The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development , adopted by all United Nations Member in 2015, provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. At its core are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) , which are an urgent call for action by all countries in all global partnership. They recognize that ending poverty and other deprivations must go together with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth, while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests.
The SDGs build on over decades of work by countries and the UN including the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) , the World Summit on Sustainable Development , the UN Conference on Sustainable Development, and many others.
In December 2020, the University of Toronto hosted two Institutional Strategic Initiatives (ISI) workshop to discuss actions to advance SDG related research at the University. Over 120 workshop participants from all three campuses and over 25 disciplines actively participated. Based on the engagement and enthusiasm received, the SDGs@UofT initiative was created as an Institutional Strategic Initiative (ISI) to catalyze research on sustainable development at the University.
Our Objectives
The objectives of the SDGs@UofT initiative are to:
- Design organizational structures that foster research collaborations and actions on the SDGs@UofT
- Conduct research that reflects epistemological and methodological diversity to create the evidence needed to advance the SDGs and inform future global goals.
- Empower trainees to engage in SDG related research.
- Build sustainable collaborations and partnerships both locally and globally to catalyze transformative research and training on the SDGs.
- Mobilize knowledge to maximize the societal impacts of SDG research.
Our Vision
Position U of T as an eminent community of scholars and practitioners leading transformative, transdisciplinary research that empowers positive actions on the SDGs and informs future global goals for an equitable and sustainable future.
Our Mission
Mobilize and consolidate SDG-related expertise, scholarship, and practice at U of T into a global powerhouse of knowledge that enhances learning, catalyzes equitable action, and facilitates inclusive outcomes through a strong, innovative, multi-sectoral research network of faculty, trainees, and partners.
Our Values
Building capacity through partnerships
Build capacity for student- and faculty-led research on the SDGs by supporting meaningful, reciprocal, and transparent partnerships built on shared values to encourage research that is innovative and impactful.
Empowering and mobilizing trainees
Empower and mobilize diverse trainees to engage in research opportunities on the SDGs and cultivate a vibrant community that encourages research collaboration on the SDGs.
Integrating equity, diversity, and inclusion
Integrate principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion into research activities that are grounded in concepts of reciprocity, responsibility, respect, and relevance to decolonize research methods and pedagogies through collaborations with diverse groups that have been chronically underrepresented in research.
Exchanging knowledge to facilitate public engagement
Facilitate public engagement to address the SDGs by leveraging university networks to enable public dialogue and support evidence-based actions to the SDGs.
Monitoring and assessing impact and striving for continuous improvement
Identify opportunities for continuous improvement, through continuous monitoring and learning to improve the University’s progress and maximize its impact towards addressing the SDGs through research, training, and collaborations. 
Nurturing transdisciplinary collaborations
Prioritize transdisciplinary collaborations that bring together different disciplines and sectors to meaningfully address the SDGs.
Integrating reflexivity in research
Prioritize continuous examination and crucial reflection of individual beliefs, assumptions, judgements, and practices and how they may impact and influence SDG-related research.