Home
News and events
News
2022 news
Quality
University recognised for partnership strengths in achieving sustainability goals

University recognised for partnership strengths in achieving sustainability goals

Posted on 27 April 2022

The University of York is one of the top 10 universities in the world for its collaborative work in helping the United Nations achieve its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), according to a prestigious league table.

Attendees at a Thanzi la Onse (Health of All) research meeting in Lilongwe, Malawi, in January 2019.

York was ranked seventh globally for its ability to collaborate with partners and influence government policy and strategy around sustainable development.

The Partnership for Goals ranking, which also measures SDG research and input into reports, was made at this year’s Times Higher Education Impact Rankings, the first time the University of York provided a submission.

The rankings measure and compare universities’ performance against the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) worldwide.

Health

An example of York’s work in supporting the SDGs is the 'Thanzi la Onse' (Health of All) project, led by the University's Centre for Health Economics with collaboration from the Department of Politics and Interdisciplinary Global Development Centre. It looked at ways of improving the health of the population in Malawi as well as reducing health inequality in the country.

The project worked closely with policy-makers in Malawi and Uganda to support them in using data produced by the study to inform national health care budgets and resource allocation.

Critical mission

Vice-Chancellor Professor Charlie Jeffery said: "While we fully acknowledge there is still much more to do to achieve the UN’s and our own sustainability goals, we are really proud to be recognised for how we collaborate with partners around the globe to drive forward these ambitions.

"As a community, we are absolutely committed to a more sustainable future, and how we can continue to be a vital source and inspiration of change and innovation. Thank you to all those involved in helping us with this critical mission."

Recognition

York’s work to tackle gender inequality and research into aquatic ecosystems and the arts and heritage belonging to our cities and communities also received recognition in the rankings.

Out of 1,400 institutions overall, York was ranked in the global top 50 for its work on gender equality (44th), which includes its mentoring programme and accessible childcare facilities.

Research and teaching on aquatic ecosystems (Life Below Water) was ranked 51, while research and support for arts and heritage (Cities and Communities) was ranked in the top 100 in the world.