Latest news with #SDG
Daily Maverick
12 hours ago
- General
- Daily Maverick
University of Johannesburg secures spot in Times Higher Education University Impact Rankings' global top 30
University of Johannesburg Vice-Chancellor Professor Letlhokwa Mpedi said the prestigious rankings 'measure a university's contribution towards the realisation of sustainable development; it is the impact we have as a university on people'. The University of Johannesburg is now the leading sub-Saharan Africa institution in addressing global challenges through the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This is according to the Times Higher Education University Impact Rankings. The University of Johannesburg's (UJ) strong performance in the 2025 rankings, climbing 13 places from its 2024 position of 36th to an outstanding 23rd place globally, highlights its excellence in areas such as environmental sustainability, social inclusion, economic growth and global partnerships — affirming its role as a transformative force in higher education. The university is now ranked among the top 30 universities in the world out of 2,318 institutions evaluated. UJ also performed well in the individual SDG top 10s, taking second place for SDG 1 (no poverty), fourth place for SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth) and joint fourth for SDG 17 (partnerships for the goals). 'We want UJ to be the best university for the world' Daily Maverick spoke to the UJ Vice-Chancellor Professor Letlhokwa Mpedi, who said this milestone was not easy to attain; however, it showed the impact that the university had on people from different communities in South Africa. Mpedi gave examples of some of the work done. 'Through the UJ societal impact project in Limpopo, we adopted villages and a high school, working with generous donors. We are addressing food insecurity. 'We've got carriages that we have set up there, helping gogos, but there are children in a high school called Hanyani High School; they leave home at 4am to be at school at 8am. We have assisted with internet and water,' said Mpedi. Another example included work done in the Eastern Cape. 'There's a village where we set up hydro panels. There was a water issue, and through these hydro panels we harvest water from the atmosphere; these hydro panels harvest 8,000 litres of potable water,' said Mpedi. Speaking about eradicating poverty, Mpedi said challenges such as poverty, hunger, and unemployment must be dealt with by coming up with new solutions. 'Many of our students are the first generation to come to varsity, and student hunger is a big issue. We have a feeding programme for our needy students, and it's not a lousy meal. It's like Cheesy Rice and peanut butter, and we work with generous donors; also, the university invests some of its money… 'We've got lots of free land that is not being used. The aim is to show people that you can grow your food,' said Mpedi, who has held several senior academic and leadership positions. He served as Executive Dean of the Faculty of Law, followed by his appointment as Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Academic. Since 2023, Mpedi has been the vice-chancellor and principal of the university. For the Impact Ranking achievement, he thanked the students and his staff who had worked brilliantly. 'I would say to them, 'Thank you so much. The hard work is making a huge difference out there. It's giving people hope.' We are transforming lives,' said Mpedi. Among other African universities that have made it to the top 100 is the University of Pretoria, which is now ranked 63, down from 42. Nigeria's Afe Babalola University is in joint 84th position, up from the 101-200 band. DM
GMA Network
12 hours ago
- General
- GMA Network
JRU launches new sustainability campaign in commitment to UN SDGs
Jose Rizal University (JRU) launched its Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) initiative, aligning its commitment to sustainability in education, operations, and community collaborations with the United Nations' 17 Global Goals and the 2030 Agenda. In a press release, the university said that the new campaign was launched with an event themed 'Unveiling the Eco Hero in Us' held on Thursday at the JRU Centennial Building Auditorium. Dr. Kathleen G. Apilado, Dean of the College of Hospitality and Tourism Management and Chair of the JRU SDG Committee, highlighted the university's deep commitment. 'This is not just a launch — this is a legacy. Sustainability is part of our identity. It is Taos-Pusong Rizal in action,' she said, reflecting how JRU's core values align with the SDGs and are already evidenced by over 50 SDG-integrated course activities and green campus initiatives. The event also introduced JRU's SDG Committee, headed by Dr. Apilado, with Engr. Joseph S. Dela Cruz and Ms. Hiromi M. Lascano as co-chairs. Among the committee's responsibilities are overseeing various thematic areas of implementation, facilitating collaboration with external stakeholders, and more. Inspiration was also drawn from an audiovisual presentation featuring sustainability case studies from organizations, including GMA Network and others, noting that although they are not official partners, their stories provided inspiration for JRU's advocacy. The event concluded with the official launch of the Green Campus Challenge, a year-long campaign promoting eco-friendly habits and environmental advocacy. —Carby Rose Basina/CDC, GMA Integrated News
The Star
14 hours ago
- Business
- The Star
Sarawak developing statewide sustainability roadmaps, to implement UN's Sustainable Development Goals
KUCHING: Sarawak is developing sustainability roadmaps for all 27 local authorities across the state to implement the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) at the local level. Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian said local authorities were developing the roadmaps with Urbanice Malaysia, an agency under the federal Housing and Local Government Ministry. "We want to see sustainability roadmaps for city, municipal and district council levels. "All this will be localised because we cannot expect to have the same SDG goals as London, Beijing or Washington. We are all different," he said on Friday (June 20). Dr Sim was speaking to reporters after witnessing the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Urbanice and three local councils - Padawan Municipal Council, Kota Samarahan Municipal Council and Sarikei District Council - for the preparation of their SDG voluntary local review report. He said the sustainability roadmaps would help set the standard for local authorities to compare their progress with other cities. This, Dr Sim said, would help identify any gaps that need addressing or areas for improvement. He added that the voluntary local review by the three councils would allow them to look at their gaps in implementing the SDG. "The gaps can be due to local challenges in certain areas of Sarawak, such as places where we are still reaching out to supply electricity and clean water. "We're also looking at parameters such as the difference between urban and rural poverty," he said. Urbanice chief executive officer Norliza Hashim said Sarawak had achieved 58% progress in localising the SDG, above the national average of 43%. "This is the overall achievement of all the local authorities in Sarawak, based on data we got from the Statistics Department, the state government and the local authorities themselves," she said. Norliza also said Sarawak was the first state to evaluate the localisation of SDGs by all its local authorities simultaneously. "This is a good commitment. Then you can take action at the state level, not just at the local level, because you see the results as a whole," she said.
Time of India
a day ago
- Business
- Time of India
‘11 times more efforts needed to eliminate child labour by 2025'
Lucknow: Over 64% of child labour is concentrated in agriculture, while the remainder works as domestic help or are engaged in small-scale industries, revealed the recently released report on child labour by the International Labour Organisation and Unicef. This report was presented at an official programme marking the culmination of a weeklong campaign on child labour. The report also underscored that, at the current pace of progress, the global Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of eliminating child labour by 2025 cannot be achieved. To meet this goal, efforts need to be made 11 times faster. The findings are significant, considering that the state has pledged to make UP a child labour-free state by 2027. "Our department, together with all other departments and key stakeholders, will make concerted efforts to achieve the target of making UP a child labour-free state by 2027 by effectively implementing the State Action Plan," said Labour and Employment Minister Anil Rajbhar. Labour commissioner, UP, Markandey Shahi, highlighted that the labour department identified and rehabilitated over 11,000 child labourers last year. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Free P2,000 GCash eGift UnionBank Credit Card Apply Now Undo Principal secretary, labour, Dr MK Shanmuga Sundaram, stressed inter-departmental coordination and said: "Child labour is not just a social issue but a global challenge." Programme manager, Unicef, Amit Mehrotra, said: "There is a need for robust, disaggregated data on child labour and adolescent labour, both girls and boys, in hazardous and non-hazardous employment."
Egypt Today
a day ago
- Business
- Egypt Today
Egypt to showcase SDG financing model at Seville Conference: Al-Mashat to ET
CAIRO - 19 June 2025: 'There is now a global call to close the SDG financing gap through concessional tools directed at the private sector. What we're doing in Egypt, and what we will showcase this Sunday in Seville at the Finance for Development conference, is a concrete example of how a country can effectively mobilize such finance,' Minister of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation Rania Al-Mashat told Egypt Today. Al-Mashat's remarks during the global launch of the UNCTAD World Investment Report 2025, held in Cairo. The minister said that the $15.6 billion in concessional development finance directed to Egypt's private sector since 2020 has been actively deployed across a wide range of ongoing projects in key industries. Responding to Egypt Today's question on how these financial flows align with UNCTAD's recommendations for emerging markets, Al-Mashat emphasized the importance of understanding that these are not just commitments, but funds already in action. 'We have issued a report that details exactly where the funds have gone—including credit lines through local banks, renewable energy projects, food processing companies, and SMEs,' she said. She also noted that the UNCTAD Secretary-General's comments in the report underscored the critical role of financing in helping countries attract investment and meet development goals. The Minister also highlighted the recent announcement of a €1.8 billion investment guarantee mechanism with the European Union, describing it as a practical instrument that supports the UNCTAD report's recommendations and broader international calls to scale up development finance for the private sector. Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade Hassan El-Khatib, also speaking to Egypt Today, emphasized the government's ongoing efforts to enhance Egypt's attractiveness to foreign investors. 'Our focus as economic ministers is to create a competitive, investment-friendly environment that encourages FDI,' El-Khatib said. 'This means accelerating policy reform and improving the ease of doing business.' He pointed to tangible progress in Egypt's digital transformation efforts. 'We've launched a digital platform that offers 89 investment-related services electronically, including company registration and access to finance. We've also signed a protocol with GAFI and other entities to launch a unified investment platform that will digitize procedures for establishing companies, issuing permits, and paying fees.' According to El-Khatib, the platform is designed to streamline regulatory procedures across more than 235 economic activities, significantly reducing bureaucratic steps. 'In one pilot case, we reduced the number of steps in the investment process from 33 to a much smaller number. We are now scaling that across additional sectors,' he said. Both ministers reaffirmed Egypt's strategic aim of positioning itself as a reliable and competitive destination for foreign direct investment, supported by robust development partnerships and a growing pipeline of investable opportunities. 'Whatever happens in the global landscape, our aim is for Egypt to stand out as a ready and attractive destination for sustainable, private-sector-led investment,' El-Khatib concluded.
