This document is the narrative on the initiatives and achievement of IUBAT of its’ commitment to UN Sustainable Development Goals. This report emphasizes pioneer role of a university in achieving SDG goals in a developing country, Bangladesh. The data and narrative in this report are factually based but may not be comprehensive or up to date. It is anticipate that this report will evolve over time based on feedback from stakeholders.

International University of Business Agriculture and Technology (IUBAT) is operating the sustainability activities under CGEC-Centre for Global Environmental Culture since 2008. The sustainability program has been taken over by IISS-IUBAT Institute of SDG Studies. IISS is especially focused on the education and research of SDGs. However, CGEC is the host of Regional Centre of Expertise (RCE) Greater Dhaka that is a UN program of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). It is envisioned that the RCE Greater Dhaka will serve as an example of good practice to other regions facing similar sustainability challenges and issues and contribute to the goals set by the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (https://www.rcegreaterdhaka.org/objectives.php). With its global network and collaboration of RCE, IUBAT had been taken many UNU University recognizable sustainability projects on: Traditional knowledge, Knowledge Based Area Development, Improvement of health of urban slum, Global action plan on ESD, Students’ sustainability engagement, Rural home centered farming for food security, Ecosystem management and Global citizenship education [ See annexure-1]. The sustainability practices operated at IUBAT includes energy saving, waste water reuse, waste management, tree plantation, reduction of carbon footprint, greening the campus etc. There is a combined effort of the faculty members, students, administration and operations lying behind as a Whole Institution Approach. This university has a nationwide impact because of playing the role of a model educational institution for sustainable activities in Bangladesh and training up resource persons for sustainability leading in Bangladesh’s future.

SDG 1 – No Poverty

RESEARCH & INNOVATION:

IUBAT is to eradicate poverty of the country through developing skilled human resource from every corner of the society. The university is working on taking rural background students and grooming themselves through effective courses. The education loan of the university is proven successful in completing the education of the students. Tertiary education is expensive and there is limited seat capacity in public university. As a pioneer non-government university IUBAT has opened the door of higher education to the vast number of students. The institution is also working on skilled human resource development and education access to the meritorious but needy students.

TEACHING:

OPERATIONS:

OUTREACH & PARTNERSHIP:

The KBAD Project at the IUBAT is “IUBAT has set out the long term vision of producing at least one professional graduate from each village/ward under the KBAD concept as a step towards community self-reliance. To materialize this vision and to translate the concept into reality, IUBAT has special provision for supplementing the family resources of a student through scholarship, grant, fee waiver, deferred payment, campus job, educational financing and the like. It is IUBAT policy to cater to the needs of all qualified students who aspire to higher professional education-regardless of the income level of his/her family through appropriate educational financing arrangements.”

Each year, the IUBAT Rotaract Club over 60 student volunteers work in collaboration with local people to deliver food and cloth to the most vulnerable communities.

IUBAT donated food in orphanage in several national days of the country to feed poor students.

More Info:
Link: https://www.rcenetwork.org/portal/rce-greater-dhaka

SDG 2 – Zero Hunger

RESEARCH & INNOVATION:

OPERATIONS:

OUTREACH:

SDG 3 – Good Health and Well Being

RESEARCH & INNOVATION:

The College of Nursing of the university offering nursing degree and doing research related to SDG3. In bringing up health service of the country higher degree on nursing is crucial for Bangladesh. There were 75 papers published between 2018 and 2021. The university is on the verge to open up Master in Public Health. The nursing college had done leading research on COVID-19 that was published in indexed journals

OPERATIONS:

IUBAT NEWS RELATED TO SDG 3:

SDG 4 – Quality Education

RESEARCH & INNOVATION:

TEACHING:

OPERATIONS:

OUTREACH & PARTNERSHIP:

IISS adapted UNESCO Global Citizenship Education Document in 2018.

IISS in association with UNESCO also translated Getting Climate Ready-A Guide for Schools on Climate Action and Global Education Monitoring Report 2021/22

IUBAT NEWS RELATED TO SDG 4:

SDG 5 – Gender Equality

RESEARCH & INNOVATION:

TEACHING:

OPERATIONS:

OUTREACH & PARTNERSHIP:

The University has an ongoing study on the female participation in study and employment annually to ensure equal opportunity in gender.

IUBAT NEWS RELATED TO SDG 5:

SDG 6 – Clean Water and Sanitation

RESEARCH

The university has 35 scholarly publications related to SDG 6 between 2018 and 2020.

The faculty members of the university is doing research on water quality index analysis of Turag River. It is to be mentioned that Turag is a much polluted river due to textile industrial pollution with an oxygen content near zero in dry season needs annual monitoring and assessment of water quality.

TEACHING:

OPERATIONS:

OUTREACH & PARTNERSHIP:

SDG 7 – Affordable and Clean Energy

RESEARCH & INNOVATION:

TEACHING:

OPERATIONS:

SDG 8 – Decent Work and Economic Growth

RESEARCH & INNOVATION:

TEACHING:

OPERATIONS:

NEWS RELATED TO SDG 8:

SDG 9 – Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

RESEARCH & INNOVATION:

TEACHING:

OPERATIONS:

OUTREACH & PARTNERSHIP:

IUBAT Innovation Hub A collaborative ideation, learning and maker space will enable students and educators, joining with entrepreneurs, business leaders, local government officials, alumni, and educational partners, to co-create and realize the power of human innovation through cross pollination of education, business and community talent immersed in the best of startup culture.

NEWS RELATED TO SDG 9:

SDG 10 – Reduced Inequalities

RESEARCH & INNOVATION:

TEACHING:

OPERATIONS:

OUTREACH & PARTNERSHIP:

The KBAD Project at the University is “IUBAT has set out the long term vision of producing at least one professional graduate from each village/ward under the KBAD concept as a step towards community self-reliance. To materialize this vision and to translate the concept into reality, IUBAT has special provision for supplementing the family resources of a student through scholarship, grant, fee waiver, deferred payment, campus job, educational financing and the like. It is IUBAT policy to cater to the needs of all qualified students who aspire to higher professional education-regardless of the income level of his/her family through appropriate educational financing arrangements.”

SDG 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities

RESEARCH & INNOVATION:

TEACHING:

OPERATIONS:

SDG 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production

RESEARCH & INNOVATION:

TEACHING:

OPERATIONS:

SDG 13 – Climate Action

RESEARCH & INNOVATION:

TEACHING:

OPERATIONS:

PROJECTS AND OUTREACH

SDG 14 – Life Below Water

RESEARCH & INNOVATION:

TEACHING:

OPERATIONS:

SDG 15 – Life on Land

RESEARCH & INNOVATION:

TEACHING:

OPERATIONS:

OUTREACH & PARTNERSHIP

Department of Environmental Science is to train and develop, well equipped man power to tackle the growing environmental and developmental problems and changes arising from the transition to a sustainable society. In the 21st century caring for natural resource and facing the threats of climate change there is special needs of scientific knowledge and skills that are fulfilled by the program.

SDG 16 – Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

RESEARCH & INNOVATION:

TEACHING:

OPERATIONS:

SDG 17 – Partnerships for the Goals

RESEARCH, INNOVATION

TEACHING:

OPERATIONS:

OUTREACH AND COLLABORATION

Annex

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in IUBAT

Founded in 1991 by Prof. Dr. M Alimullah Miyan, IUBAT—International University of Business Agriculture and Technology is the first nongovernment university in Bangladesh. IUBAT has set out the long-term vision of producing one professional graduate from each village of Bangladesh to contribute towards the creation of a knowledge-based society. Its mission is human resource development through appropriate teaching, training and guidance as well as creation of knowledge conducive to socio-economic development of developing societies in general and that of Bangladesh in particular. The university in pursuance of its mission of socio-economic development has established a Centre for Global Environment and Culture (CGEC) in 1999 which became the host of Regional Centre of Expertise (RCE) Greater Dhaka in 2011 and earned UN Flagship and Good Practice awards for spreading environmental education in 10 consecutive years (2012-2021). In 2008, IUBAT introduced a Program on Sustainability under CGEC. It has made a three credit course on Environment and Sustainability mandatory for all under-graduate students of IUBAT. To meet its commitment to contribute to the achievement of SDGs, it has established the IUBAT Institute of SDG Studies (IISS) in 2019.

IISS is an education and research focused institute on sustainable development goals. It offers Certificate and Diploma courses and a Master in Sustainability Studies. The Institute illustrates implementation and demonstration of the SDGs by way of setting several practical models of projects at the field level. It also offers consultancy services for capacity building of the institutions engaged in SDG achievement. The resource persons are taken from internal and external sources. The milestone achievement of IUBAT is given below:

Special Achievement on ESD Activities

Fig 1: Showing IUBAT Whole Institute approach on ESD

Action Research on Environmental Sustainability

The CGEC the host of all ESD activities of IUBAT completed several action researches on Environmental Development in a Rural Community with resource support of UNDP channeled through the Sustainable Environmental Management Program (SEMP), Ministry of Environment and Forests, GOB. Implemented programs were listed below:

Collaborative research Programs with International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme Synthesis Integration and Exploration (IGBP SIE): Sweden in 2015-2016.

Other ongoing Projects:

Reference

  1. Muhammad Rehan Dastagir, Mohammed Ataur Rahman, Muhammad Azizul Hoque. 2017.“Mobilizing Education for Sustainable Development Program in the Regional Centre of Expertise Greater Dhaka: IUBAT Whole-Institution approach of Global Action Program.”
    IUBAT Review 1 (2): 49-64. iubat.edu/journal
  2. /research/centres/cgec/
  3. https://iiss.iubat.edu/
  4. https://www.rcegreaterdhaka.org
  5. https://www.rcenetwork.org/portal/rce-profile-detail/rce-greater-dhaka

Feedback, suggestions, correction requests and questions contact to:

Professor Mohammed Ataur Rahman
Director
IUBAT Institute of SDG Studies Office
Email: marahman@iubat.edu
Phone: +88-02-01820425191

A Complete Sustainable Development Report of 2021 is available bellow

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