Tag: politics

Driving Global Sustainability: SDSN UK at the Leadership Council in New York 

By Professor Gail Taylor, Chair of SDSN UK and Dean of Life Sciences at UCL
29th September 2025 

Last week, I had the privilege of representing SDSN UK at the global Chairs meeting and Leadership Council of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) in New York. SDSN is a worldwide alliance of universities committed to advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through research, education, and policy innovation. 

With over 20 UK universities now part of SDSN UK network, our collective voice is growing stronger. Hosted by SDSN President Professor Jeffrey Sachs, the meeting brought together national Chairs to share progress and shape the future of sustainable development in higher education. 

Professor Sachs spoke with urgency and passion about the SDGs, underscoring the need for interdisciplinary collaboration—a hallmark of the SDSN network. We explored global initiatives ranging from reimagining Rwanda’s cold chain to reduce food waste, to the European Climate Hub’s work on land use and agricultural sustainability. 

A major highlight was SDSN’s new partnership with Sustainchain , an AI-powered platform designed to accelerate global sustainability. This collaboration will connect over 2,000 SDSN member institutions, enabling deeper cooperation and unlocking synergies across the SDG ecosystem. 

We also celebrated the winners of the Universities for Goal 13, sponsored by Siemens Energy. This initiative showcases the ingenuity of students tackling climate challenges. Over 70 entries were submitted globally, with a UCL team reaching the final for their project on community-based solutions for fresh food access in food deserts.

Prof. Gail Taylor, Anna Vandeanu, Prof. Jeffrey Sachs, and Chiara Gericke

UCL PhD students Ana Vandeanu and Chiara Gericke travelled to New York to pitch their idea. The winning entry came from Monash University, proposing the use of algae to capture industrial CO₂ emissions . 

SDSN continues to be a powerful platform for UCL and the wider UK network to engage globally—driving forward education, research, and real-world solutions for a sustainable future.