The value of
international peace organisation UNESCO’S Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has
been assessed thanks in part to research carried out by a Northumbria
University academic.
Professor Yu
Xiong, from Newcastle Business School at Northumbria, and his Research
Assistant Jiamin Liang, analysed data gathered from a range of structured
interviews seeking the opinions, experiences and quotations from participants
in six countries. They were investigating how effective UNESCO has been in
delivering its SGDs globally, and contributing to a major report designed to
help unite efforts to deliver the organisation’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development.
The research
was undertaken as part of an initiative under the co-lead of the Swiss
Commission for UNESCO and the UK National Commission for UNESCO, and involved
an international network of academic Science Chairs. Their work has resulted in the publication of
a report entitled: Assessing the Value of UNESCO within a Framework of International Cooperation. It was announced at a recent meeting in
Geneva, Switzerland.
A key outcome
of the report was to highlight the contribution that UNESCO Chairs have made,
and to reveal the relationship between the study area and UNESCO’s 17
sustainable development goals. This study includes data from UNESCO Chairs and
UNITWIN Networks from the following countries: Germany, Switzerland, Slovenia,
United Kingdom, Portugal and the Republic of Korea.
Professor Yu
Xiong, Chair of Technology and Operations Management at Newcastle Business
School said: “The research behind this report has contributed to the existing
knowledge by new findings of how UNESCO and UNITWIN (University Twinning and
Networking) Networks create and deliver value to stakeholders. This could have
considerable impact and could be used as a guidance for policy-makers and
sponsors to better support future UNESCO work and focus more on the areas that
need to be strengthened.”
UNESCO
is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. It
seeks to build peace through international cooperation in Education, the Sciences
and Culture. UNESCO's programmes contribute to the achievement of the
Sustainable Development Goals defined in Agenda 2030, adopted by the UN General
Assembly in 2015.
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