Meet the Partners

The UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) operates under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General, mobilizing the world’s largest knowledge network to drive action on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

Established in 2012 by the former UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon, and world-renowned economist and professor, Jeffrey Sachs, the SDSN promotes integrated approaches to sustainable development through education, research, policy analysis, and global cooperation.

The SDSN works at the intersection of science, policy, and development practice, maximizing SDG achievements across global, regional, national, and local levels. In partnership with UN agencies, multilateral financing institutions, governments, academia, civil society, and the private sector, the SDSN develops science-based pathways for SDG implementation, promotes independent monitoring and accountability for sustainable development progress, identifies persisting gaps and priorities through feedback loops to adapt long-term SDG strategies, and facilitates peer-to-peer learning, knowledge sharing, and the exchange of best practices.

The Bucharest University of Economic Studies (ASE) is the host of SDSN Romania. This network currently mobilises 5 SDSN member institutions across Romania to promote and support the SDGs through education, research, and strategic partnerships. Its priorities include developing interdisciplinary applied research projects, fostering collaboration on complex projects supported by the European Commission, advising public and private sectors on resilience strategies, conducting professional seminars on sustainable development, and building awareness through community education and high-level conferences. ASE is a leading public university in Romania, recognised for its contributions to economic research, business education, and the development of skilled professionals in finance, management, and public administration.

It has developed pioneering programmes in Romania like the Master on Sustainable Development of Businesses and Economic Organizations or the postgraduate programme Public Administration for Sustainable Development. It also contributes to efforts to reduce its carbon footprint through initiatives integrating sustainable development into all university areas (research, teaching, campus operations).

Politecnico di Torino (POLITO) is the host of SDSN Italy. It mobilises its 59 member institutions across Italy and leverages their strengths to help realise the SDGs. Established in 2016, the network operates at the intersection between science, policy, and development practice to promote SDGs territorialization through education, research, policy analysis, and cooperation.

POLITO is a leader in sustainability innovation, ranking among the top 20 universities globally in the GreenMetric Ranking since 2022, and is well-known for its Green Team initiatives, engaging over 60 members from various departments and administrative areas to work on sustainability issues such as energy and climate, mobility, resources, education, and social inclusion.

POLITO has demonstrated leadership in sustainable practices by both leading in the past 6 years the Italian Network of Universities for Sustainable Development (RUS), involving 88 universities in Italy, and signing the “Race to Zero” campaign in 2019 with a target of carbon neutrality by 2040. POLITO has delivered a decarbonisation and adaptation Plan for the university campus and supports the City of Turin in delivering the EU Mission Cities City Climate Contract.

The University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) is a member of the SDSN and acts as a partner to the ENGO.

It has been a pioneering university in embedding the 2030 Agenda into its institutional strategy, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and community engagement to address global challenges: EHUagenda 2030.

In collaboration with the regional government and Basque Environmental Agency IHOBE, UPV/EHU developed the first panel of SDG indicators to monitor sustainable development in Spain. In addition, the Basque public university is the main research agent in its region and has more than 300 consolidated groups, many of them focused on the energy-climate transition. Moreover, sustainability is one of the three main pillars of its own teaching-learning strategy (i3).

Beyond these strategic frameworks, the university remains deeply committed to integrating sustainability into the core of its daily operations and institutional identity.

University College Cork (UCC) is the host of SDSN Ireland. It mobilises its 16 member institutions across Ireland and Northern Ireland and leverages their strengths to accelerate SDG progress. Key focus areas are: supporting capacity building for local implementation of SDGs (including resources, workshops, and training to upskill teaching staff on Education for Sustainable Development); engaging with high-level stakeholders, including Ireland’s Voluntary National Review; and building wider partnerships and research collaborations aimed at co-developing and co-creating solutions for the SDGs with an all-island focus.

UCC consistently ranks among the world’s top universities in the UI GreenMetric and Times Higher Education Impact Rankings. UCC was the first university in the world to be awarded a Green Flag by the Foundation for Environmental Education in 2010, and again the first university in the world to be awarded its 5th FEE Green Flag in 2024, as well as the first institution in Europe to be awarded an AASHE STARS Gold rating in 2018 (reaccredited in 2022), and consistently prioritises integration of sustainability across institutional strategies and actions plans.