Goal #10

Reduce inequality within and among countries

UNSW is committed to this goal and demonstrates its commitment through:

Interdisciplinary institutes, teams and research projects that tackle topics relevant to people with disabilities and reducing inequalities
Courses that tackle addressing inequalities in the economy, health, education, and broader society
Focus on student access and support activities for equity and diversity cohorts and their communities
Promoting informed discussion and policy formation dedicated to reducing inequalities in Australia and abroad.

We are all victims or beneficiaries of an unequal system

Inequality means the distribution of wealth and resources is unjust. Those who do the most work are not rewarded and we are not all given the same opportunities to start with. It's not simply a matter of where we're born. Inequality touches every aspect throughout our lives, impacting education, housing and health and results in lower life expectancy, less earnings, increased illness and suffering. In 2015 OECD Secretary General, Angel Gurria, warned "inequality can no longer be an afterthought. We need to focus the debate on how the benefits of growth are distributed". There is another side to inequality; it’s not just on what people are missing out on, but the contribution they can make.

In this video, Dr Jinki Trevillian from the Centre for Social Impact, UNSW, breaks down some of the key challenges behind SDG #10.

The Institute is central to the University’s profile as a global leader in disability-inclusive research and social justice. It facilitates interdisciplinary disability research and educational pedagogy, collaborating with others to design accessible and inclusive working, living and learning environments, generate innovative technologies and create inclusive and equitable practice and policy.

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Inclusive Design for Learning

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a set of principles for curriculum development that give all individuals equal opportunities to learn. UDL guides the creation of learning outcomes, resources and assessments that work for everyone.

Deprivation and Exclusion among Young People (DEYP)

This project aims to understand better how young people experience poverty and other forms of social disadvantage. Its focus is on finding out more about how young people in NSW between the ages of 12 and 16 perceive and experience material deprivation and social exclusion. These kinds of studies are often conducted on adults, so this is the first time the approach has been applied to young people in Australia. The results will provide policymakers with better information about the kinds of problems that young people encounter so that they can design better policy responses.

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UNSW Strategy in Action 2025

The UNSW Strategy in Action 2025 commits to shape and progress a just society by mobilising our community’s expertise to lead debate, sustainably address global challenges and foster equity, diversity and inclusion.

12%

of general and academic staff to be people with a disability

2%

of general staff to include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people

$5.8 Million

in scholarship payments paid to 879 scholarship holders in 2019

The UNSW 2025 Strategy Update celebrates the key achievements of the first phase of the 2025 Strategy, highlighting where we have come from and where we are now. It also updates the framework against which we will assess, track and measure existing and new strategic initiatives over the next five years.

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UNSW Indigenous Strategy

Led by the Pro Vice-Chancellor Indigenous, the Indigenous Strategy provides an overarching framework for Indigenous education, employment and research. Taking a whole-of-university approach means this strategic vision is implemented across all aspects of the University's operations.

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The Access and Participation Plan

The Plan commits to building strong partnerships with both Sydney metro and rural NSW schools identified as being disadvantaged to build social capital within these communities.

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Human Rights Awards

Kaldor Centre Director Jane McAdam AO was named the winner of the Law award in the 2022 Human Rights Awards. The Australian Human Rights Commission’s annual awards recognise and celebrate human rights work across the nation. Learn more about the award winning work of UNSW's Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law here.

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Degree courses

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Publications & Reports

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UNSW Grand Challenges: Inequality

Income inequality is a critical risk for today’s societies. In both the developed and developing world, inequality has grown dramatically in the past three decades. It challenges our established economic and political structures. It contributes to poverty and deprivation around the world. It threatens to divide us on many levels.

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UNSW Gateway Admission Pathway and Program (GAPP)

The UNSW GAPP aims to make university entry more equitable. It offers students traditionally underrepresented in higher education settings an alternative pathway into university, recognising that an ATAR is not the only indicator of potential success and readiness for university.

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UNSW UNOVA

Illustration of people building a rocket

A transdisciplinary research and development research lab that brings industry partners, government, and Australia’s global university together in the spirit of collaborative development and targets reduced inequalities.

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The UNSW Institute for Global Development

The Institute is underpinned by a commitment to enhancing social justice and inclusion through empowering individuals and their communities. Learn more about the IGD's work on SDG10 here.

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Forced Migration Research Network

The Forced Migration Research Network is made up of scholars based predominantly in the Faculty of Arts, Design and Architecture at UNSW, and partner with civil society organisations, service providers, government bodies and international actors to undertake research, policy, training, and advocacy activities.

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Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law

The Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law at UNSW is the world's leading research centre dedicated to the study of international refugee law. The Centre contributes to public policy by promoting legal, sustainable and humane solutions to forced migration.

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