[Green Monday Series] What does SDG 17 Partnerships for the Goals mean at UEH?

The Sustainable Development Goals cannot be achieved through isolated efforts. As disparities in resources, capacities, and opportunities continue to exist across countries and communities, collaboration has become a bridge for sharing resources, spreading knowledge, and turning commitments into action. In pursuit of SDG 17 - Partnerships for the Goals, UEH continues to expand its network, strengthen collaboration, and work alongside stakeholders on the journey toward sustainable development. This week’s Green Monday Series explores the impact of partnerships and how UEH connects resources and co-creates sustainable value.

Global partnerships are facing one of their greatest challenges: mobilizing the resources needed to achieve the SDGs. In 2023, low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) faced a record USD 1.4 trillion in debt-servicing costs, while foreign direct investment declined and Official Development Assistance (ODA) fell by 23.1% in 2025. Against this backdrop, the annual financing gap for the SDGs has risen to USD 4 trillion, more than 60% higher than the USD 2.5 trillion estimated in 2019. At the same time, the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing food, energy, and financial crises have continued to intensify these pressures, highlighting the urgent need to diversify sources of financing and mobilize additional resources to prevent further setbacks in sustainable development.

Beyond financial constraints, trade tensions, the digital divide, and data gaps remain significant barriers to global cooperation. Although Internet access continues to expand and numerous initiatives have been launched to support technology access, disparities in capacity and opportunities remain, particularly in vulnerable countries. Strengthening multilateralism and multi-stakeholder partnerships among governments, businesses, international organizations, academia, and civil society has therefore become increasingly important. Alongside efforts by countries to assess progress, share experiences, and fulfill their commitments to Official Development Assistance, stronger cooperation, resource mobilization, technological advancement, and capacity-building can help narrow these gaps and put the SDGs back on track.

To advance SDG 17, UEH has proactively connected with central government ministries and agencies, local authorities, international organizations, higher education institutions, NGOs, and research institutes to create spaces for multidimensional dialogue and knowledge sharing. In 2024 alone, UEH organized and participated in numerous interdisciplinary forums on green growth, public finance for climate change adaptation, the circular economy, artificial intelligence, land law reform, and sustainable development. At the same time, UEH has maintained its role as a policy partner at the provincial and regional levels, providing evidence and forecasts through the Ho Chi Minh City Economic/Macroeconomic Reports. UEH also supports training and capacity building for the public sector and collaborates with partners such as the United Nations, World Bank, AFD, research institutes, associations, businesses, and local authorities in Ba Ria - Vung Tau, Dong Nai, Tay Ninh, Khanh Hoa, Thu Duc, and An Giang. Through these efforts, UEH contributes to bridging academia - governance - practice, strengthening the evidence base for policymaking, enhancing public-sector governance capacity, and coordinating a multi-stakeholder ecosystem to advance the SDGs.

UEH is also strengthening international cooperation and leveraging the role of research, education, and community engagement to accelerate progress toward the SDGs. In 2024, UEH published more than 500 international research articles indexed in Web of Science, Scopus, and ABDC; more than 85% of these publications were in Q1 or Q2 Scopus journals, while nearly 50% of UEH’s international publications were related to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. UEH also actively collaborates with NGOs through student volunteer programs, education and environmental research, and educational resource development, while participating in multinational projects and multilateral research programs on SDG data collection and measurement. At the learner level, UEH has integrated sustainability content into more than 70 academic programs, introduced specialized sustainability-related courses at the postgraduate level, and supported nearly 100 student-led research projects on the UEH Green Campus Living Lab and the 17 SDGs. In addition, UEH conducted a sustainability literacy assessment involving 9.270 students, with more than 16.000 UEH Green Campus Game experiences recorded in 2024. These achievements demonstrate how UEH mobilizes and connects resources, knowledge, people, and partnership networks to turn collaboration into the capacity to act - helping translate the SDGs from global commitments into practice across education, research, policymaking, and the community.

Infographic of UEH's contributions to SDG 17 - Partnerships for the Goals

SDG 17 not only calls for collaboration but also highlights the importance of connections that can generate real change. At UEH, partnerships are expanding across academia, research, policymaking, business, and the community, helping mobilize and connect resources to address real-world challenges. From dialogue forums and research projects to educational programs and initiatives for students and communities, each effort contributes to turning knowledge and commitments into concrete action. When stakeholders share resources, co-create solutions, and take collective responsibility for common goals, partnerships become more than points of connection - they become a driving force for turning the 17 Sustainable Development Goals into reality.

This article was prepared with reference to:

1. UEH Sustainability Report 2024: https://books.ueh.edu.vn/sustainability-report-ueh/

2. SDG 17 - Partnerships for the Goals: https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/globalpartnerships/  

Additional Information:

UEH Green Campus - Green Monday Series is a communication activity series under the UEH Green Campus Project, posted every Monday to start the week with positive energy and encourage a green lifestyle by providing knowledge, updating news, sharing inspiring stories about environmental protection and sustainable development.

News and photos: UEH Green Campus Project