Partnerships for the SDGs
On this page we share some of the exciting ways in which our faculty and staff engaged with the external community during 2023 to create meaningful impacts and catalyse change locally, nationally, and beyond.
SDGs policy-making
Dr. Basma Majerbi sits in the Advisory Group of the new Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Centre of Excellence, which integrates environmental, social and governance risks and opportunities into a business or organization’s strategy for long-term financial sustainability and to create value.
Dr. Madeleine McPherson is a member of British Columbia’s Climate Solutions Council, which provides strategic advice to government on climate action and clean economic growth.
Dr. Katya Rhodes is a member of the Sustainable Development Advisory Council, which provides advice to government on the Sustainable Development Strategy, and any matter of sustainable development referred to it by the Minister of Environment and Climate Change Canada.
Dr. Jacqueline Quinless co-created the report Income Supports and Indigenous Peoples in B.C., which identifies the many issues and challenges faced and imposed on Indigenous people in accessing the current systems of support to address poverty in the province of British Columbia.
Dr. Berny Pauly contributed to the Provincial Health Officer’s Special Report on Safer Supply, which discusses the unregulated drug emergency and focuses on one intervention of the many needed— enabling access to alternatives to unregulated drugs (also known as “safer supply”).
The Polis Sustainability Water Project participated in the 2023 the Forum for Leadership on Water (FLOW) and Massey College at the University of Toronto, were more than fifty water experts from across Canada discussed the next steps for creating a meaningful Canada Water Agency, utilizing the Freshwater Action Plan funding and renewing the Canada Water Act.
The Environmental Law Centre prepared a submission setting out the most feasible federal law reform recommendations for Canada to meet its commitments to end public financing for the international fossil fuel industry.
UVic’s POLIS Water Sustainability Project provides ongoing briefings to the provincial government outlining detailed priorities for a Watershed Security Strategy and Fund, for example this submission that identified key priorities for the Strategy and Fund, with a focus on implementation.
UVic participated in the 2023 Point-in-Time Count and Homeless Needs Survey in Greater Victoria, which provides valuable data to inform policy-making, services, and programs aimed at reducing homelessness.
Dr. Oliver M. Brandes joined the Canadian delegation at the United Nations 2023 Water Conference, which took place in New York City from March 22nd to 24th. The Canadian delegation was led by federal Member of Parliament Terry Duguid, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change.
Through the project Delivering Effective Climate Mitigation and Adaptation Solutions for Municipalities, the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions developed a tool to identify the most efficient ways to reduce carbon emissions for local governments.
The Environmental Law Centre published Gosht Gear: Recommendations for a Comprehensive Canadian Legal Scheme, regarding the urgent need to solve the problem of lost or abandoned fishing gear in the oceans.
UVic partners with B.C. Ministry of Health to provide funding for critical research that responds to the government's research questions, key decision making and policy development.
SDGs collaboration with NGOs
CIFAL Victoria is a partnership between UNITAR and UVic that advances the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals though multiple events and initiatives in collaboration with local and international organizations, including NGOS.
UVic has supported the NGO United Way for the past 30 years, via workplace campaigns that raise funds to improve lives and building communities by engaging individuals and mobilizing collective action.
UVic is an active partner of the Aga Khan Foundation Canada (AKFC) in implementing the annual the World Partnership Walk, Canada's largest movement in support of global development that which engages tens of thousands of Canadians each year and raises funds, contributing directly to reduce poverty and improve the quality of life for millions in Africa and Asia.
Voices in Motion is a multigenerational choir that intersects the worlds of research and music, in collaboration with multiple local NGOs. People of different ages sing together with life-changing results thanks to a supportive community where they experience love, connection and support.
Dr. Sophia Carodenuto partners with the NGO Social Enterprise Development Foundation (SEND-Ghana) to better understand how domestic and international stakeholders perceive the potential of the Living Income Differential (LID) introduced recently by the governments of Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire.
The Pacific Regional Institute for Marine Energy Discovery (PRIMED) worked with 3D Wave Design and the Council of the Hada Nation to create an interactive map detailing marine energy data collection sites around Haida Gwaii, providing information on Haida Gwaii’s existing electricity grids and the benefits of marine renewable energy.
Accelerating Community Energy Transformation (ACET) partners with multiple local, national and international institutions moving Canada closer to a net-zero future by supporting local, place-based clean energy transitions, one community at a time.
Learn moreDr. Nancy Clark received two prestigious awards for her work in promoting the Mental Health of Refugees, in collaboration with the University of British Columbia’s Centre for Migration Studies and the Vancouver Association for Survivors of Torture.
Scientists from UVic’s Pacific Regional Institute for Marine Energy Discovery (PRIMED) are working along with the Mowachaht/Muchalaht Nation towards the development of a renewable energy microgrid, incorporating existing wave-energy converter technology to transform Yuqout’s tidal waves into electricity that will power the community.
CanAssist provides access technologies for people of all ages and disabilities, focusing on tools specifically designed to support people with disabilities in the workplace, in collaboration with local government and private organizations.
Dr. Elizabeth Vilbert develops transnational and community-engaged research on examine historical and contemporary causes of food crises and community-level responses, in four settings: South Africa, Colombia, southern and northern Canada, and Jordan.
SDGs cross-sectoral dialogue
Co-hosted by UVic and the Canadian Senate, the Victoria Forum annually hosts over 500 individuals connecting during three days to tackle some difficult issues and discuss solutions for bridging economic, social and environmental divides. Some of the panels speak directly about the challenges and solutions to advance the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
During the second year of operations, CIFAL Victoria connected the region with the global community and supported international knowledge-sharing and partnerships in advancing the SDGs. From over 709 hours of training and dialogue in 18 events, the 719 participants engaged in multisectoral dialogue with 20 partners across the globe.
The K4C – Knowledge for Change Consortium, led by the UNESCO Chair for Community-based Research and Social Responsibility in Higher Education, under the joint directions of Dr. Budd Hall (UVic) and Dr. Rajesh Tandon (PRIA, India). It hosts a variety of local training hubs and educational programs that develop research capacities for the co-creation of knowledge through collective action by practitioners, community-based researchers, community groups and academics.
An ambitious research project will create the first assessment of the storage capacity of blue carbon ecosystems to help mitigate climate change, while also offering ways to protect Canada’s coastal communities from rising seas and flooding. The project is an interdisciplinary team, and incudes representatives from government and ENGOs including Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Parks Canada, BC Parks, Oceans North, the Kelp Rescue Initiative, and Nature Trust. The project also has partners from UBC, Dalhousie and Laval Universities.
A summit of young Inuit leaders from Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories, chose UVic to exchange ideas on how Indigenous practices can both provide solutions to the changing climate and elevate youth voices.
A student-led initiative where members of the University of Victoria and local high schools embarked on a creative exploration and sharing of their experiences concerning life amidst climate change through dialogues, workshops, art exhibits and field excursions that revolve around several Sustainable Development Goals.
SDGs data collaboration
CIFAL Victoria developed the first SDG training dashboard to track the diversity of initiatives advancing SDGs at the university. The tool mapped the landscape of SDG impact from training activities championed by staff, faculty and leadership, and was shared with the larger network of 30 CIFALs across the world.
The Impact Investing Hub is a research and education hub at the intersection of climate action and impact investing. Our mission is to build capacity, create thought leadership, and share insights and useful data to align finance and investments with the net zero transition and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Co-op and Career Services in partnership with UNITAR and CIFAL Victoria, published a report showcasing the experiences of several students who participated in placement advancing the SDGs around the world, gaining valuable experiences and making a positive impact on their communities.
UVic is a member of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network in Canada, a network that works in developing of indicators and measurement systems to track progress on the SDGs and help target resources, policies, and programs based on SDG performance.
The Gustavson Brand Trust Index promotes responsible management practices within organizations, emphasizing the importance to make positive contributions to their communities.
Based at UVic, the initiative serves as a hub for knowledge co-creation and exchange between ranging from small start-ups, to large multi-national firms, federal departments, Crown corporations, and municipalities who are trying to develop policies and energy rebate programs, and researchers from universities in Canada and across the globe.
The project brings together students at UVic and several partner universities to collect and share the stories of people who have lived through climate change-related disasters. Partners involved in the project include domestic and international post-secondary institutions, journalists, psychologists, social workers, public administration experts, students and disaster survivors.
FishSounds.net is a website developed by an international team led by UVic's researchers, that complies acoustic recordings and publishes information on sound production across all extant fish species globally.
In 2023, UVic’s ONC Initiative marked the 11th anniversary of the community-led Cambridge Bay cabled ocean observatory. This unique partnership empowers coastal community leadership in ocean sciences. The data collected alongside Inuit ocean knowledge provides valuable insights into the rapidly changing arctic.
Hosted in UVic, the Arbutus system is the largest research cloud in Canada, an OpenStack cloud system that hosts virtual machines and cloud computing workloads. It is one of the Digital Research Alliance of Canada’s national platforms and is available for researchers across the country. More than 1,000 research teams across Canada have depended on Arbutus for research support.
WISER is a global network of women and non-binary academics in the field of clean, low-carbon, or sustainable energy research. It represents gender-diverse members across disciplines and career stages from a wide range of backgrounds, increasing the strength, visibility, and impact of gender-diverse energy scholars. Within this group are several UVic Faculty including Madeleine McPherson, Katya Rhodes, Christina Hoicka, Karena Shaw, and Sarah Wiebe.