Seal certifies the university's commitment with sustainable development; 17 other institutions were awarded
The State University of Maringá (Universidade Estadual de Maringá - UEM) is among 17 Brazilian teaching institutions that will earn the Seal SDG Education. The initiative was organized by a network of institutions that manage the Sustainable Development Goals (Objetivos de Desenvolvimento Sustentável - ODS) in Brazil, which created the seal to encourage effective participation in achieving the goals of Agenda 2030, established by the United Nations (UN). The prize's official delivery will take place in Brasilia, in next year's february.
Professor Álvaro Phillipe Tazawa Delmont Pais, from the Department of Civil Engineering, who managed the group responsible for enrolling UEM in the selection for the seal SDG Education, explains that 17 projects from the institution were registered. These are actions taken by the university, seeking to meet the three scopes of sustainability: social, economic, and environmental.
Álvaro Pais remembers that UEM has already participated, still in this year, of another certification process promoted by ACIM institute, connected to Maringá's Commercial and Industrial Association. The awarding took place in October, when UEM received one of the highest grades and won the Golden Seal.
According to Pais this pioneer experience caused a rise in the project's registry on Selo Social platform. "We used the same database registered in ACIM institute's certification", explains the professor, who counted on the participation of the project Enactus UEM, of which he is advisor.
Enactus is a non-profit international organization, developed to promote changes and create an impact in people through social entrepreneurship. The program is present in Brazil and 34 other countries around the world, binding students and leaders. At UEM, the organization is working as an outreach project.
According to the professor, UEM's selection for the SDG Education seal reinforces the university's role as an institution socially referenced, that develops projects aiming at the sustainable development of its surroundings.
Criteria: "To the presentation of the seal three criteria were taken into consideration: project's registration on the platform of teaching, research, outreach and management areas; promotion of discussion activity/spaces about SDG in the institution; and evidence of contribution in SDG's improvement of number 4, which is focused on quality education.
Professor Pais says that, in 2023, new projects will be registered for certification, including projects from the regional campuses of the institution.
Ranking: UEM was also featured in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2022, which evaluates universities around the world in relation to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) from UN's Agenda 2030. The rank, released in April this year, placed the university as 5th in the country and 1st in Paraná on the general classification, besides being 3rd place among institutions of higher education in the indicator SDG 7 (affordable and clean energy).
1438 higher education institutions from around the world were included in the survey, representing a 25% raise in comparison to last year (1154).
Translated by:
Felipe Lisbôa
Proofread by:
Michelle Cerqueira César