• Charles Sturt releases its inaugural Sustainability Development Goals report
• The University is making a tangible contribution at both a regional and international scale towards each of the global goals forming part of the 2030 Agenda
• Charles Sturt showing strong results in gender equality, clean water and sanitation, reduced inequalities, climate action, and life on the land

Charles Sturt University has released an inaugural report based on the University’s contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

The SDGs are 17 goals with 169 associated targets that were agreed upon by all countries at the United Nations in 2015.

The 17 goals focus on aspects such as no poverty or hunger, gender equality, good jobs and economic growth, life on land, climate action, and clean water and sanitation, all with the common goal of promoting prosperity and protecting the environment.

Charles Sturt has released the Sustainable Development Goals Report highlighting where the University is making the most significant contributions within the framework.

Sustainability Manager Mr Edward Maher said Charles Sturt’s contributions to the SDGs are broad and cover a range of environmental, social, and economic aspects.

“Charles Sturt University is already taking steps to help the planet by becoming Australia’s first certified carbon neutral university in 2016,” he said.

“We are committed to leading by example, which we will achieve through our graduates, in the manner that we operate, and how we engage with our wider communities.”

The report highlights how Charles Sturt is making contributions in each area and includes some significant changes and milestones reached by the University.

Charles Sturt was awarded an Employer of Choice for Gender Equality from Commonwealth Workplace Gender Equality and one was on the first universities to be awarded the Athena SWAN Bronze Institutional Award, recognising the University’s 43 actions developed to reduce gender inequality.

Thousands of school students from the University’s regional campus footprint were involved in events hosted by Charles Sturt involving Mina Guli, an award-winning Australian water activist who raises awareness on water shortages.

More than 330 staff members completed Unconscious Bias and Inclusivity training in 2020, aiming to reduce inequalities.

Charles Sturt has allocated more than 300 hectares of land to biodiversity protection and enhancement.

Pro-Vice Chancellor (Research and Innovation) Associate Professor Jason White said the outcomes of Charles Sturt’s research are having a positive impact on a regional and global level.

“From research benefiting Pakistani farmers, to mental health consensus statements or international conferences involving thousands of participants worldwide, Charles Sturt staff, students and researchers are playing their part in creating a world worth living in,” Professor White said.