LEAP-FAST side event at 2025 HLPF “Innovating across higher education space for more inclusive and sustainable future for all”

Prof. Orla Feely, President of University College Dublin, shared how her institution integrates sustainability within and beyond the classroom.

We offer degrees in sustainability and combine STEM with humanities to encourage interdisciplinary thinking,

she explained. The university promotes student engagement through seed funding, experiential learning, and participation in international competitions dedicated to sustainable innovation.

Expanding on the African context, Prof. Maina Mwangi, Executive Dean of the School of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Kenyatta University, speaking on behalf of his Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Dr. Paul K. Wainaina, highlighted the demographic urgency on the continent, with over 60% of the population projected to be under 25 by 2050. He shared how Kenyatta University is embedding sustainability into its curricula, having a UNESCO Chair, and embracing indigenous knowledge systems to foster inclusive development.

Representing the Australian perspective, Mr. Nathan Towney, Deputy Vice Chancellor for Engagement and Equity at the University of Newcastle, spoke of efforts to make higher education more inclusive.

Higher education should be a place of opportunity, not one defended by privilege,

he asserted. Mr. Towney highlighted institutional reforms that centre equity and outreach to marginalised communities as pillars of sustainability leadership.