Rectors call for funds to roll out SDGs in academia

The HRK, Germany’s association of rectors, has said that universities should receive additional money to make the UN Sustainable Development Goals part of their core policies.

The association said that activities pushing society towards more sustainable living should feature in universities’ core policies, including strategy papers and mission statements. These should be taken into account in governance design and should be the subject of regular reporting, the HRK said.

To achieve this, the federal government, state governments and funders should provide more funding and better incentives, the rectors said in a set of recommendations published on 6 November. Some of this funding should be used to improve environmentally friendly construction and energy provision at universities, the group said.