The new Expert Groups are harnessing the expertise of ACU members to support the implementation of key sustainable development priorities collectively mandated by Commonwealth governments.
As the only accredited organisation representing higher education in the Commonwealth, the ACU has long championed the vital contribution of universities to sustainable development at the biennial Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) and Commonwealth Conference of Education Ministers.
Building on this approach, ACU Expert Groups have been launched to strengthen links into a wider range of government departments by bringing together academic leaders from ACU member institutions across the Commonwealth working in Health, Ocean Conservation and Sustainable Urbanisation.
Purposefully aligned with key Commonwealth mandates, ACU Expert Groups will harness academic expertise to advance policy implementation by building strategic partnerships with policymakers, civil society, and practitioner bodies.
In September, the ACU hosted kick-off meetings for the Health and Ocean Conservation Expert Groups, convening ACU members and representatives from the Commonwealth Secretariat and member states to begin scoping a collaborative programme of work.
Old challenges, new opportunities
The ACU Expert Groups are responding to several shared challenges that have been identified through extensive consultation with over 70 ACU members based in 25 countries, alongside Commonwealth policymaking, practitioner and civil society partners.
Despite being central to solving complex global issues, higher education institutions frequently lack the formal channels and informal spaces needed to meaningfully interact with policymakers or be included in strategic policy discussions. Engagement with government departments is therefore likely to be fragmented, compounding a persistent misalignment between academic outputs and policy needs – itself a key inhibitor of effective evidence uptake and use.
Recognising these challenges, ACU Expert Groups seek to convene the ACU’s diverse global membership in new ways: providing platforms for universities to bridge national and global perspectives on shared sustainable development challenges, co-create policy-relevant outputs, and showcase their own impact.
This new approach to fostering critical mass through collaborative university action is mirrored by the multilateral mechanisms of the Commonwealth itself. It is an intergovernmental body and voluntary association of 56 member states and provides a platform for national governments and civil society to collaborate on policy solutions at scale.
ACU Expert Groups aim to offer a vital mechanism for bridging university teaching and research with policy and practice, recognising universities as not just knowledge producers, but essential partners in delivering sustainable development across the Commonwealth.