Implementing the SDGs in Higher Education: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Sustainable development is essential for the well-being of society, as it enabling future generations to meet their own needs. Therefore, it is crucial to work on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to eradicate poverty, protect the planet and ensure peace and prosperity. Universities must integrate actions related to the SDGs and communicate their results in research that promotes sustainability and sustainable development. A methodology including terms related to academic institutions, such as “universi*”, “college”, “the 17 goals”, “17 SDGs” and “sustainable development goals” was used to conduct a systematic literature search using the Boolean operators AND and OR to perform a systematic literature search. The resulting search string was: ((universi*) OR (college)) AND ((“the 17 goals”) OR (“17 SDGs”)) AND (“sustainable development goals”). The goal was to conduct a systematic literature review, that included articles on the implementation of the SDGs from 2015 to 2023, categorized them into three groups. Articles whose titles were not related to the scope of this research were excluded. It was concluded that research on SDG implementation in universities is limited, which can be attributed to the pandemic, lack of demand, and insufficient implementation of international policies regarding SDG compliance. 

Received: 16 March 2024 / Accepted: 15 August 2024 / Published: 05 September 2024