Entwicklungspolitischer Hochschultag 2018
April 6, 2018 in the Exhibition Center (Messe) in Stuttgart, Germany
On September 2015, the United Nations adopted a set of 17 goals to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all as part of a new sustainable development agenda. These Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) are to be achieved by 2030. Since the endorsement of the SDGs, all countries, communities, stakeholders and civil society organizations are called upon to design and execute strategies to ensure that these ambitious goals are achieved.
The 'Entwicklungspolitischer Hochschultag 2018' addressed the question “Where do higher education institutions stand in this sustainability process and how can they contribute to the implementation and achievement of the SDGs?”.
The Food Security Center, as a 'Higher Education Excellence Center for Development Cooperation', was one of the cooperation partners of the 2018 Entwicklungspolitischer Hochschultag. This year, Dr. Maria Cristeta N. Cuaresma, program director of the Graduate Education and Institutional Development Program of SEARCA, one of FSC's strategic Partners, was invited to hold a Key Note Presentation on "Higher Education Institutions and the Sustainable Development Goals" focusing on the global south-perspective. The second key note speaker, Dr. Steffen Bauer from the German Development Institute (DIE) presented the global north-perspective with regard to this topic.
Moreover, as part of the best practice Dr. Nicole Schönleber, CEO of FSC, presented the German-Ethiopian SDG Graduate School “Climate Change Effects on Food Security (CLIFOOD)”. The main purpose of CLIFOOD is the education of PhD and post-doctorate students in order to ensure food security in the Eastern African region, which is threatened by climate change.
Dr. Jenny Kopsch-Xhema, CEO of FSC, together with Dr. Martin Adelmann from the Arnold-Bergsträsser-Institut, Freiburg, introduced into the last session of the event. The four areas which were discussed with the audience in order to collect ideas regarding the HEI’s contributions to the achievements of SDGs were:
- Teaching + research
- Student activities
- Internationalization and partnerships with higher education institutions in the global South
- Administration + organization.
The event was rounded off by creating a task force, which will further discuss and develop the initiated ideas.
