2018•01•22

On 22 January, UNU launched its Sustainable Development Explorer, a new campaign highlighting UNU’s work to support the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2015, the SDGs unite global action to overcome the world’s biggest challenges, from hunger and poverty to equality and peace. UNU’s work is uniquely comprehensive, spanning the full breadth of the SDGs. Some 400 UNU researchers worldwide are engaged in more than 180 research projects, generating knowledge to develop realistic solutions to achieve the SDGs. Available in English and in Japanese, the SD Explorer currently features 51 projects, 34 experts, 34 publications, and 50 expert articles, organised by SDG. It offers visitors the opportunity to explore the “who” and “what” of UNU’s work, engage directly with UNU’s experts, and learn about how their ideas are generating knowledge to develop solutions to achieve the SDGs.

UNU-GCM’s diverse work on mobility and globalisation makes cross-cutting contributions to the Sustainable Development Agenda. Two UNU-GCM researchers are highlighted in the campaign for the contributions that their research expertise makes to the SDGs.

The work of Senior Research Officer Dr. Francisco Cos Montiel contributes to SDG #8, on decent work and economic growth. Dr. Cos Montiel explains: “Technological innovations can improve efficiency and productivity, but they can also increase inequality, disrupt labour markets, and displace workers. Migrant workers and women are heavily represented in jobs that may eventually be lost to automation. My research at UNU aims to ensure that technology innovations are inclusive. The future should leave no one behind.”

Additionally, Research Fellow Dr. Valeria Bello is featured for her work which contributes to Goal #10 on reduced inequalities. “International migration is a central concern in many countries, which is often connected to security issues. I am passionate about providing a new framework to understand how human mobility shapes our world. My research shows how the inclusion of migrants can successfully contribute to their new societies, and how it is possible to further enhance their positive role and make the world a better place, in particular by counteracting prejudice as a global security threat.”

Explore UNU’s contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals