UNESCO Chair Newsletter July 2026

Welcome to the July 2026 - special UN - edition of the York UNESCO Chair Newsletter!

Happy Canada Day! This month, we turn our special attention to the United Nations Headquarters in New York, where the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) will bring governments, UN agencies, universities, civil society and youth together to take stock of the 2030 Agenda. With Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 6, 7, 9, 11, and 17 under review, the conversations will again remind us that Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is always at focus as the only recognized key enabler of all 17 SDGs and therefore a central element of how societies understand sustainability, build partnerships, prepare for uncertainty, and imagine shared futures.

In this special issue, we highlight discussions connected to the HLPF as well as opportunities and reflections that speak to this moment. As always, we hope these short insights offer useful entry points for your own work, conversations, and collaborations across campuses, networks and communities this July.

Charles Hopkins and Katrin Kohl
UNESCO Chair in Reorienting Education towards Sustainability, York University

York University continues to be recognized for its contribution to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in the 2026 Times Higher Education Sustainability Impact Ratings. York performed especially strongly in SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities, where it ranked 32nd globally, as well as SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, SDG 1: No Poverty, and several SDGs connected to equality, innovation and responsible consumption.

📅 2 July 2026 🕙 10am EDT | 4pm CEST

Ahead of the 2026 HLPF, the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) hosts a webinar on 2 July 2026 at 10am EDT | 4pm CEST to help understand the key processes, priorities and expectations shaping this year’s HLPF. The session will look at the SDGs in focus, the role of Voluntary National Reviews, and how this year's HLPF fits into the wider SDG Summit cycle and the UN80 developments. For those following UN processes, this is a useful opportunity to hear from experts close to the HLPF discussions and to prepare for the event in New York.

The 2026 edition of SDGs in Practice, a special event to the HLPF, will take place virtually on 7 July 2026 at 8:00am EDT. This year’s session marks a decade of SDGs in Practice and will focus on the capacities most needed to accelerate SDG implementation in the remaining years to 2030 and beyond. Since 2016, the series has convened more than 100 training and learning sessions, bringing together UN partners, governments, academic institutions, civil society, and the private sector. 

📅 7 July 2026 🕙 8am EDT | 2pm CEST

📅 8 July 2026 🕙 6:30am EDT | 12:30pm CEST

As part of the HLPF, the International Association of Universities (IAU) and the IAU HESD Cluster Lead for SDG 11, Siam University, will host a virtual side event on 8 July 2026 at 6:30am EST | 12:30pm CEST. The session will focus on the role of higher education in advancing sustainable, resilient and inclusive urban futures. With SDG 11 under review at this year’s HLPF, initial perspectives point to the importance of student-led action, youth participation in urban governance and campus-city partnerships as practical pathways for connecting teaching, research and civic engagement with sustainable city transformation.

The 2026 HESI (Higher Education Sustainability Initiative) Global Forum will take place virtually on 9 July 2026 at 8am EDT | 2pm CEST as a special event connected to the HLPF and will bring together higher education institutions, networks and partners to explore how universities can help move the 2030 Agenda from commitment to implementation. York's UNESCO Co-Chair Katrin Kohl is invited to speak on reimagining higher education beyond 2030 and will emphasize SDG 4.7 and ESD as cross-cutting foundations for impactful SDG action.

📅 9 July 2026 🕙 8am EDT | 2pm CEST

📅 9 July 2026 🕙 10:30am EDT | 4:30pm CEST

On 9 July 2026 at 10:30am EST | 4:30pm CEST, Sulitest will host an online session on Driving systemic change for sustainability in education: Scaling coordinated action for the SDGs. The event will include insights from TASK™ by Sulitest, drawing on data from more than 100,000 students across 27 countries, followed by a panel discussion on practical levers for change, including curricula, pedagogy, assessment, accreditation, quality assurance, rankings, funding, and faculty recognition.

Four years after the UN Transforming Education Summit (2022), UNESCO will convene TES+4 on 10 July 2026 in Paris and online to take stock and renew attention to the transformation needed to achieve SDG 4. During the HLPF, with a focus on system transformation and resilience, TES+4 will highlight key areas such as the teaching profession, lifelong learning, inclusive digital transformation, environmental and climate change education, inclusion and sustainable education financing. The meeting will also serve as an important bridge to 2027, when the next SDG 4 review at the HLPF and the SDG Summit will help shape priorities for the final years of the 2030 Agenda and beyond.

📅 10 July 2026 🕙 9am CEST

📅 13 July 2026 | 1:00-6:00pm EDT (invitation only)

On 13 July 2026, as the High-Level Political Forum enters its ministerial segment, the Global Higher Education Symposium II is expected to launch the Higher Education Consensus Statement, bringing a collective voice from the higher education community to the SDG process. The work builds on the first Global Higher Education Symposium, held alongside the 2025 HLPF, where universities, UN partners, students, researchers and higher education networks came together to reflect on the role of higher education in advancing the SDGs and shaping the post-2030 agenda. This year’s Symposium takes the next step. Stay tuned!

The 2nd Quarterly Working Group Meeting of the UNESCO Greening Education Partnership (GEP) will follow in the footsteps of the HLPF on 21 July 2026 at 8am EDT | 2pm CEST. The meeting will provide updates on partnership-wide developments and offer opportunities for exchange and collaboration across the GEP's areas of action, including Greening Schools, Greening Curriculum, Greening Teacher Training and Education Systems’ Capacities, Greening Communities, and Higher Education. 

📅 21 July 2026 🕒 8 am EDT | 2pm CEST

📅 30 July 2026 🕒 2:00-6:15pm MYT

The JICA Ogata Research Institute and SDSN have launched a joint research initiative on the indicator framework for the post-2030 agenda. As part of this work, SDSN Asia Headquarters at Sunway University and JICA-ORI will convene a first hybrid workshop on 30 July 2026 at Sunway University (Malaysia) with online participation also available. The workshop will focus on data challenges and opportunities, simplifying the indicator framework, and strengthening the operational use of monitoring systems at all levels. As HLPF discussions continue to focus on progress, gaps and acceleration, this initiative points to an important question for the years ahead: how will the world measure sustainable development after 2030?

What are the positions of education and academia stakeholders (EASG) regarding this year's SDGs in focus? The UN EASG sectoral paper brings together contributions from organizations, coalitions, educators, students, and civil society actors across regions. For this paper, York University's UNESCO Chair highlighted ESD as the key enabler of all SDGs. The paper highlights the need to reposition education as a central driver of the entire 2030 Agenda and future sustainability frameworks beyond 2030.

The latest issue of IAU Horizons explores how internationalization is changing in a more fragmented and uncertain geopolitical context. Among 17 articles from 16 countries, York's Assistant Vice-President Global Engagement Global Engagement addresses how universities can better connect their international agendas with local communities and public trust. The UNESCO Chair team, together with higher education thought leaders Lok Boon Thian and Dzulkifli Abdul Razak, bring an ESD lens to the conversation.

Overall, the reflections invites universities to rethink global engagement as more than mobility, rankings or institutional partnerships. At a time when international cooperation is under pressure, contributions offer a hopeful reminder that universities can still be spaces of dialogue, responsibility and shared transformation.

The annual UN SDG report will be launched on 7 July 2026. It reviews progress on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development utilizing the latest available data and estimates assessing progress on each Goal and its associated targets. Prepared by United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) in collaboration with more than 50 international and regional organizations, the central report serves as a foundational resource by providing the latest data and evidence for developing recommendations and solutions to advance progress towards the SDGs. For universities, educators and ESD networks, it offers an important reference point for connecting teaching, research, partnerships, and public engagement with the wider global stocktake on sustainable development.

📅 7 July 2026

As an alternative to the UN Secretary-General's report, the 2026 Sustainable Development Report, produced by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) SDG Transformation Center, offers another global snapshot of SDG progress. The report includes the SDG Index and Dashboards and new survey insights on government efforts and public perceptions of SDG implementation. While progress remains significantly off track, with only 16% of targets projected to be achieved by 2030, the report points to continued commitment across many countries and highlights why stronger partnerships, better data, multilateral cooperation and education-informed action remain essential as discussions on the post-2030 development agenda begin to come into view.

UN DESA also recently launched the Summary Report of Stakeholder Inputs to inform the official Global Sustainable Development Report 2027 (GSDR 2027). To support the work of the Independent Group of Scientists (IGS) drafting the GSDR 2027, UN DESA gathered 347 responses from contributors across 78 countries, reflecting a rich diversity of perspectives.

Canada has published Taking Action Together: Canada’s 2026 Annual Report on the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals, offering a national stocktake to the HLPF. The report brings together data, policy updates and stories from across Canada, highlighting how governments, Indigenous communities, civil society, academia, municipalities, youth, the private sector and community organizations contributed to SDG action throughout 2025. This year’s report focuses on the five SDGs under review at the 2026 HLPF: SDG 6 on clean water and sanitation, SDG 7 on affordable and clean energy, SDG 9 on industry, innovation and infrastructure, SDG 11 on sustainable cities and communities, and SDG 17 on partnerships for the goals.

The 2026 UNECE (United Nations Economic Commission for Europe) Compendium of ESD Stories brings together practical examples of how Education for Sustainable Development supports progress across the SDGs under review at this year’s HLPF: water and sanitation, clean energy, innovation and infrastructure, sustainable cities, and partnerships. With 68 submissions from 22 UNECE member States, including Canada, the compendium offers a valuable snapshot of ESD in practice across local, national and regional contexts. York's SDGs in the Classroom Toolkit is included in this important publication.

The latest edition of United to Deliver Better shares important updates on the UN80 Initiative as the reform effort moves into a more practical phase. A new Comprehensive Guide (under key resources) helps stakeholders track progress. The recent update also highlights the launch of the new Ad Hoc Working Group in the General Assembly and explains how the Pact for the Future and UN80 are connected, offering a useful entry point for understanding what is changing, when key decisions are expected and how reform proposals can support stronger delivery across the UN system.

What should education look like after 2030? UNESCO wants to hear from young people and officially launched global youth and student consultations to co-design the #EducationBeyond2030 Agenda.

If you are between 11 and 30, do not let others decide your future but get involved and have your voice heard.

This NORRAG Policy Insight initiates a conversation on the role of higher education in shaping the global agenda beyond 2030. With only a few years left in the SDG era, the publication asks how universities can move from supporting implementation to helping imagine what comes next. The collection highlights higher education as a space for research, teaching, public engagement and critical debate, while also recognizing that universities have often remained at the margins of global decision-making. As HLPF discussions turn increasingly to acceleration, transformation and the future of multilateral cooperation, this contribution offers an important entry point for reflecting on how higher education can engage more actively in post-2030 agenda-setting.

A new policy paper by Times Higher Education, Prince Sultan University including the York UNESCO Chair team as co-authors explores the relationship between quality education and climate action across Asia-Pacific higher education. Drawing on 15 international data sources and evidence from 55 countries, it offers timely insights for policymakers, higher education leaders and international organizations.

As the HLPF brings renewed attention to SDG progress, the paper reminds us that universities have an important role in connecting teaching, research, institutional practice and partnerships to strengthen all SDGs.

The new University Cooperation for Net Zero on Campus (UNICO) project, led by SDSN and co-funded by the European Union through Erasmus+, supports European universities in accelerating their transition to net-zero emissions. Building on SDSN’s Net Zero on Campus initiative, UNICO helps universities develop the tools, partnerships and peer-learning spaces needed to turn campus climate commitments into practical action.

The Marco Polo Drive of Peace, Culture and Sustainable Development follows a 43-day, 15,000-kilometre journey along the ancient Silk Road, from Rome to China’s Greater Bay Area. Led by Professor Jeffrey Sachs and Patrick Zhong, the initiative invites reflection on how cultural exchange, dialogue, technology and shared histories can help advance peace and sustainable development today. The journey connects past and present, asking what the Silk Road can teach us about interdependence in the 21^st century, presenting another free learning opportunity.

As the World Cup reaches its crucial stages, the UN Football for the Goals World Cup reminds us that sport can also support learning, action and shared responsibility. The campaign invites football fans to use the AWorld app, join the Football for the Goals community, and take everyday actions linked to the SDGs. At a moment when the world is watching the game, it offers a simple way to connect excitement on the field with choices that support a better future for all.

Finally, we would like to pay tribute to Edgar Morin (1921-2026), one of the most influential thinkers on complexity, humanism, and our shared planetary future. His work has shaped how we understand education and the need to connect knowledge across disciplines, cultures and lived realities.

For ESD, Morin’s legacy remains crucial to this date. His reflections on complex thought, dialogue, humility and our “common home” remind us that education must help learners make sense of interdependence, responsibility and change. At a time marked by climate disruption, social fragmentation and artificial intelligence, his thinking offers fundamental grounding and an invitation to rethink how we learn, live and act together.