingly significant role.

Teaching students to embrace AI responsibly

In this guest column for EdTech Digest, EY Global Commercial and Innovation Leader, Global Corporate Responsibility, Laura Turkington, explores the potential benefits, challenges, and learning opportunities surrounding AI.

Empowering social ventures to upskill the workforce to use generative AI (GenAI)

As part of our  collaboration with data.org , EY teams are offering capacity-building workshops and coaching to support awardee organizations of the Generative AI Skills Challenge in scaling their mission. The initiative aims to strenghten the use of GenAI across impact organizations, NGOs and their beneficiaries. This effort aligns with data.org’s commitment to training one million purpose-driven data practitioners by 2032, underscoring our shared dedication to leveraging AI for social impact.

Teaching and mentoring girls in AI skills

The global EY organization and the ITU have joined forces to implement the  AI skills accelerator for girls , addressing the challenge of ensuring female access to the latest and emerging trends in technology. This program will benefit girls and women, particularly from marginalized and underserved communities, by providing them with the necessary digital, ethical, and managerial skills to become content creators, and to boost creativity and innovation in solving challenges at the community level using AI. Over two years, 1,000 girls and young women in 12 countries will be trained at in-person workshops where they will receive knowledge, mentoring and expert support, including from EY professionals, to develop solutions for their communities.

Recognizing that there is a large gap in access to AI learning content, EY teams have collaborated with text-based learning provider  Arist  to create text-based content on AI and STEM for young women aged 18+ globally. The content will be bite-sized modules that will be delivered to students via text message or WhatsApp where students will be able to receive vital STEM education information straight to their phones. In just one month, over 1,000 young women completed the “All about AI” module.

Supporting climate change modelling, deforestation monitoring and energy management to inform and accelerate decarbonization initiatives.

Using data to track and mitigate the effects of climate change

Current biodiversity monitoring is fragmented and often inconsistent. Monitoring efforts face multiple challenges including insufficient technical and human capacity, and data unavailability. AI can aggregate and standardize data from diverse sources, creating a unified and coherent dataset for biodiversity monitoring. Machine learning algorithms can process data from satellite imagery, camera traps, acoustic sensors, and citizen science reports, ensuring consistency and enabling comprehensive analysis.

Since 2007, EY professionals have participated in citizen science projects through the people-powered research platform, Zooniverse . This year, we are continuing mass participation in citizen science projects through Snapshot Safari, a Zooniverse project using machine learning models to improve efficiency of data classifications, ensuring the protection and proliferation of African mammals.

Supporting AI-led sustainability ventures

In collaboration with Bright Tide and Microsoft, EY launched a cohort of the AI SDG Accelerator , targeting regenerative agriculture, which offers a transformative approach to addressing climate change, nurturing soil health, sequestering carbon and fostering biodiversity – in the process bringing us closer to achieving the first 10 SDGs. The program aims to expedite the shift toward regenerative agriculture practices by empowering farmers and others in the agriculture value chain with the AI tools they need to make data-driven decisions and improve both their efficiency and resilience in the face of climate change. EY teams are providing coaching, technical and business guidance, networking and pitching opportunities to help ventures tackle challenges and scale their mission.

When used ethically and responsibly, the social effects of AI can be a catalyst for positive change. As we look towards 2030, the impact of these efforts will be measured not just in numbers, but in the improved quality of life for individuals and communities around the globe. The EY vision of impacting one billion lives is ambitious, yet with the strategic application of AI for good, it is a goal that is increasingly within reach. The journey ahead is one of continuous learning, adaptation, and partnership to inspire a generation of responsible AI-driven social impact.

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The EY Ripples program aims to positively impact one billion lives by 2030. Find out more about this and other global corporate responsibility commitments.

AI holds great promise to enable sustainable growth and empower people and society to build a better working world. Through a global AI for Social Impact strategy, EY organization is addressing global development issues, using responsible AI equitably to educate, to advance social innovation and to help the environment.

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What you need to know about Leading SDG4 - Education 2030

Where do we stand with the education 2030 agenda .

The Education 2030 agenda was adopted in 2015 to ‘ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all’ by 2030 with a series of targets set out to realize this. Before COVID-19, the world was already off-track to meet the targets and because of the pandemic some of the gains already made in education were lost. Education was severely disrupted worldwide with the most vulnerable learners affected worst. However, the crisis also saw global partnerships strengthened or newly forged in order to rethink the way forward for education and realize the Education 2030 goals. 

What does it mean that UNESCO is the lead agent for SDG4 – Education 2030? 

While governments shoulder the main responsibility for ensuring quality education, the 2030 Agenda is a universal and collective commitment. Within this structure, UNESCO heads the Secretariats of the Global Education Cooperation Mechanism (GCM) and the Transforming Education Summit to be held in September 2022. Both draw on the expertise of key UN entities and partners to strengthen and coordinate work towards SDG 4. The fact that the Secretariats gather many agencies together ensures that everyone owns the work that is undertaken and that it becomes a solid launching pad for sustained progress towards the 2030 Agenda. 

How does the Global Education Cooperation Mechanism work? 

The GCM was inaugurated in November 2021 at the Global Education Meeting for SDG 4 which gathered experts to reimagine and realign their work towards the education targets in the goal. It aims for collective action and joint accountability and builds on the 2015 Incheon Declaration and Education 2030 Framework for Action . It is governed by the SDG 4 Education 2030 High-Level Steering Committee (HLSC) which is made up of decision-makers from across the globe.  

What does the High-Level Steering Committee do? 

Chaired by H.E. Julius Maada Bio, the President of Sierra Leone and Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO’s Director General, HLSC aims to speed country-level progress towards SDG 4. It consists of a Leadership Group composed of 28 members of which 18 represent the 6 regions of the world, with two countries and one inter-governmental regional organization per region, who meet once a year to provide leadership on the global education agenda. A second Sherpa Group consults with their constituencies ahead of SDG 4 Education 2030 High-Level Steering Committee meetings and provides feedback afterwards.  

The HLSC promotes evidence-based policy formulation and implementation, monitors progress and improves the availability and use of data and helps mobilize financing. Other key members of the global education community represented include civil society organizations, teachers, banks, foundations and the private sector and youth and students. 

The HLSC will be responsible for the follow-up of the Transforming Education Summit, including contributing to the education dimension of the Summit of the Future in 2023. It will continue to monitor progress, promote and facilitate knowledge and practice exchange, engage youth, and champion cross-sector and multilateral cooperation.

​​​​​​​What part do youth activists and NGOs play in realizing the targets? 

Youth and NGOs have one seat each on both the HLSC Leaders group and the Sherpa Group. The SDG 4 Youth Network brings young voices to the table in conversations shaping global education policies. A youth representative has a seat on the HLSC Leaders group and the network itself brings young people together around the world .   

UNESCO considers NGOs or civil society associations as key partners in fulfilling its education mandate and the Education 2030 Agenda is clear on their role in translating SDG 4 commitments into practice at local, national regional and global levels. The Collective Consultation of NGOs on Education 2030 is a UNESCO mechanism for dialogue, reflection and partnership with civil society associations and of particular importance in reaching the marginalized.  

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• Developed countries to implement fully their official development assistance commitments, including the commitment by many developed countries to achieve the target of 0.7 per cent of ODA/GNI to developing countries and 0.15 to 0.20 per cent of ODA/GNI to least developed countries ODA providers are encouraged to consider setting a target to provide at least 0.20 per cent of ODA/GNI to least developed countries
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• Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships

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• By 2030, build on existing initiatives to develop measurements of progress on sustainable development that complement gross domestic product, and support statistical capacity-building in developing countries

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Uzbekistan Emerges as a Hub for Global Dialogue on Multidimensional Poverty

August 27, 2024.

Tashkent-Samarkand, August 27-29, 2024. Today in Tashkent, the 9th Annual Meeting of the Multidimensional Poverty Peer Network (MPPN) commenced. This event brings together global leaders, policymakers, economists, and experts from 63 countries and over 20 international organizations to deliberate on key issues in the fight against poverty. Over the course of this three-day forum, participants will have the opportunity to exchange insights on national experiences and international best practices in poverty alleviation.

The Center for Economic Research and Reforms (CERR) and the Agency for Mahallabay Work and Entrepreneurship Development, with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Uzbekistan and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI), are the organizers of this international forum.

The selection of Uzbekistan as the host country underscores the international community's recognition of the significance of the ongoing reforms aimed at a profound understanding and measurement of multidimensional poverty for more effective combat. It also opens new horizons for the exchange of experiences.

Ravshan Gulyamov, Advisor to the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan on Economic Development, read out the Address of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev to the participants of the 9th Meeting of the Multidimensional Poverty Peer Network.   

The Address emphasized that improving the living conditions of every citizen, increasing the volume and quality of education and healthcare services in the New Uzbekistan, is the primary focus of current reforms. An investment of about $2.5 billion in enhancing kindergartens, schools, hospitals, and infrastructure in mahallas serves as a strong indicator of this commitment.

The President underscored the importance of strengthening social protection for the population, particularly in low-income families. To this end, the National Agency for Social Protection and "Inson" centers have been established, reaching over 2.3 million families, a fourfold increase compared to 2017. Notably, the lives of 3 million people in the country have improved over the past three years, while the poverty rate has decreased from 17% to 11%.

In closing the Address, confidence was expressed that the expert dialogue within the framework of this Forum would be fruitful, and the practical proposals and recommendations developed as a result would mark a new step in reducing global poverty.

The participants of the Meeting were also addressed by the Director of the National Agency for Social Protection, Mansurbek Olloyorov, the Minister of Employment and Poverty Reduction of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Behzod Musayev, Professor of Economics and Director of the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative, Sabina Alkire, the UN Resident Coordinator in Uzbekistan, Sabine Machl, the UNDP Resident Representative in Uzbekistan, Akiko Fujii, and the Director of MPPN, Gonzalo Hernandez Licona.

Welcoming the participants, the Director of CERR, Obid Khakimov, noted the importance of combating multidimensional poverty in Uzbekistan and other developing countries.

"Today, we have a unique opportunity to exchange ideas and experiences on such an important topic as multidimensional poverty. We have gathered here to work together on solutions that can change the lives of millions of people around the world,"

“The MPPN meetings bring together a committed community of decision-makers and senior officials thinking deeply about how to turn a corner on poverty. In trying times, the importance of these spaces for inspiration and precise knowledge exchange cannot be overestimated”

Currently, Uzbekistan is implementing the concept of multidimensional poverty by carrying out a project to measure the Multidimensional Poverty Index with support from UNDP. This event marks a significant step towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and reaffirms our commitment to international standards in the fight against poverty.

“UNDP works closely with countries to implement policies that truly make a difference in people’s lives. This includes creating jobs and boosting skills, improving infrastructure and market access, and diversifying local economies by supporting small businesses and providing access to credit. By focusing on community-driven development, we can tackle poverty from multiple angles and create lasting change,”

The event featured presentations by Dr Ali Haidar Ahmad, Minister of Housing, Land and Urban Development in Maldives, by Dr. Liu Juwen, Director General of the International Poverty Reduction Center in China (IPRCC), Ricardo Landero, Vice Minister of Social Development of Panama, R.H.W.A. Kumarasiri, Director General of the Department of National Planning of Sri Lanka, and Areef Suleman, Group Chief Economist, Islamic Development Bank. 

During the forum, participants shared experiences and results aimed at improving poverty reduction strategies on a global level. In particular, each presentation enriched the dialogue and provided new tools for work. Important topics were discussed, such as the use of the Multidimensional Poverty Index for national programs, innovations in poverty measurement, and the need for regional cooperation. These discussions deepened understanding and strengthened the bonds of the community striving to improve people's lives.

On the third day of the forum, a practical field trip to Samarkand is expected, where participants will be able to study the Uzbek experience on the ground, including the "mahallabay" system, which actively operates at the local community level.

For reference: Poverty eradication stands as a leading priority within the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Indeed, the very first goal is to end poverty in all its forms everywhere by 2030. A crucial aspect of this process involves identifying the root causes of poverty, assessing their impact, and implementing targeted measures to address them within each country.

To facilitate a more nuanced assessment of poverty within each country, considering its unique characteristics, the Global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) was introduced in 2010. Developed by the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) and the United Nations Development Programme, this index utilizes indicators related to health, education, and living standards to gauge the prevalence and intensity of poverty experienced by populations.

The MPI has replaced the Human Poverty Index and has already been employed in over 100 developing nations. It is published alongside the Human Development Index (HDI) in the Human Development Report.

With the aim of consolidating efforts and exchanging experiences in the fight against poverty, the Global Multidimensional Poverty Peer Network (MPPN) was established in 2013. This network, comprising 63 countries and over 30 international organizations, assists policymakers in assessing multidimensional poverty to develop more effective measures for its reduction.

Annual meetings within this network have previously been held in Berlin (2014), Cartagena (2015), Acapulco (2016), Beijing (2017), Johannesburg (2018), Mahe (2019), and Santiago (Chile) in 2021. This year, such a meeting is taking place in Uzbekistan.

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