SUNY Backs UWI on SDG Initiative

The UWI Regional Headquarters, Jamaica. Wednesday, May 29, 2024 - “Our two universities are strategically repositioning to advance further mobilization around the SDGs. By harnessing the collective expertise and resources of both institutions, this partnership aims to serve as a catalyst that will drive progress towards a more sustainable and resilient future for all.” Vice-Chancellor of The University of the West Indies (The UWI) Professor Sir Hilary Beckles commented on a new phase of partnership between The UWI and the State University of New York System of Public Colleges and Universities (SUNY).

The two universities have deepened their alliance with a new agreement aimed at providing qualifications for leadership related to the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between The UWI and SUNY's University of Buffalo (UB), the two universities are set to introduce a new graduate degree programme in Leadership for Sustainable Development.

This transformative programme, to be offered through The UWI's soon-to-be-launched International School for Development Justice (ISDJ) and the Centre for Leadership and Sustainable Development (CLSD), aims to shape the future of sustainable development leadership. The collaboration follows a strategic decision by the current Chancellor of SUNY, John B. King, Jr., to domesticate the CLSD within the UB and to appoint its resident Distinguished Professor Gene D. Morse as the new Executive Director.

Vice-Chancellor of The UWI, Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, President of UB, Satish K. Tripathi, Jamaica's Ambassador to the United States, H.E. Audrey Marks, and Pro Vice-Chancellor and Campus Principal of The UWI Mona Campus, Professor Densil A. Williams participated in the MOU signing ceremony on May 20, in Buffalo, NY, commemorating the strengthened partnership.

With a focus on the Caribbean region, the timely MOU outlines a strategic framework for joint sustainable development initiatives based on the legacy of collaboration between The UWI and the CLSD. Established in 2016, the Centre already has a successful UWI-SUNY joint Postgraduate Certificate in Leadership for Sustainable Development. It will now offer another option for leadership in the SDGs through The UWI's new ISDJ. The ISDJ's global agenda seeks to offer comprehensive education and training exclusively supporting the SDGs, specifically empowering future leaders to drive social justice, gender equality, and economic development in the Caribbean and worldwide.

Vice-Chancellor Beckles noted, "The UWI International School for Development Justice is continuing to work toward the 2030 goals, buoyed by joint offerings like the graduate programme in sustainable development by the UWI-UB CLSD."

The new master's programme, emerging from this MOU, is among The UWI ISDJ's initial offerings for its upcoming September 2024 launch.