The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
UNSW is committed to this goal and demonstrates its commitment through:
The University’s high ranking in SDG 6 reflects UNSW’s contributions to clean water and sanitation through campus operations, research and outreach, and strengthened through active UNSW participation in a number of key initiatives such as the Australian Water Partnership (AWP), the Connected Waters Initiative (CWI), and a range of ongoing, long term collaborations with local and global government and industry partners, such as with WaterNSW, the Murray-Darling Basin Authority, the Mekong River Commission, as well as with NGOs such as Z-NET Uralla and the Love Mercy Foundation in Uganda. UNSW on campus contributions toward SDG 6 are also underpinned by the Environmental Sustainability Plan 2019-21.
Australia’s experience in water reform in a federal system of government, the application of science to build the foundation for national water policy, and the establishment of policies and institutions to ensure the sustainability of reforms are of keen international interest.
UNSW is a proud partner of the AWP, promoting conscious water usage off campus and in the wider community by highlights how stormwater and treated wastewater are possible water sources.
The UNSW Global Water Institute (UNSW-GWI) is a world leader in water research, innovation and problem solving. The Institute is a truly multi-disciplinary venture, drawing on water expertise across UNSW to create the Nation’s most advanced water knowledge hub. This includes:
The UNSW Global Water Institute are committed to collaborating with government, industry, NGOs, communities and other research organisations in achieving an enduring global impact and contribute to a future where all communities have access to world-leading research, education, information and innovation to better manage water resources for drinking, agriculture and the protection of marine and fresh water ecosystems.
The Water Research Centre (WRC) is an international leading university centre that provides multidisciplinary research in water resources, engineering, management and the development of tools for environmental management and sustainability for improving aquatic and atmospheric environments.
With its two research locations in Sydney, it operates as an externally funded UNSW research centre within the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, serving more than 50 staff and supporting more than 80 PhD Students.
The Connected Waters Initiative (CWI) is a multidisciplinary initiative at UNSW that undertakes world-leading research that advances knowledge of groundwater processes to create solutions which provide effective water supply management for communities, agriculture and mining in the Asian Pacific region and internationally, while improving social equity and sustainable environmental outcomes.
With its partners, CWI continue to train the next generation of expert researchers and groundwater professionals.
The UNSW GWI is a member of the Global Water Partnership, which is a global action network across 183 countries which aims to inform decisions and affect policy on water use and management.
UNSW has a history of environmental stewardship across research, learning & teaching and campus operations across several decades. The Environmental Sustainability Report 2021 measures and outlines our achievements to date.
This report outlines UNSW's performance against the SDGs over the years 2020-2021.
