ɫ��ֱ��

Universities are pillars of community growth and innovation, with international partnerships and local outreach playing a key role in determining their impact. During a session – held in partnership with – at the 2026 ɫ��ֱ�� Global Sustainable Development Congress, a panel of experts discussed how higher education institutions can contribute to shaping resilient and future-ready cities.

“There’s a reason why people often refer to universities as anchor institutions,” said Julian Skyrme, executive director of social responsibility and civic engagement at the University of Manchester in the UK. “Our cities and regions are places of innovation and universities should be at the centre of these developments.”

Universities benefit from bringing together people from around the world to share global knowledge, Skyrme said. This is aligned with the university’s “from Manchester for the world” strategy, which offers a different way to think about reciprocity and address issues related to healthcare, climate, sustainability and prosperity through centres of innovation.

The Worldwide Universities Network has created living laboratories that bring together universities to help regions where equal access to services is a challenge, said Dawn Freshwater, executive director of the network. “In that global collaboration, you’re bringing the expertise across cities together in a different way,” she said.

A partnership between the Future Cities Research Institute at Sunway University in Malaysia and Lancaster University in the UK tackles shared challenges such as urban poverty. Rosdiadee Nordin, co-director of the institute, spoke about outreach and engagement programmes it has introduced for students at Sunway University, requiring them to engage in community service to graduate.

Jun Liu, rector of City University of Macau, said that universities need to think about what they can do for local populations. Universities and communities have to be in sync, said Liu. Higher education’s role in developing sustainable cities is to reduce friction in global innovation systems. Universities can contribute by enhancing talent and knowledge flow while ensuring that sustainability initiatives generate inclusive, locally relevant outcomes.

Singapore Management University has encouraged law students to plant edible native plants in local areas to combat issues related to food security and connectedness to nature. It also has the largest solar farm in Singapore’s city centre, said Michelle Lim, Unesco chair in sustainability law futures at the university’s Yong Pung How School of Law.

Similarly, the Green Riyadh project has developed a commuting facility from Prince Sultan University in Saudi Arabia to the Riyadh Metro. Mohammad Nurunnabi, Unesco chair on education for sustainable development, green skills and climate actions at the university, shared how this supports the wider Saudi Vision 2030 strategy. He highlighted the importance of embedding educational priorities within national and global policies.

The panel:

• Dawn Freshwater, executive director, Worldwide Universities Network
• Michelle Lim, Unesco chair in sustainability law futures, Yong Pung How School of Law, Singapore Management University
• Jun Liu, rector,
• Rosdiadee Nordin, co-director, Future Cities Research Institute, Sunway University
• Mohammad Nurunnabi, Unesco chair on education for sustainable development, green skills and climate actions, Prince Sultan University
• Julian Skyrme, executive director of social responsibility and civic engagement, University of Manchester