The University of Navarra is ranked in the top 100 universities in the world for its contribution to the UN SDGs. It ranked 51 in the world in SDG 2, zero hunger, and ranked 92 in SDG 3 the fight against poverty. In the second edition of The Times Higher Education impact ranking, there was an increase in the number of universities participating from 450 last year to 767 universities this year from 85 countries all over the world.
In addition, the university has improved its overall position in the ranking from 201-300 in 2019 to 101-200 this year. It stands out in relation to SDG 11, Sustainable Cities and Communities; SDG 3, Health and Welfare; and in its same commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 17).
In the ranking, THE analyzed four areas: research on the Sustainable Development Goals, how the university is guided by them, their influence on teaching, and the university´s impact on society.
Several key initiatives undertaken by the University of Navarra to contribute to poverty reduction are reflected in this ranking. The University contributes through its Fuel Freedom Chair for Energy and Social Development and Africa Initiative of IESE Business School, the contribution of Innovation Factory which helps several businesses develop their sustainability, local voluntary work activities managed by Tantaka, and the international cooperation work of the Navarra Center for International Development (NCID).
Times Higher Education, Sustainable Development Goals and the NCID
Times Higher Education's impact ranking assesses universities in relation to the 2015 Sustainable Development Goals set by the UN. Agreed by world leaders, these goals were set out to eradicate poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity within a sustainable development framework (Agenda 2030). The goals, which replaced the UN Millennium Goals, have become a new measure of global innovation. They are based on specific targets to be achieved in the decade 2020-2030. They are concerned with poverty, education, gender equality, access to water, sustainable growth, and peace and justice around the world. Many international agencies, countries, businesses, and other local and regional institutions have pledged their support to this overall plan.
With a methodology developed together with Vertigo Ventures, the ranking evaluates universities in relation to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals based on their impact on society. Drawing on the top four results, Times Higher Education builds a global impact ranking, which measures how universities in the world contribute to sustainable development.
The NCID, through applied research in development economics aimed at poverty eradication, has worked directly and indirectly for the SDGs. In recent years, some contributions have included research such as 'The Reach of Radio: Defection Messaging and Armed Group Behavior', by Alex Armand, Joseph Gomes (both NCID Non-resident Fellows) and Paul Atwell (from the University of Michigan); projects such as 'Community toilet use in slums: willingness to pay and the role of informational and supply-side constraints in Urban Uttar Pradesh', or the event 'Africa, a Reality with Future', organized together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of the Government of Spain in May 2019.
Furthermore, knowing first-hand the importance of the SDGs for development itself and for the dialogue between researchers, multilateral organizations and stakeholders in general, the work of the NCID can now also be consulted according to the contributions to the 17 objectives, where the presence in the fight against poverty (1) and reduction of inequalities (10) stands out.