Swedish universities call for support to meet Agenda 2030

The leaders of three Swedish universities are urging “additional political will and resources” to help higher education contribute to the UN’s plan to achieve sustainable development by 2030.

In an open letter published in the Swedish newspaper Göteborgs-Posten, five academics say that universities are ready to play their part in the UN’s Agenda 2030 and the related Sustainable Development Goals, which aim to eradicate poverty, disease and environmental destruction.

However, they say that the agenda presents an “unprecedented challenge”. While the complexity of the agenda, with its 17 goals and 169 interim targets, may seem to be “crippling”, it is the role of universities to make it “inspiring and manageable”.