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The Association of Commonwealth Universities | ACU
Higher Education for Sustainable Societies Community

From September 2025 we are bringing together the ACU’s three Policy Networks to form a new Higher Education for Sustainable Societies Community

Universities play a crucial role in generating solutions to complex global challenges.  

We are bringing together the ACU’s Policy Networks – The Higher Education and SDGs Network, Commonwealth Peace & Reconciliation Network and Commonwealth Climate Resilience Network – to form a new Higher Education for Sustainable Societies Community, with a dedicated online networking space. 

The Higher Education for Sustainable Societies Community is an online forum for all staff at ACU member universities who are directly working on sustainable development issues and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) within their universities, local community and globally. This includes: 

  • Embedding sustainable development and climate resilience into university operations
  • Integrating sustainable development and decolonial approaches into the curriculum and learning content
  • Developing inclusive research strategies focused on sustainable development and indigenous knowledge systems
  • Co-creating research for impact and community engagement / knowledge exchange projects
  • Building equitable partnerships locally and globally around sustainability goals 

From September 2025, the Community will be hosted on the ACU’s online networking platform, ACU Connect, and enable staff at ACU member universities to connect directly, share knowledge and good practice, discover opportunities for collaboration and partnership, and learn how universities across the Commonwealth are engaging with the sustainable development agenda. 

Benefits

This community provides a dedicated online space where insights, knowledge and resources can be shared directly between university staff to support personal and professional development and inform institutional practice. Members have the opportunity to:

  • Expand your international network and build new relationships
  • Access and share resources
  • Share knowledge and good practice
  • Create and post in discussions with other Community members
  • Discover the latest opportunities from the ACU and our partners including speaking and funding opportunities
  • Promote your university’s opportunities, programmes and projects
  • Engage in SDG-related initiatives facilitated by the ACU
  • Raise the profile of sustainability-related issues to inform the ACU’s policy and advocacy work

How to join

ACU Communities of practice are for staff members at ACU member universities, with no extra fee to join, as one of the benefits of your university’s ACU membership. You can join as many ACU Communities as is relevant to your role, at any time. 

Whether you are a vice-chancellor, academic or professional at an ACU member university, by joining an ACU Community you will instantly become part of a global network , with a diverse set of potential partners.  

Join the Community

To join the Community, email your request to join and contact details. You will be sent an invitation to join the Community on ACU Connect in September.

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