Over the years, the University has strengthened its ties to the United Nations, especially as it relates to sustainable development. Check out the resources below to learn more the ongoing partnerships with the UN and how students, faculty and staff can benefit from the collaborative opportunities they bring.
The University has been a member of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) since 2014. SDSN has been operating since 2012 under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General to mobilize global scientific and technological expertise to promote practical solutions for sustainable development, including the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Climate Agreement.
SDSN has launched an online communications platform for all SDSN members called Mobilize to engage in discussions, seek advice, and exchange knowledge in an informal way. SDSN Mobilize is open to all faculty and staff from the University. In case you would like to stay up to date on funding opportunities, research projects, webinars and the like, please contact SDSN Global for registration purposes.
The Network also offers thousands of free online videos on sustainable development from expert lecturers through the SDG Academy Library. The Academy also offers faculty ideas on how to integrate that content into online teaching.
Students also have the opportunity to become members of SDSN Youth. SDSN Youth educates young people about the SDGs and provides opportunities for them to pioneer innovative solutions to address the world’s biggest challenges. Learn more on the SDSN Youth website.
The Higher Education Sustainability Initiative (HESI), a partnership between United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, UNESCO, United Nations Environment, UN Global Compact’s Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) initiative, United Nations University (UNU), UN-HABITAT, UNCTAD and UNITAR, was created in 2012 in the run-up to the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20).
With commitments from over 300 universities from around the world, HESI accounted for more than one-third of all the voluntary commitments that were launched at Rio+20. Through its strong association with the United Nations, HESI provides higher education institutions with a unique interface between higher education, science, and policy making.
As a member of HESI, Montclair State University commits to:
- Teach sustainable development across all disciplines of study,
- Encourage research and dissemination of sustainable development knowledge,
- Green campuses and support local sustainability efforts, and
- Engage and share information with international networks.
HESI offers the Sulitest, which was created to help higher education institutions, companies and organizations around the world ensure that their graduates, employees, stakeholders and managers demonstrate core knowledge about the global challenges of the 21st century. The Sulitest, which is free, measures sustainability literacy and can be easily used by educators.
In 2018, the University became a member of the United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI). This initiative aligns institutions of higher education with the United Nations in supporting and contributing to the realization of United Nations goals and mandates, including the promotion and protection of human rights, access to education, sustainability and conflict resolution.
Since 2010, UNAI has created a vibrant and diverse network of students, academics, scientists, researchers, think tanks, institutions of higher education, continuing education and educational associations. There are over 1300 member institutions in more than 130 countries that reach millions of people in the education and research sectors around the world. Faculty can access this network and seek collaboration for diverse projects using platforms such as the SDG Hubs and UNAI Hubs. Students can search the website for fellowships, scholarships opportunities and internships across the globe.
Interested students, faculty and staff can subscribe to the monthly newsletter.
Habitat UNI was introduced as a means of promoting cooperation between UN-Habitat and institutions of higher education, as well as facilitating exchange and cooperation among universities globally. UN-Habitat, which stands for the United Nations Programme for Human Settlements, works for a better urban future. Based in over 90 countries, it promotes the development of socially and environmentally sustainable cities, towns & communities. UN-Habitat strives for adequate shelter with better living standards for all.
UNI promotes universities becoming closer partners of cities, actively engaged in problem solving, thus closing the gap between academia and practice and encouraging collaborative learning. UNI promotes and facilitates the dissemination of educational and research products of its members and involves scholars, researchers and students in a number of activities. Interested students and faculty can choose to collaborate in one or several of the UNI Hubs and discover opportunities such as internships, project proposals and urban lectures. They can also participate in informal discussions and create new ones!