WMU is well positioned to deliver tangible contributions to the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The University's strategic goals and Business Plan are fully aligned with the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The plans focus on the delivery of outcomes in the areas of:
The University is continually focused on supporting IMO member States and maritime industry stakeholders in the implementation of the UN SDGs, in particular, the goals that are of direct relevance to the maritime and ocean agendas.
Through its well-established education, capacity development and research agenda, and recognizing that all the goals are interrelated and indivisible, WMU contributes directly and tangibly to the implementation of the following Global Goals.
WMU has delivered high level, postgraduate education in maritime affairs since 1983. Today, the University’s mandate has extended to ocean affairs and our postgraduate diploma programmes can be accessed in developing and developed countries across the globe. As a world leader in competence-based maritime and oceans education and training, WMU has a demonstrated capacity to provide support under Goal 4, in particular to the following targets:
4.3 By 2030, ensure equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education, including university
4.4 By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship
4.7 By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development
As of November 2019, 1,107 women have graduated from WMU programmes, thereby increasing the number of qualified women eligible for policy-making and senior practitioner positions in both developed and developing countries. Through recruitment strategies and support from fellowship donors, the proportion of female students and faculty continues to increase. The Class of 2017 had a record enrolment of women at 37 per cent. Female maritime leaders whose career progress has been enabled and boosted following their graduation from WMU are evidence of WMU’s particular contribution to Target 5.5 which seeks to ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life.
Energy management is a key tool for energy efficient and environmentally friendly shipping that enhances profitability within a tightening regulatory framework. WMU contributes to UN SDG 7 through expertise in maritime energy management education and research focused on low-carbon shipping, energy efficiency and renewable sources of ocean energy. In 2014, WMU introduced the Maritime Energy postgraduate diploma and successively in 2016 an MSc specialization in Maritime Energy Management. The International Conference on Maritime Energy Management (MARENER) was held at WMU in January 2017 offering a forum for knowledge sharing to over 300 participants from 83 countries. These efforts underline WMU’s commitment to UN SDG 7, in particular the following Targets:
7.a By 2030, enhance international cooperation to facilitate access to clean energy research and technology, including renewable energy, energy efficiency and advanced and cleaner fossil-fuel technology, and promote investment in energy infrastructure and clean energy technology
7.b By 2030, expand infrastructure and upgrade technology for supplying modern and sustainable energy services for all in developing countries, in particular least developed countries, small island developing States, and land-locked developing countries, in accordance with their respective programmes of support
WMU’s postgraduate education in maritime and related ocean affairs has a direct impact on the protection and promotion of the rights of seafarers, fishers, and port workers. WMU graduates from 170 countries and territories facilitate harmonization, uniform interpretation and effective implementation of maritime Conventions such as the ILO Conventions and Recommendations, including the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 as amended. The ratification and implementation of these international instruments are particularly relevant for the promotion of women in the maritime sector, including addressing the gender gap in the maritime, fishing, ports and ocean sectors and ensuring equal pay for work of equal value.
Within Goal 8, the University’s focus is on the following Targets in particular:
8.3 Promote development-oriented policies that support productive activities, decent job creation, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation, and encourage the formalization and growth of micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises, including through access to financial services
8.5 By 2030, achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men, including for young people and persons with disabilities, and equal pay for work of equal value
8.7 Take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour, including recruitment and use of child soldiers, and by 2025 end child labour in all its forms
8.8 Protect labour rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers, including migrant workers, in particular women migrants, and those in precarious employment
Sustainable socio-technical infrastructure that fosters innovative educational approaches and applications in the maritime cluster is an important component of WMU’s education and research agenda. Maritime leaders educated at WMU understand the importance and impact of safe and environmentally sound technologies and are forerunners in encouraging innovation in their home countries and beyond. Through specialized workshops and training on organizational and industrial processes pertaining to ships, ports and other aspects of the maritime transport supply chain, WMU further contributes to a sustainable and resilient infrastructure development in developing countries. The University’s particular contribution under UN SDG 9 focuses on the following Targets:
9.5 Enhance scientific research, upgrade the technological capabilities of industrial sectors in all countries, in particular developing countries, including, by 2030, encouraging innovation and substantially increasing the number of research and development workers per 1 million people and public and private research and development spending
9.a Facilitate sustainable and resilient infrastructure development in developing countries through enhanced financial, technological and technical support to African countries, least developed countries, landlocked developing countries and small island developing States
9.b Support domestic technology development, research and innovation in developing countries, including by ensuring a conducive policy environment for, inter alia, industrial diversification and value addition to commodities
WMU contributes to the enhancement of human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning through inclusion of climate-relevant content in its teaching and research programmes. These efforts support maritime and related ocean stakeholders, States and non-State actors in developing and integrating measures for addressing climate change in policies, strategies and plans, for implementation at the national, sectoral and community levels. Through its close relations with private maritime industry, WMU is also well-positioned to raise awareness of UN SDG 13 and to develop tripartite dialogues on best practices in the area of climate change, with a particular focus on the following Targets:
13.1 Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries
13.2 Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning
13.3 Improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning
Since its founding, WMU has contributed to sustainable use of the ocean by focusing on the implementation and enforcement of IMO instruments to reduce accidents and ship-source pollution. Building on this strong foundation, ocean-related matters have been incorporated across all degree programmes and in 2016 a new specialization in Ocean Sustainability, Governance & Management (OSGM) received its first intake of students. Further, in June of 2017 at the UN Ocean Conference, WMU registered a commitment that aims to contribute to the implementation of Goal 14 by training a new generation of maritime leaders through the delivery of specialist post-graduate educational programmes in Ocean Sustainability, Governance and Management, as well as in Maritime Energy Management, amongst others. The WMU-Sasakawa Global Ocean Institute was inaugurated in May 2018 and made possible through generous support from The Nippon Foundation, the Governments of Sweden, Canada, and Germany, as well as the City of Malmö. The vision of the Institute is to act as an independent focal point for the ocean science-policy-law-industry-society interface where policy makers, the scientific community, regulators, industry actors, academics, and representatives of civil society meet to discuss how best to manage and use ocean spaces and their resources in accordance with the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Within Goal 14, the University’s focus is on the following Targets in particular:
14.2 By 2020, sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems to avoid significant adverse impacts, including by strengthening their resilience, and take action for their restoration in order to achieve healthy and productive oceans
14.3 Minimize and address the impacts of ocean acidification, including through enhanced scientific cooperation at all levels
14.4 By 2020, effectively regulate harvesting and end overfishing, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and destructive fishing practices and implement science-based management plans, in order to restore fish stocks in the shortest time feasible, at least to levels that can produce maximum sustainable yield as determined by their biological characteristics
14.5 By 2020, conserve at least 10 per cent of coastal and marine areas, consistent with national and international law and based on the best available scientific information
14.a Increase scientific knowledge, develop research capacity and transfer marine technology, taking into account the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission Criteria and Guidelines on the Transfer of Marine Technology, in order to improve ocean health and to enhance the contribution of marine biodiversity to the development of developing countries, in particular small island developing States and least developed countries
14.c Enhance the conservation and sustainable use of oceans and their resources by implementing international law as reflected in UNCLOS, which provides the legal framework for the conservation and sustainable use of oceans and their resources, as recalled in paragraph 158 of The Future We Want
Since its founding in 1983, the University has provided an important forum for the interaction of future leaders and practitioners involved in global maritime and ocean governance. State and non-State actors come together at WMU to learn about and appreciate different perspectives on global problems and to collectively seek sustainable solutions. In a joint educational initiative with Maersk Line, WMU developed a course that was delivered in 2016 and focused on business integrity issues and corruption awareness. The course has since been taught annually. A mentoring component of the course further amplifies efforts to promote good governance by combating corruption in the shipping sector. The University’s commitments in this area relate in particular to the following Targets:
16.6 Develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels
16.7 Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels
16.b Promote and enforce non-discriminatory laws and policies for sustainable development
WMU continues the expansion and enhancement of its external engagement with partners and stakeholders from academia, government, private sector, International Organizations, civil society and NGOs. The University’s dialogue and knowledge sharing platform is used for targeted triangular cooperation (SSTC), multi-stakeholder initiatives and public-private partnerships (PPPs) which contribute to the global partnership for sustainable development. WMU's Industry Liaison Programme will further contribute to UN SDG 17. The University’s efforts regarding Goal 17 focus on the following Targets in particular: 17.9, 17.16 and 17.17.
Capacity-building
17.9 Enhance international support for implementing effective and targeted capacity-building in developing countries to support national plans to implement all the sustainable development goals, including through North-South, South-South and triangular cooperation
Systemic Issues
Multi-stakeholder partnerships
17.16 Enhance the global partnership for sustainable development, complemented by multi-stakeholder partnerships that mobilize and share knowledge, expertise, technology and financial resources, to support the achievement of the sustainable development goals in all countries, in particular developing countries
17.17 Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships