Goal 17: Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development
We are all in this together and we can only realize the SDGs with strong global partnerships and cooperation. At the heart of the UN SDG agenda is SDG#17, which highlights that in order to achieve success, we need to develop inclusive partnerships — at the global, regional, national and local levels — that place people and the planet at the center. By establishing a shared vision and goals (with measurable targets) the UN aims to mobilize developed countries to assist developing countries, increase access to science and technology worldwide and improve trade disparities and other systemic issues that limit sustainable development in many areas.
Infographic and Overview Why It Matters Things To Do The Nineteen Targets
Sustainable Development Goal #17 explores the broader ways in which universities support the SDGs through collaboration with other countries, promotion of best practices and publication of data. At the University of Minnesota, this includes research done in collaboration with researchers and countries around the world, community level outreach across Minnesota, partnerships with non-profit organizations and, most significantly, how as a University we are training and educating future generations to be passionate and aware of the benefits and challenges and interconnectedness of sustainable development worldwide.
Relationships for SDG Policy
The Human Rights Center in the UMN Law School and the Human Rights Program in the College of Liberal Arts, partner with civil society organizations, governments and institutions to impact national and international law, policy and practice related to human rights in various areas. Issues addressed include inequalities, gender, health care, water, economic development and national and international justice institutions. Partners include local and national governments, international organizations, and NGOs.
Climate-Smart Municipalities (CSM) is a multi-partner intergenerational collaboration between Minnesota and Germany with twelve cities at its core that have decided to pursue comprehensive sustainability and climate goals that generate measurable local benefits.
The Gender Policy Report blog, produced by the Center on Women, Gender, and Public Policy, offers diverse perspectives on how public policy matters for gender equality across a range of issues, from criminal justice to education to immigration.
Cross-Sectoral Dialogue
The Center for Transportation Studies is a systemwide hub of transportation research, education, and outreach directly linked to MN State agencies on transportation issues. The linked example of their annual Conference illustrates cross-sectoral, interdisciplinary dialogue in the public/private space around transportation, planning, and equity that includes government, nonprofit and private sectors.
Over the past 12 years, global health work at the University's Center for Global Health and Social Responsibility has spanned the globe—from maternal health research on the shores of Lake Victoria to strengthening the healthcare workforce of Afghanistan.
International Collaboration Data Gathering
The University systemwide offices U-Spatial and the SDG Initiatiive developed a local SDG mapping and story-telling portal that serves as a model for universities and their sub-national regions to use GIS data to advance and measure progress in SDGs. This is a partnership with the SDG Data Alliance (Esri, Kellogg Foundation, PVBLIC Foundation, UN) and local partners including a regional economic development non-profit and state and county agencies. This international collaboration is identifying local data and developing local metrics for SDG implementation and shares findings publically and through the global SDG Data Alliance portal.
G.E.M.S® — an international agroinformatics initiative jointly led by the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resources Sciences and the Minnesota Supercomputing Institute is committed to developing the tools and systems required to tackle the real world challenges of turning data into actionable information.
The Institute for Social Research & Data Innovation leads several data-related projects. Click the IPUMS link to learn about sets of census, health, education, and other types of data relevant across the SDGs.
Collaboration for Best Practice
The Human Rights Lab is an interdisciplinary space for faculty and students to investigate and model ways that cutting-edge research can be used more effectively with NGOs, communities, institutions, and policymakers to reduce inequalities in the enjoyment of human rights. Collaborations are local, national and international to consider a broad range of practices and make recommendations. The Human Rights Center and Human Rights Program linked pages include examples of specific projects and events.
The mission of the SPH Global Health Work Group is to foster interdisciplinary and cross-cultural partnerships and collaborations to improve the health and wellbeing of communities around the globe through research, teaching, training and service.
The Duluth Global Health Research Institute (DGHRI) is dedicated to developing research and educational programs that promote the discovery of knowledge and the exchange of people and ideas, regarding mutual health problems on a global scale.
Collaboration with Non-Profit Organizations
Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships (RSDP) connect Minnesota communities with the knowledge and resources to support local sustainability projects that actively engage students in the place-based work. Referenced page highlights their wide range of NGO community collaborations and RSDP’s contribution to the region.
The Natural Capital Project describes an interdisciplinary collaborative effort between the University of Minnesota, Stanford University, The Nature Conservancy, and the World Wildlife Fund and provides information on the benefits of nature to inform decision-making processes.
The Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture (MISA) is a collaboration between the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences, University of Minnesota Extension, and the Sustainers' Coalition, a group of individuals and community-based nonprofit organizations.
Commitment to SDG Education
The Sustainable Development Goals Course List is a systemwide effort by the UMN Sustainable Development Initiative to highlight educational opportunities across the University related to the sustainable development goals. The Teaching the SDGs webpage also highlights recommendations and opportunities for educators.
The University of Minnesota-Duluth Sustainability Portal provides an easy to use map to find courses mapped to all the SDGs across the campus.
Undergraduate Education
Found in each campus’ liberal education requirements, also called general education, all undergraduate students at the University of Minnesota are required to take course(s) relevant to the sustainable development goals. Below is a summary of how the sustainable development goals are incorporated into the requirements for each undergraduate learner.
- Crookston: Students must fulfill graduate requirements in ten goal areas. Relevant to the sustainable development goals, students must take at least one course under the goal area Global Perspectives, at least one course under the goal area Ethical and Civic Responsibility, and at least one course under the goal area People and the Environment.
- Duluth: Students must fulfill graduation requirements in key topic areas. Relevant to the sustainable development goals, students must take at least one course under the topic Global Perspectives and at least one course under the topic Sustainability.
- Morris: Students must fulfill graduation requirements under the umbrella Expanding Perspectives. Relevant to the sustainable development goals, students must take at least two courses under the theme The Global Village, which includes courses on People and Environment, International Perspectives, and Ethical and Civic Responsibility.
- Rochester: Students must fulfill graduate requirements under general education themes. Relevant to the sustainable development goals, students must take at least one course in each of the following themes: Civic Life and Ethics, the Environment, and Global Perspectives.
- Twin Cities: Students must fulfill graduate requirements under liberal education themes. Relevant to the sustainable development goals, students must take Race, Power and Justice, and at least one course in three of the following four themes: Civic Life and Ethics, the Environment, Global Perspectives and Technology and Society.
In addition to the liberal education requirements for all students, students on all five campuses have options to earn a minor in sustainability. The Twin Cities, Duluth, Morris and Crookston campuses each offer a sustainability minor for residential students and Crookston offers an online sustainability minor. Rochester students are able to complete a sustainability minor through the Twin Cities campus or online. These Minors all immerse students in learning the principles of sustainability, systems thinking and multiple ways of knowing and offer them experiential learning and leadership opportunities. Students get to explore real-world problems from a variety of academic perspectives, reflecting the breadth and wide-ranging applicability of the principles of sustainability.
Learn More About Twin Cities Campus Sustainability Studies Minor
Learn More About Morris Campus Sustainability Leadership Minor
Learn More About Duluth Campus Environmental, Sustainability and Geography Minor
Learn More About the Crookston Campus Sustainability Minoror the Crookston Online Sustainability Minor
Graduate Education
Three of the five University of Minnesota campuses, Twin Cities, Duluth and Rochester offer graduate degree programs. Many of these programs focus on SDGs within the departments, with the system-wide Institute on the Environment (IonE) ensuring that an opportunity for sustainability and SDG education is available to all graduate and professional students in any program.
The Institute on the Environment offers a number of interdisciplinary programs, workshops, courses and resources including coaching and mentoring to help graduate, professional students, and postdocs play a critical role in creating a sustainable future for Minnesota and the world. The Institute’s Graduate Scholars are cohorts drawn from across disciplines to collaboratively engage in interdisciplinary research that effectively addresses complex sustainability and environmental issues. Topics and scope change each year, generally focusing on themes connected to specific SDGs. For example, the theme of agriculture and energy connects to SDG 15, Life on Land. The Institute’s faculty and staff affiliates provide topics and guide the cohorts.
Educational Outreach
Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships (RSDP) connect Minnesota communities with the knowledge and resources to support local sustainability projects that actively engage students in the place-based work. Referenced page highlights their wide range of NGO community collaborations and RSDP’s contribution to the region.
The SDG Initiative Webinar series provides a free, interactive opportunity to highlight and share the work of UMN SDG related research, outreach and education. Some years, the webinar series has focused on one overarching issue (like inequality in 2020) and connected it back to Minnesota and the interconnectedness of the SDGs by including discussions on food insecurity, inequality in our communities, sustainable housing and access to clean water throughout the year.
The Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs) are focused on connecting individuals and communities in Minnesota to the resources they need to identify and implement community-based clean energy projects. Since 2006, CERTs has awarded nearly 400 energy seed grants totaling over $1.3 million.
Sustainability Literacy
University of Minnesota Morris uses a Sustainability Literacy Assessment tool. The sustainability literacy assessment is sent to all incoming freshman and graduating seniors in order to survey the entire student body at intervals that allow for comparison.