On 15 March 2024, Shinobu Yume Yamaguchi (Director, UNU-IAS) spoke as a panelist in a plenary session of the Global Engagement and Empowerment Forum on Sustainable Development (GEEF 2024) held in Seoul, the Republic of Korea. Focusing on enhancing university collaboration for the achievement of the SDGs, the event shared sustainability efforts by higher education institutions in Costa Rica, Japan, the Republic of Korea and the United States.
Moderated by In Han Song (Vice President, Student Affairs and Services, Yonsei University; Director, Ban Ki-moon Center for International Cooperation at the Institute for Global Engagement & Empowerment (IGEE), the session featured Ángel Cabrera (President, Georgia Institute of Technology; Chair, Steering Committee of the University Global Coalition), Arturo Condo (President, EARTH University; Vice Chair, University Global Coalition), and Seong Keun Kim (President, Pohang University of Science and Technology).
Prof. Yamaguchi provided an overview of UNU-IAS networks and partnerships for university collaboration, highlighting its new role as co-chair of the Higher Education Sustainability Initiative (HESI). She discussed the institute's engagement in global policy on education, such as participation in the UN Transforming Education Summit and the HESI Global Forum. When asked how university students could contribute to the achievement of the SDGs, Prof. Yamaguchi urged them to leverage their youth and contribute fresh perspectives to drive positive change on campus and in their communities.