A training session titled “Sustainability and UN Sustainable Development Goals” was held to explain the concept of sustainability and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set forth by the United Nations, which our university has adopted and integrated into all processes.
As part of the seminars organized by the Commission for the Improvement of Learning and Teaching, Dr. Ekin Gündüz Özdemirci, a faculty member, provided sustainability training to our academic and administrative staff. The seminar began with conceptual terminology, and Özdemirci explained the processes of weak and strong sustainability through examples of best practices. She also discussed the interconnected structure of the UN sustainability goals and the 17 targets to be achieved. The goals, defined within the framework of the hierarchical structure of ecology, society, and economy, were illustrated with examples. The goals met by Mustafapaşa Village, which was honored with the “Best Tourism Village” award by the World Tourism Organization, were linked to our university’s sustainable development objectives. It was emphasized that the systematic scientific outputs produced within our university would align with the sustainability goals added to our new strategic plan.
Sustainable Development Goals
During the 70th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in September 2015, heads of state, world leaders, high-level UN representatives, and civil society organizations came together to adopt the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). During the session, agreement was reached on 17 global goals to achieve three critical objectives over the next 15 years: ending extreme poverty, combating inequality and injustice, and addressing climate change. With the active participation of UNESCO, these goals aim to build universal, ambitious, and sustainable development, creating an agenda “by the people, for the people.”
