Getting started with the SDGs in universities is a guide to help universities, higher education institutions, and the academic sector in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific to accelerate their contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Guide highlights the important role universities have in implementing the SDGs through their teaching, research, operations and leadership, and provides practical guidance and examples to inspire further action.

The key contributions universities can make include:

-Providing the knowledge, innovations and solutions to underpin SDG implementation

-Creating current and future SDG implementers

-Ensuring the SDGs are embodied within universities’ own extensive operations

-Providing cross-sectoral leadership in local, national and global implementation

Furthermore, engaging with the SDGs can greatly benefit universities by helping them to demonstrate university impact, capture demand for SDG-related education, build new partnerships, access new funding streams, and define a university that is responsible and globally aware.

Many universities are actively looking to play a greater part in addressing the SDGs. However, until now there have been few resources on SDG implementation that provided practical guidance to address the unique needs and opportunities of universities.

The Guide fills this gap by providing information on:

-The case for university engagement with the SDGs

-How universities can contribute to the SDGs through teaching, research, operations and external leadership

-A step-by-step guide to developing a cross-university framework for SDG implementation

-Practical guidance and tools to assist the process, including SDG mapping, reporting, stakeholder engagement, and managing interlinkages between the SDGs

-Case studies and examples to inspire action

The Guide built on the experience and leadership of universities in the region in engaging with the SDGs, through a process facilitated by SDSN Australia/Pacific and ACTS.Itwill be useful for people or groups looking to implement a coordinated approach to the SDGs within their university, as well as for university leaders seeking to understand the opportunities of the SDGs and how to mobilise action. It will also be of interest for university staff and students wanting to undertake their own activities to support the SDGs.