A special talk titled “Inviting Change, Embracing Sustainability: UTAR’s commitment to achieving SDGs” was organised by the Department of Student Affairs (DSA) on 6 November 2019 at UTAR Kampar Campus. The invited speaker was Vice President for Student Development and Alumni Relations Prof Dr Choong Chee Keong.

The talk kick-started with Prof Choong introducing and explaining about the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) outlined by the United Nations (UN). “There are a total of 17 individual goals set by UN to create a better future and world by 2030. The goals are backed by a set of 169 detailed targets and it took over two years of negotiation to come out with these goals. To achieve these goals, it will need the joint effort from every nation and every sector, including cities, businesses, schools and organisations,” explained Prof Choong.

He also advised, “Students may find the term SDG unfamiliar or that some people still do not fully understand these goals, but for the next few years, SDGs will remain as one of the most talked-about topics globally. This is because SDGs affect the whole world and everyone is a part of it. Regardless of how small or big the effort is, SDGs concern us all. Students may think that SDGs involved mainly the major corporations or governments, but in truth, achieving SDGs could begin with something as simple as switching off lights after using it, or turning off the tap after using it. Collectively, these small actions are meant to save energy and water which individuals are contributing to improving the environment and the world.”

Participants, especially students, also learnt that employers are currently considering students’ involvement in SDGs-related activities when interviewing them. “Potential candidates with knowledge and experience in SDGs actually have higher employability because companies are also setting a direction that would lead the company to a more sustainable ecosystem. Candidate with such knowledge and skills would greatly benefit the company, and would give the company a more positive reputation,” explained Prof Choong.

At the talk, Prof Choong explained all 17 goals, which were:

Goal 1: No Poverty
Goal 2: Zero Hunger
Goal 3: Good Health and Well-being
Goal 4: Quality Education
Goal 5: Gender Equality
Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
Goal 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
Goal 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities
Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
Goal 13: Climate Action
Goal 14: Life below Water
Goal 15: Life on Land
Goal 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
Goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals

“These goals are also very in line with UTAR’s vision of becoming a global university of educational excellence with transformative societal impact. As a university by the people, for the people, we have always put emphasis on giving back to the community. While our efforts and activities are focused on contributing to the community, our aim is also to transform their lives, whether in the aspects of their education, local economy or life improvement,” said Prof Choong.

The Centre for Community Outreach (CCO) is responsible to coordinate all community projects. Supervised by Prof Choong, CCO was established upon the increasing community projects conducted by students’ clubs and societies, and faculties. Apart from organising community projects, CCO also educates the public and students about the benefits of community projects and how to get involved, as well as to establish collaboration and link with other institutions to be involved in the community projects. Some of the examples of community projects that Prof Choong mentioned improved the New Villages’ local economies, improved children’s learning, provided healthcare services to Orang Asli and even saw the project improving the environment through gotong-royong activities.

In expanding its sustainable efforts, UTAR has also set up an SDG@UTAR webpage specifically to highlight the various and multiple sustainable activities conducted by students, staff, faculties, and in collaboration with others. Prof Choong encouraged participants to visit the webpage to further learn about the SDG projects that had been conducted with the communities.

One of the university’s strong community and sustainable projects, as told by Prof Choong, is the UTAR New Village Community Projects, organised by Department of Soft Skills Competency (DSSC). He explained that as an approach to gather insightful information about the New Villages, the project was also initiated by UTAR with the aim to enable students to contribute to the community. The project currently consists of five sub-programmes, namely New Village Tour, New Village Survey, New Village Community Service (We Care, We Act), New Village Collaborative Project, and New Village E-commerce Project. 

While displaying photos from the activities conducted at the New Village, Prof Choong also explained, “Through these projects, we were not only able to achieve some of the sustainable goals, but we were also able to educate both students and villagers about sustainability. Their participation has enabled them to learn and understand better about the benefits of practicing sustainability, and from the practical experience gained, students also learnt how to organise activities in a sustainable manner for the benefit of all, including the environment.” Completed reports about the New Village visits are uploaded at UTAR New Village Community Project webpage and onto www.newvillage.com.my. As of 30 April 2019, 22 New Village tours, 524 New Village surveys, and 1010 New Village Community Service have been conducted.

In organising these community projects with sustainable objectives, UTAR has collaborated with National University of Singapore (NUS), Feng Chia University (FCU) Taiwan, Kwansei Gakuin University (KGU) Japan, University System of Taiwan (UST), Lingnan University Wofoo Leaders’ Network (LUWKN) Hong Kong, Wenzhou Medical University China, Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris Malaysia, Technological Association of Malaysia (TAM), ECM Libra Foundation, MAPO, DATO CHIN & IM4U, and Kuok Foundation.

Participants also learnt of a series of eight articles on UTAR USR Community Projects that were written and published on UTAR’s website. The eight articles were:

• UTAR USR Community Project Series I: Making a positive contribution to the community
• UTAR USR Community Project Series II: Environment and Green Technology
• UTAR USR Community Project Series III: Education
• UTAR USR Community Project Series IV: Medical and Health
• UTAR USR Community Project Series V: E-Commerce
• UTAR USR Community Project Series VI: Social and Multicultural harmony
• UTAR USR Community Project Series VII: Research Development
• UTAR USR Community Project Series VIII: Excelling through USR initiatives

UTAR is also ranked 100-200 in the overall Times Higher Education (THE) University Impact Rankings 2019 following the university’s performance and achievements in the top three Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) - which are Goal 4, 5, 10 – and also Goal 17. The award from Times Higher Education (THE) University Impact Rankings 2019 recognises universities across the world for their social and economic impact according to the SDGs outlined by the United Nations (UN).