“As the urgency for sustainable development accelerates, the University of Pretoria continues to strengthen our contribution to a sustainable future. We clearly understand the challenges at hand cannot be addressed by any single entity, and that to make a real difference, we need to collaborate and partner with others.”

These are the words of the University of Pretoria (UP) interim Vice-Chancellor and Principal Professor Themba Mosia in UP’s 2023 Sustainable Development Report.

The report is the fourth of its kind, detailing activities for the period 1 January 2023 to 31 December 2023 and reflecting on UP’s longstanding commitment to sustainability, in accordance with South Africa’s National Development Plan, the African Union’s Agenda 2063, and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Sustainable development and the partnerships needed to achieve global aspirations are more sharply in focus than ever before. As Prof Mosia says, our current reality “is characterised by global conflict, high levels of poverty, deepening economic growth challenges and worsening inequality, which raise serious social justice concerns.”

As one of Africa’s top universities, UP drives sustainability in an integrated approach through its core functions. It is at the frontier of transdisciplinary work to address the SDGs and the triple sustainability challenges of poverty, inequality and unemployment facing our country, continent and world.

As a reflection of the advances being made, UP’s performance in the Times Higher Education (THE) University Impact Rankings have demonstrated clear progress from an external viewpoint as we continue our sustainability journey. The THE University Impact Rankings identify and celebrate universities that excel across multiple SDGs. In the 2024 ranking, UP:

• Ranked 42nd globally;
• Ranked 8th globally for SDG 1: No Poverty;
• Ranked 8th globally for SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth; and
• Ranked in the top 100 for SDG 2 (No Hunger), SDG 5 (Gender Equality), SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities) and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).

A small selection of UP’s University-wide and faculty-led sustainability-focused areas highlighted in the report include:

Global collaborations and partnerships

UP continues to strengthen its global collaboration footprint, with 217 active international partners in 2023. In addition to collaborating with individual universities, UP continues to participate in a wide range of regional and international networks.

Through its Africa Global University Partnerships (AGUP) strategic initiative, the University partners with other high-profile universities around the world.

In May 2023, UP’s Future Africa Institute hosted its first in-person Africa Week. This event, in partnership with the national Department of Science and Innovation and the National Research Foundation, convened multiple international partners and included high-level conversations on ‘Networking the networks’ and ‘Collaboration and partnerships for impact’.

Global accreditation and recognition

UP’s Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences (EMS) is the only faculty of its kind in South Africa and Africa to attain the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) accreditation for its future-focused programmes and graduates who steer positive societal impact with far-reaching impacts across the SDG framework.

In recognition of its proactive role in climate leadership, in June 2023 UP’s Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) achieved a Level 4 Positive Impact Rating (PIR) on the Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME). This UN-supported global initiative evaluates business schools based on their contributions to addressing societal and environmental challenges.

Transforming construction in the era of climate change

The global construction industry contributes significantly to the emission of greenhouse gases, and harmful impact on the environment. Adopting a circular value chain for building material presents a compelling opportunity to reduce dependency on raw materials, reduce emissions and eliminate waste.

UP’s Departments of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Construction Economics has embarked on an innovative transdisciplinary approach to built environment education, leveraging the Department of Architecture’s digital twin city initiative, which supports research and practice in optimal resource management, circular construction and the reuse of building materials. In 2023, the collaboration received the Quanser Global Sustainability Award, which was established in 2022 to address global challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, waste and pollution.

Immersive learning for the future world of work

As UP continues to shape the future of education, its commitment to immersive learning is a shining example of innovative progress in higher education that is essential for preparing its graduates for the future world of work. Immersive learning using virtual reality (VR) and extended reality (XR) tools are being pioneered in the Faculties of Health Sciences and Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology.

Access to quality education

At the Uni20 Conference for university leaders from the Group of Twenty (G20) countries, UP’s Faculty of Education was referenced as a leading example of transformative societal impact through higher education, based on its work in facilitating access to quality education among vulnerable and disadvantaged populations. The faculty widens access to UP by academically nurturing high school students, and by engaging with young people in disadvantaged communities who meet entry requirements but do not have the financial means to attend the University.

Developing youth entrepreneurial skills

Limited access to education and high unemployment among young people in South Africa combine to fuel some of the country’s most pressing issues. This is brought more sharply into focus in historically disadvantaged township communities such as Mamelodi. UP’s Mamelodi Business Hub is a collaboration with UNICEF South Africa and PwC which enrols young people from Mamelodi into business development programmes aimed at self-employment and township revival through entrepreneurial activity.

Women in global health leadership

Women make up 70% of the global health workforce, and about 90% of healthcare practitioners who provide direct healthcare. At the same time, women account for less than 25% of global health leadership. To help address this stark inequality, the South African chapter of Women in Global Health has partnered with UP to leverage the University’s role as an institution of higher learning which is training the next generation of leaders.

Ancestral Voices Project

UP is a central partner in this collaborative undertaking to transcribe and translate a treasure of more than 800 indigenous manuscripts describing a range of South African histories, traditions and ways of life. This collection helps to correct the imbalance in recorded history, which is overwhelmingly white and colonialist. The long-term project aims to strengthen and preserve South Africa’s official indigenous languages and cultures by making local histories available to be understood and appreciated.

These are just a few examples from the full report, which includes details on UP’s operational sustainability and its contribution to driving sustainable development so that its impact is felt in the lives of people in South Africa, Africa and the world.

Read the full report here.