Well, I would say that the role of university and institution is very much on helping students to understand the concept of SD. University and institution are a very good place for the starting of any awareness program. Since SD is a word that carries too much meaning and interpretation, university and institution are also responsible to conduct research on this particular field.

Right Mr. Foo, so, I think that SD could be inserted into the curriculum of corresponding majors of Universities. Certain research topics may also related with SD.

As you say, SD has large scope. Then, the regional/ global Universities could be collaborated to implement it.  

Yes, in fact most pf the researches being done are towards SD.

That's right, Mr. Foo. 

However, there may be weak collaboration between different Universities or Organizations towards SD.

Hello Colleagues, thanks a lot for your kind opinion regarding my question.

Right, Prof. Dr. Singh, I agree with your opinion.

I would like to share:

http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/Images/sscar_tcm4-712912.pdf

Even though sustainable development might not be part of the curriculum of most universities in the world, at least everyone has an idea of what the environment is, how it is being degraded day in day out and ways of sustaining it. Sustainable development can therefore be prioritised in the various universities as a course or as an integral part of a course related to ecology. The concept of sustainability is easy to understand but difficult to implement. The role of the universities must therefore include equipping the students with hands-on experiences about SD and effective ways of disseminating information related to SD to the general public.

Right, Agyemang. thank you very much for your valuable opinion.

Right now, we are suffering the Global Warming and Climate Change Crisis that can damage human welfare and prosperity.

Education Sector can also obtained the Negative Impacts from it.

So, Universities (Institutes) are trying to contribute in the implementation of Sustainable Development . 

in South Africa, a number of NGOs are housed at universities.  Some of them work on human rights / democracy and others on sustainable development.  ITs a win-win collaboration, since it reduces NGO expenditures and provides them with sources of expertise.  It also provides graduate students and/or law students with field internships.

For more, see my book on democratization NGOs in South Africa, Tajikistan and Argentina. www.importingdemocracy.org   

There is an e-copy on Researchgate.

Book Importing Democracy: The Role of NGOs in South Africa, Tajik...

In my point of view Universities and other institutes play a vital role in implementation of sustainable development, It should be part of their curriculum to spread the awareness and importance of SD  to the students and through students to the community.

In my point of view Universities and other institutes play a vital role in implementation of sustainable development, It should be part of their curriculum to spread the awareness and importance of SD  to the students and through students to the community.

The functions of the Institutes and Universities in Sustainable Development , are very important because they are the basis for skills and equipment more technical and scientific level are generated. This requires that these institutions relate to the productive sector and its problems , creating networks between institutions and other participants in the development agents. Conduct regional and local activities is also important; avoiding situations of dependency and paternalism. Promote socially inclusive and gender equality is relevant projects . Avoid common category " intervention strategy " in international organizations , use more participatory and self-management processes.

Hello Julie,

I have great pleasure for receiving your book.

In your book, at Page 306; you mentioned 6. Integrate Universities into Strategic Democratization Networks(CHAPTER 12 INTERNATIONAL IMPLICATIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS, Twelve Steps for Advancing Democracy).

Regards,

So, the Universities and Institutes should be integrated and collaborated for Sustainable Development of our world.  

Hello Prof. Wuelser,

Great day!

I really appreciate for hearing good information from your answer.

Thank you so much.

Regards,

I understand that the primary role of Universities is to inform professionals in all levels about new technologies, research results and impacts for the survival of human beings in this Planet. To do this, new courses and teaching approaches should be implemented; as well as interdisciplinary study centers (other than disciplinary Departments or Institutes) should be created instead of the University rigid academic structures.

Thanks, Aung .  See also p. 63, on women's rights  NGOs housed at universities in South Africa.

Book Importing Democracy: The Role of NGOs in South Africa, Tajik...

Hello Prof. Dr. Anjos,

Great day!

Thanks a lot for your kind comment.

Regards,

Hello Julie,

Have a Nice Time!

Thanks a lot for sharing the excellent book.

Regards,

Universities play a legitimate, unique and relevant international cooperation for development role. After a time when the role of higher education in social and economic development of partner countries are obviated, institutions of higher education are gaining increasing recognition over recent years as key institutions for development and international cooperation. Today no one doubts the importance of higher education and science and technology in promoting the sustainable development of countries, especially developing countries.

To promote sustainable development and improving social welfare requires, among other factors, the availability of highly qualified professionals and the ability of society to innovate and adapt technologies and knowledge to a specific national context. Universities offer skills and knowledge to develop all sectors of society and manage development effectively. Specifically, universities contribute to the development of their countries through its four main areas: training and development of human capital; scientific research; social and cultural development; innovation and economic progress.

Universities can set the following objectives:

to. Expert training teachers in sustainability, conceptual approaches and methodologies.

b. Basic training on Sustainable Development for undergraduate and graduate students with extensive supply outside the university agents.

c. Production of training materials on Sustainable Development oriented field of higher education.

d. Production of training materials on Sustainable Development dissemination oriented towards society.

Hello Prof. Dr. Platero,

Great day!

Thank you very much for your comprehensive and valuable comment.

So, the the Universities and Institutes play the predominant role for better world with Sustainable Development.

Regards,

Universities and research institutions are supposed to generate new ideas,  theories and concepts, experiment with their validity, usefulness, wider applicability and disseminate those that have potential for application. Same should in case sustainability and sustainable development. 

Hello Prof. Jabbar,

Good Day!

Thanks a lot for your valuable message.

Regards,

Dear Aung and friends, it should be the role of universities to teach students the pros and cons of every subject, be it sustainable development, be it environmental sustainability, be it social sustainabililty, be it economic sustainability, eco-economic sustainsbiliyy or green markets. socio-ecosustainability, socio-ecologial sustainability.....so that students are well informed.....

The difficulty comes from the fact that all those areas have evolved as specic schools of thoughts and despite weaknesses they may see among themselves they coexist as separate school of thoughts....

But now that there has been a paradigm shift from the traditional market to the green markets the sustainable development school of thought that prevailed in 2012 is the eco-economic sustainability school of thoughts or green market model.  The other schools of sustainability thoughts apparently lost the case....

Aung you may find the following publication full of food for thoughts about what is sustainable development and what is sustainability and what is not

Respecfully yours;

Introducing a Simple Qualitative Comparative Dichotomy Approach to State and Clarify Sustainable Development and Sustainability Related Concepts and Issues

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/281244558_Introducing_a_Simple_Qualitative_Comparative_Dichotomy_Approach_to_State_and_Clarify_Sustainable_Development_and_Sustainability_Related_Concepts_and_Issues

Article Introducing a Simple Qualitative Comparative Dichotomy Appro...

Hello Prof. Lucio,

Great Day!

Thank you very much for your valuable answer.

Regards,

Platero responses and Lucio Muñoz , are interesting and complete. Just add that the contribution of the universities and institutes to Sustainable Development, is direct through coordinated by researchers , teachers and students projects; but mostly it is indirect, in the formation of human capital development , in my opinion , in addition to technical training; it is important this training is strengthened in four areas: i ) strategic thinking, ii ) Conception and implications of Sustainable Development, iii ) multiscale analysis ( International , national , regional , local) and iv ) philosophical principles . Greetings.

Hello Prof. Cardenas,

Thanks a lot for your answer.

Regards,

role of universities and institutions is the main point for spreading culture and progress in each country and in all the world, so good management for universities targeting current problems using available resources by doing the The optimal use achieves progress and presents practical solutions.

-> So Curriculum must be modern and sophisticated (periodical update)

Hello Prof. Mina Samman Younan,

Thanks a lot for your excellent answer. 

SD is today's Global interest. So, SD should be also inserted into Modern Curriculum.

Regards,.

Not sure whether you still need information on this topic, but the following 2 publications provide an overview of how universities can contribute to sustainable development.

Article Declarations for sustainability in higher education: Becomin...

Article A review of commitment and implementation of sustainable dev...

AS a concept, sustainability has in the forefront of discussion since the early 1990s. Yet the meaning, scope, criteria and methodology for measurement of sustainability is still evolving. Universities and research institutions as seats of higher learning  and research aimed at generating new ideas and innovations are expected to contribute in both conceptualization and methods for measurement and application of sustainability criteria. So far their contribution is far short of expectation. 

 Aljerf L. and Choukaife A.E. 2016. Sustainable Development in Damascus University: A Survey of internal stakeholder views. Journal of Environmental Studies. 2 (2), 12. http://www.avensonline.org/wp-content/uploads/JES-2471-4879-02-0012.pdf

Article Sustainable Development in Damascus University: A Survey of ...

HI,

You may be interested by this paper:

Socially Responsible Investing by Universities and Colleges

Financial Management Winter 2016, vol 45, issue 4, (pages 877–922)

Janet Kiholm Smith and Richard L. Smith

Best regards

In South Africa, universities, particularly law schools, often host democratization NGOs working on legal rights.  See www.importingdemocracy.org  

E copy of Importing Democracy is on researchgage.

Dear Mike, good day.  Just some food for thoughts given the amount of work you have done in this area:

Universities should encourage and promote science based approaches to solve problems, specially critical problems, approaches that demand the respect of the theory-practice consistency principle....

As in capitalist societies we implement science based solutions through science based markets, science based environmental/social solutions must be implemented through science based markets.....The traditional market was a science based market that assumed full social and environmental externality neutrality......

In 2012 it was agreed that the environmental neutrality assumption affecting the traditional market had to be corrected and in RIO 2012 UNCSD we shifted to green markets, green growth or the green economy.....Green markets are the science based markets that result from correcting the science based traditional market to reflect environmental concerns creating green producers and green consumers and green economies....

As you may know, low carbon based markets are not green markets, I call them "dwarf green markets", which means that dwarf markets are not science based markets...which creates a dilemma for universities.....

Is the implementation of science based environmental solutions through non science based markets the right thing to do?....I think it is not......Just keep this in mind as food for thoughts....as this issue affects all universities, in all countries and all global institutions like the UN, OECD,,,,,Paris agreement member countries....Perhaps this mismatch is due to the green market knowledge gap created during the 2012 paradigm shift, but it may not be that....

Have a nice day

Hello Prof. Mike and Lucio,

I do deeply appreciate for your valuable discussions and answers.

Big Congratulations!!!

Have a Great Day!

Hello Julie Fisher,

Big Thanks for your kind share.

Have a Nice Day!

Hello Patrick,

Many Thanks for your kind share.

Have a Good Day!

Hello Loai,

Big Thanks for your valuable share.

Have a Great Day!

Hello Wim,

Thank you very very much for your valuable shares.

Have a Great Day!

Hello Dr Mike Smith!

It's great pleasure for your kind shares.

Big Thanks!

Dear Michael, good day.

A comment here made with positive intentions and in good faith, take it as food for thoughts.

I think that you know or you should know that “a sustainable future” is not the same as “a sustainability future”, so if the goal of universities in your view is teaching/promoting “a sustainable future” then you should not use the word “sustainability” as if it means “sustainable” in the document.…..

You should use “sustainable” everywhere you use the world “sustainability” if “a sustainable future” is the goal to respect the theory practice consistency principle….Sustainable development theory for sustainable development issues/practice, sustainability theory for sustainability issues/practice…..

The problem you will find with “a sustainable future” as the goal is that sustainable development means many different things at the same time which leads to many possible “sustainable futures”….which one is the one universities should teach/promote in your view?

Have a nice day!

Respectfully yours;

Lucio

Dear colleagues,

In our university, I can say that introducing SD is underway using some specific optional programs oriented towards underdgraduate students. My short experience with a new course entitled "Materials Impact on Environment" has led me and my students to define many concepts and illustrate some of them with real exemples from Algerian Environment. I believe that SD should be introduced softly especially in technical university programs and should be based on exemple from real life in association with specific studies. For exemple: the case of materials and environment is a good begining for students.

Note: It is possible to share the content of this program.

Cordially.

Many enterprises in commercial sectors are not interested in implementing sustainable development principles due to the additional costs they would have to incur. Without state support, without an appropriate economic policy that takes into account the principles of sustainable development, without normative regulations that would force commercial enterprises to implement the principles of sustainable development, the process of developing pro-ecological reforms will be slow and slow. And yet the global warming process is progressing faster, humanity has at its disposal less and less time to implement the necessary pro-ecological reforms, primarily limiting greenhouse gas emissions, improving waste segregation and recycling, developing energy based on renewable energy sources, replacing plastics with biodegradable materials, developing electromobility , protection of biodiversity of natural natural ecosystems, etc.

Due to the fact that many enterprises in commercial sectors are not interested in implementing the principles of sustainable development, the role of universities and research institutes is crucial in this regard. Only these centers are currently the main promoters of the necessity to implement the principles of sustainable development. Scientists should, in accessible forms and media, promote the introduction of necessary pro-ecological reforms that will enable implementation of sustainable host development based on the green economy concept in individual economies. This is one of the most important global problems of the 21st century.

In addition to the contributions already made above, I see that the role of universities is beyond doing research based on the ODS as well as integrating the knowledge developed to be applied by public managers and understood by all citizens.

In South Africa (and other countries) universities often host NGOs. See my book, Importing Democracy, chapters on South Africa, on Researchgate.

Universities could help in the implementation of sustainable development through:

1. Developing curriculum that promotes sustainability education and general awareness on environmental issues. This shouldn't be limited to those in the sciences a d engineering alone.

2. Fund research that puts out necessary technologies and infrastructures, that promotes sustainable development.

3. Start campus projects/ programmes, where net zero is promotes.

Dear Aung Ze Ya , The debate on University Social Responsibility in environmental matters is a topic of recent incorporation both in the discussion on environmental education and in the study of public and private universities. The study of environmental problems constitutes a means to assess university social responsibility; Because the university is part of a reality in which it produces social impacts derived from its daily work, impacts that must be managed responsibly to create decent long-term conditions and the well-being of present and future generations, being environmental education the training process par excellence for the formation of social awareness and responsibility with environmental problems.

Environmental problems related to the activities of industry in general, and of the chemical industry in particular, can be prevented if the production processes used by companies meet a series of requirements and are based on a set of guidelines for their design. principles that must be taken into account by process engineers. For this, it is necessary to introduce a new paradigm, the sustainable industrial process, which will make it possible for companies to be responsible (for their “clean” activities, safe and without generating environmental problems) and competitive (they can interact in national and international markets, in the same conditions with other companies in the sector). An industrial chemical process is the set of stages that make possible the transformation of raw materials and inputs into products, by-products, residues and wastes; using energy rationally, and taking into account at each stage the operating conditions that make efficient processes possible.