Griffith University has jumped 20 places to be ranked equal first in Queensland for its performance against the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings 2024.
The University was ranked in the top 10 for SDG 6 – Clean Water and Sanitation, and SDG 14 – Life Below Water, placing eighth and ninth respectively, highlighting our outstanding work in the sector.
Griffith placed 20th for SDG 3 – Good Health and Being, 13th for SDG 5 – Gender Equity, 25th for SDG 8 – Decent Work and Economic Growth, and 26th for SDG 16 – Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions.
The 17 UN SDGs provide a framework for tackling climate change, providing health and education for all, eradicating inequality and oppression, and supporting sustainable economic growth.
Dean (Sustainable Development Goals Performance) Professor Jennifer Boddy said the SDGs provide a universal framework to guide our actions across the university.
“At Griffith, we’re led by our values and prioritise innovation and social impact in our teaching and research, reflecting our commitment to environmental sustainability and social justice,” Professor Boddy said.
“Globally, it’s heartening to see fellow institutions on the same path and see how they continue to focus on some of society’s greatest challenges.
“Thank you to all staff and students who have supported social, environmental, and economic sustainability initiatives and research at Griffith.
“By working together, we can achieve the 2030 SDG Agenda and I hope our work inspires the collaborative efforts we need for a sustainable future for all.”
Griffith’s Strategic Plan: Creating a future for all 2020-2025, calls for the UN SDGs to be used as the framework for guiding efforts and measuring impact in alignment with our four main values: First Peoples, environmental sustainability, diversity and inclusion and social justice.
At Griffith, we are committed to a sustainable, futures-focused organisation driven to achieve positive impact.
A few highlights which contributed to Griffith’s sustainability impact:
Our training and capacity development courses run through our International Water Centre and through our Professional Learning Hub, which provide qualifications on water management, freshwater ecosystems, water leadership, water resilience, water governance and more.
The Water, WASH and Climate Virtual Symposium, which was co-hosted by Griffith University with Australia Aid, Water for Women and the Asian Development Bank. This four-day cross-sectoral forum explored efforts to achieve SDG 6 through water management and WASH systems that are socially inclusive and resilient to mitigate climate change.
The Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme (IHP) of UNESCO and the Sustainable Water Future program of Future Earth, hosted at Griffith University, developed a joint Action Plan to “accelerate the implementation of SDG 6”. It was informed by two high level taskforces, one of which Griffith led. The Taskforces gathered and synthesised data to recommend evidence-informed strategies to achieve SDG 6.
The 2021-2030 Antarctic Monitoring and Assessment Program (ANMAP) is a joint initiative between the Scientific Committee for Antarctic Research, UNESCO and the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP), hosted by Griffith University. AnMAP ensures sufficient and reliable data from the Antarctic, regarding animals and plants, is collected to support global policy development through coordinated circum-Antarctic surveillance of trends and ecosystem change to ultimately help protect the threatened ecosystem and its biodiversity.
Through the Australian Rivers Institute (ARI), our environmental conservation support focuses on improving water conservation, water security and repairing land and water systems. ARI promotes critical water conservation initiatives and projects such as Building Catchment Resilience, a data-driven decision-making tool, integrating flood mapping data with economic and environmental data. It was developed by Griffith researchers to help guide and optimise on-ground investment in catchment restoration.
Griffith also supports Indigenous communities to build capacity for effective water management. Free school-based community education and community outreach initiatives, through the Aunty Mati Water-Saving Superhero project, focuses on water efficiency, outdoor water use, water security, and good water management.
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Jennifer Boddy
Dean (Sustainable Development Goals Performance) ProfessorAuthor
