The Higher Education Sustainability Initiative (HESI) is an open partnership between several United Nations entities and the higher education community launched in the lead-up to the Rio+20 Conference in 2012. It is currently chaired by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) and the Sulitest Association – a non-profit organization and online platform aimed at improving sustainability literacy for all. Other UN partners include UNESCO, UN Environment Programme, UN Global Compact’s Principles for Responsible Management Education initiative, UN University, UN-HABITAT, UNCTAD, UNITAR, and UN Office for Partnerships.Through its strong association with the United Nations, HESI aims to provide higher education with an interface between higher education, science, and policy making by raising the profile of higher education’s sector in supporting sustainable development, convening multi-stakeholder discussions and action, and sharing best practices.
HESI+10 Global Forum, 6 July 2022
Each year, HESI organizes a global forum as a special event to the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) – UN’s main platform for the follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at the global level – to highlight the critical role of higher education in achieving sustainable development.The HESI+10 Global Forum, which will be held on 6 July 2022 as a virtual event, will place a particular focus on deepening the understanding of the challenges and opportunities the higher education community can play in building back better from the COVID-19 while advancing the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, in line with the theme of HLPF in 2022.
