Finalist

SDG Initiative of the Year Award

The SDG/2063 Impact Hub

Finalist of the SDG Initiative of the Year Award

Stellenbosch University - South Africa

"Sustainable Development Progress for the “Africa we Want”"


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@SUglobally
(SU International Twitter Account)
https://www.instagram.com/su_globally/
(SU International Instagram Account)
https://www.facebook.com/SUglobally
(SU International Facebook Account)
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@stellenboschuniversityinte1234
(SU International YouTube Account)

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Summary

Stellenbosch University (SU) has a vision to be the leading research-intensive university in Africa, globally recognized as excellent, inclusive, and innovative: A place where we advance knowledge in service of society. We believe in living this vision daily through the work that we do in teaching and learning, research, and ensuring a societal impact.

SU’s Strategic Vision 2040 is informed by both the United Nations’ (UN) 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development (SD) Goals (SDG) and the African Union’s (AU) Agenda 2063 and its related goals and aspirations for a peaceful and prosperous Africa: The Africa we Want.

In late 2021, SU established the first unit, the SDG/2063 Impact Hub, to focus exclusively on Sustainable Development (SD) contributions to both Agendas by the university, to assist the University in its drive to become systemically sustainable. As an initial activity, the SDG/2063 Impact Hub was tasked to map and document the contributions that SU makes to SD on a regional (AU Agenda 2063) and global (UN 2030 Agenda) scale, distinguishing it from other SDG Hubs across the globe.

The key objectives of the Hub, situated within the Centre for Collaboration in Africa, are to promote and advocate for the uptake of the two Agendas at SU as follows:
- Raise awareness at SU and partners on existing SDG/2063 related activities, including sustainability literacy programmes.
- Create partnerships through international collaborations for SDG/2063 research, education, and promotion.
- Coordinate: Collect data, measure impact, consolidate resources
- Communicate SU’s contributions to the overarching Sustainability Goals.

Key People


Corina du Toit
Programme Manager: SDG/2063 Impact Hub
Stellenbosch University International: Centre for Collaboration in Africa,  Stellenbosch University



Dr Nico Elema
Director
Stellenbosch University International: Centre for Collaboration in Africa,  Stellenbosch University



Maryke Hunter-Hüsselmann
Manager: Research and Information Strategy
Division for Research Development,  Stellenbosch University


Acknowledgements

The work of the Hub could not have been done without the support of the SD Working group:
Prof Ian Cloete, Senior Director: Information Governance
John de Wet, Manager: Environmental Sustainability, Facilities Management
Corina du Toit, Programme Manager: SDG/2063 Impact Hub, Stellenbosch University International
Amy Edwardes, Sustainable Development Information Reporter, SDG/2063 Impact Hub, Stellenbosch University International
Aasima Gaffoor, Coordinator: Research Communication & NRF Rating, Division for Research Development
Maryke Hunter-Hüsselmann, Director: Research Information and Strategic Initiatives, Division for Research Development
Rabelani Mutondwa, Manager: Internationalisation, Social Impact and Postgraduate Systems, Information Technology
Refiloe Nkhasi, Coordinator: Communications and Marketing, Stellenbosch University International
Dannica Pedro, Sustainability Coordinator: Facilities Management
Chevaan Reedwaan Peters, Manager: Knowledge Information Systems & Marketing, Division for Social Impact
René Robbertze, Senior Business Intelligence Analyst: Information Governance
Albè Van Niekerk, Sustainable Development Information Curator: Information Governance

Images

Alignment of the 5 Strategic Research Areas at SU with the UN's SDGs and the AU Goals and Aspirations

3-Bin recycling system on campus as higlighted in the SD Annual Report 2021/22

Launch of the Sustainable Development Annual Report 2021/22 for "The Africa we Want"

Our first, Sustainable Development Annual Report (2021/22)

Solar Panel installation as featured in the Sustainable Development Annual Report

Student Climate Actvists in the run-up to Cop27 and the African Regional Forum (Sept 2022)

Grey Water Recyling Plant as highlighted in the Sustainable Development Annual Report 2021/22

IMPACT STORY

Impacting lifes

Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are uniquely positioned to contribute to Sustainable Development (SD) as it not only educates the future leaders, policymakers and professionals of the future, but can also contribute to finding solutions to our biggest challenges we face globally through research, training and development. For SU, it has become time to rethink our approaches to solving SD Challenges to become a systemically sustainable University.

In 2022, through the coordination of the Hub created the following SD resources to showcase our contribution to the two Agendas;
1. An institutional SD Website containing information on SD teaching programmes, research, outreach and st221
2. Our first SD Annual Report “Sustainable Development for the Africa we Want 2021/2022” at a Gala Event in with our International HEI collaborators, alongside a to collaborate on Progress for the Goals (SDG 17).
- The Africa we Want is the AU Agenda 2063 slogan that we have adopted to ensure our focus remains strongly in Africa.
Novel Initiatives:
1. Our first SD Literacy Course (Future17 SDG Challenge): SU students worked with three international HEIs under the guidance of academic mentors to solve global sustainability challenges.
2. Founded the African Regional Forum on Climate Change as we prepared to attend Cop27 in 2022, with 23 other African HEIs, included student activists

LEARNINGS

Lessons learned

Learnings: There is a great appetite at SU to incorporate SD into our research, teaching and operations: We came to realise that one SD Impact Hub can functionally coordinate and communicate the achievements as SU contributes to SD Agendas due to this passion. From the SDIR research, there are many individuals and environments that carry sustainability highly, however these contributions were not being collated and communicated centrally. The same goes for the buy-in around the Sustainability Literacy programme, that was oversubscribed 5:1 at both offerings.

Contributions: From the first SDIR, it became apparent that SU contributes significantly towards the physical and environmental impact goals: SDG 2, SDG 3, SDG 4, SDG 6, SDG 7, SDG 13, SDG 15 and SDG 16. We realise that as an institution, we can do more to add to the Goals in terms of human development (SDG 5, Gender Equality, SDG 10, Reduced Inequalities, etc.). This gap analysis has now enabled SU to broaden the focus of its contributions and ensure that these topics get equal billing when planning sustainability interventions.

Advice: However, for real change to happen, we need investment across the university at all levels to contribute to becoming a systematically sustainable university. We are now driving a SD working group that will be nestled under the office of the Deputy Vice Chancellors to ensure that we incorporate SD in all facets of Research, Teaching, Outreach and Stewardship (both human and environmental resources) from an operational point of view also to update existing and inform new policies to include sustainability elements.

FUTURE PLANS

What's coming?

Plans for the next year of the SDG/2063 Impact Hub’s include building on the relationships forged this year and advocating for wider reach and deeper implementation of certain programmes.
• Partnerships for Progress: Leverage the International Office’s partner institutions to create multilateral projects focussing on the two SD Agendas.
• African Universities Network on Climate: Further meetings with a regional agenda for implementation as a network as we prepare for Cop28
• Sustainability Literacy: After the overwhelming response by students and staff to take part in the Future17 SDG Challenge, the Hub will create an accredited Short Course available across the university to all students and staff. The aim is to produce students that are SD literate and understand the SD impacts they can have at home and at work.
• The Champions: Acknowledge through SD reporting the areas and people at SU that make a big contribution to the Goals.
• Awareness and Advocacy: Create avenues to make the work of the Hub more visible to create awareness of the commitment to the goals and encourage students and staff at SU to purposefully work towards the Goals and integrate Sustainability in their work and everyday lives.
• Systemic Change: Understand what processes need to be put in place at a governance level to help embed the two Agendas at SU.
• Collaborate further with the SU School for Climate Studies (the only entity of its kind in Africa) on their activities, including the Climate-Migration-Health Hub (CliMigHealth).

KEY STATISTICS

32 500 students

32 500 students and 1800 researchers Stellenbosch University

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