The University of Johannesburg (UJ) has been appointed as the lead institution for UNESCO IESALC’s sustainability initiative, spearheaded by the South-South University Cooperation Network (SUCN). This collaborative effort brings together 54 Higher Education Institutions from the Global South to promote sustainable development through greening higher education.
UJ will lead Activity 1.2: Sustainability Consciousness Integration in Higher Education, a key component in the development of an open-access Sustainability Consciousness Toolkit. This appointment recognises UJ’s expertise and builds on its successful 2023 pilot project on sustainability consciousness, led by Professor Kathija Yassim of the Department of Education Leadership and Management.
The pilot included 23 universities globally and was conducted in South Africa with UJ, UNISA, CUT, and UNIZULU. Findings highlighted that while sustainability is widely supported in university settings, this does not always translate into behavioural change. The need for an Africanised approach to the SDGs also emerged, with concerns that current global metrics do not reflect the context and realities of the Global South.
Prof Yassim will lead the Global South team over a five-year period (2025–2030), focusing on decolonising sustainability education by incorporating inclusive, action-oriented pedagogies. The aim is to transform student mindsets through innovative methods such as gamification, digital storytelling, virtual reality, and interdisciplinary collaboration.
“This initiative envisions students as future sustainability practitioners and activists, empowered through a locaglobal approach that blends local relevance with global principles,” said Prof Yassim.
She emphasised that the project aligns with UJ’s strategic priorities, particularly its focus on sustainability. UJ is currently ranked 36th globally in the 2024 Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings.
“Being chosen to lead this project is a milestone—for the university, the Faculty of Education, and for me personally,” Prof Yassim said. “It allows us to co-create a framework that is by the South, for the South—amplifying our voices, experiences and solutions on a global stage.”
