University signs up to UN accord
OTAGO is the first university in New Zealand to sign up to a United Nations accord tackling everything from pollution and poor sanitation to climate change, poverty, education and gender equality.
The UN sustainability development goals are 17 broad objectives which organisations and countries have pledged to work towards together.
Colleges and universities across the world which belong to the accord collaborate, sharing their findings and achievements every year.
University of Otago sustainability manager Dr Hilary Phipps said the university council’s decision to sign on Tuesday was ‘‘fantastic’’ and Otago would be able to build on what it was already doing in terms of research and teaching.
‘‘Another way that we can look at what we are doing is even connecting with things like the university volunteer centre,’’ Dr Phipps said.
Examples of what the university was already doing to meet the ‘‘no poverty’’ goal were some of the research work in the geography and health science departments, and the sleepout organised by the Otago University Students’ Association, where students slept in cardboard boxes in the Octagon to raise funds for the Dunedin Night Shelter.
Promoting good health and wellbeing, economic growth, clean water and sanitation, and the environment on land and below water were some of the other goals included in the accord.
‘‘We committed to integrating sustainability right across all of our campuses,’’ Dr Phipps said.
It was about recognising the ‘‘many ways’’ the university was already helping to make the goals reality, and exploring new opportunities to work with people inside and organisations outside the university, Dr Phipps said.