The Global Sustainable Development Congress 2024, co-hosted by Times Higher Education (THE) and Thailand's Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation, fostered impactful discussions and collaborations to address global sustainability challenges.
The event at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center, Bangkok, which concluded last week (10-13 June) saw the unveiling of THE's Impact Rankings 2024, the world's only assessment system that ranks universities based on their performance across the 17 Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations. Two Thai universities made it into the top 50: Mahidol University (19th) and Chulalongkorn University (43th).
THE hosted a roundtable for global education ministers and higher education bodies to discuss the power of universities to help deliver the SDGs. The roundtable heard from THE's data consultants about their flagship project with Thailand's Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation to map data on university social and economic impact to Thailand's regional economic development agenda, to target support for universities and to audit student sustainability skills and competencies through a unique national student survey.
Reflecting on the Congress, Phil Baty, THE's chief global affairs officer, said: "Thai universities continue to go from strength to strength in THE's Impact Rankings with a record number of participants this year. They're doing better than ever, breaking into the top 20 in the overall category, which is all the more impressive given the increased competition in the ranking.
"Our mission at Times Higher Education is to connect people, data and insights to deliver strategic impact across the world. We are proud to support universities and believe we will build a better, more sustainable future together."
Prof. Dr. Supachai Pathumnakul, Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (MHESI), stated, "Thai universities already have a strong foundation in sustainability work, particularly in community engagement and addressing local issues." He further added, "Thai universities are ready to step onto the global stage, especially in community-based research, which is our strength. However, we need to enhance the quality of our research and its presentation at the international level."
The Congress welcomed 3,000 attendees and 360 speakers from 1,000 universities, corporations, governments and non-governmental organisations from 85 countries. Though keynotes, workshops and networking sessions, the fruitful exchange of insights and deal-making was facilitated, propelling future concerted efforts towards global sustainability.
The International Green Learning and Skills Accelerator (IGLSA) was also launched at the event in Bangkok. This groundbreaking initiative by the UN Environment Programme and Times Higher Education aims to advance the contribution of educational institutions towards a net-zero and nature-positive future by enhancing green learning and skills. Learn more.
After its successful 2024 iteration, THE has announced that Istanbul is the destination for GSDC 2025. Sign up for tickets to the 2025 event here: https://www.timeshighered-events.com/gsd-congress-2025