UN Sustainable Development Goals
Addressing the world's most pressing challenges
Concordia's SDG commitment
The United Nations developed the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a call to action and a game plan for promoting peace and prosperity while protecting the planet.
Concordia is committed to joining the Decade of Action from now to 2030 in support of sustainable development in our community and around the world.
What we're doing
Voluntary University Review (VUR)
The VUR is a process focused on determining how best to maximize our impact and engagement as a university in alignment with the global effort.
17 Rooms
The 17 Rooms exercise brought together faculty, staff, and students around each of the SDGs to strategize about how to coordinate activities and achieve greater impact, and 8 takeaways emerged.
SDG reports provide an overview of activities at Concordia that align with the Global Goals.
University impact ranking
The 2024 Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings placed the university among the world’s best for six SDGs, including a place in the top 80 for three goals:
- SDG 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities (26th place)
- SDG 13 – Climate Action (51st place)
- SDG 10 – Reduced Inequalities (80th place)
In Canada, Concordia tied for first with eight other universities for SDG 7 – Affordable and Clean Energy, and was fifth in the country for SDG 8 – Decent Work and Economic Growth.
Concordia Sustainability Action Plan 2020-2025
Achieving the SDGs is tied to our Sustainability Action Plan. The action plan provides a long-term vision as well as practical steps to take around food, waste, and climate action in our research, curriculum, and operations.
Engaging with the Global Goals
Watch the virtual event launch of Concordia’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) efforts, hosted by President Graham Carr and Anne Whitelaw, provost and vice-president, academic.
The event featured four special guests:
- John McArthur, senior fellow and director of the Center for Sustainable Development at the Brookings Institution, based in Washington, D.C.
- Margaret Biggs, chair of the International Development Research Centre in Ottawa
- Sarah Mendelson, head of the Washington D.C.-based Heinz College of Carnegie Mellon University
- Éliane Ubalijoro, executive director of Sustainability in the Digital Age and director of the Canadian Global Hub for Future Earth, based at Concordia
SDG-related research and news
