SDG 17: Partnerships For The Goals
Goal 17 aims to strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development.

UNSW received a record from the Swire Group which enables the Kirby Institute to screen and treat more than a hundred thousand women in seven Pacific countries.
UNSW ranked first in Australia for Knowledge Exchange, under the Social Impact category of the 2024 QS Sustainability Rankings.
UNSW awarded five PhD Business School students wtih $4000 grants to further their SDG-related research.
Our work
Centres, institutes and partnerships
Anti-Poverty Week 2024
Speakers from UNSW, ACOSS and Uniting NSW/ACT explore how we can address poverty through advocacy and academic partnerships, in this video produced as part of Anti-Poverty Week 2024.
Global Sustainable Development Congress
In partnership with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, UNSW hosted two flagship events at the THE GSDC 2024 in Bangkok.
Human rights fellowships
The Australian Human Rights Institute's Global Student Fellowship Program gives UNSW students the opportunity to undertake a fellowship with a leading international development or human rights-based organisation.
UNDCO knowledge partnership
UNSW recognises the enormous potential of partnering with the United Nations and with other universities, industry and government to develop real solutions to advance the SDGs.
Since 2022 UNSW has an institutional knowledge partnership with the United Nations Development Coordination Office (UNDCO) Asia-Pacific, a collaboration intended to accelerate the SDGs in the region.
In 2023, UNSW welcomed UNDCO for a series of tours and discussions, demonstrating the University’s commitment to partnerships for social impact. The visit included discussion around support for persons with disabilities in Papua New Guinea, and post-conflict development in Timor Leste, as well as exploration of the role of Australian universities in supporting the UN in the region in the lead-up to COP31 on climate in 2026.
Centre for Ideas
The UNSW Centre for Ideas presents a thought-provoking program of event and digital content, bringing the globe’s leading thinkers to UNSW and presenting UNSW to the world. Events grapple with the big questions and topics facing our world in the 21st century including the SDGs, climate change, technological disruption and global politics, and provide an open platform for public debate and the sharing of knowledge.
UNSW Founders
Hult Prize
The Hult Prize is a global social enterprise competition for university students, supported by UNSW Founders.
It is focused on helping the brightest future leaders put their energy into solving the biggest issues facing the planet, in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs).
Hear from the 2024 UNSW Hult Prize finalists Jacinta May, Co-Founder of Pikkl and Matt Gordon, Co-Founder of Innersteps.
SDG Challenge
Run by UNSW Founders in partnership with the Poverty and Inequality Partnership, this 2024 event challenged students to find real-world and innovative solutions to ensuring access to adequate, safe and affordable housing by 2030, in line with SDG 11 targets.
Ten UNSW teams competed for A$3500 in prizes, with mentoring from a panel of UNSW and industry experts.
Global dialogue on ocean accounting
Hosted by UNSW Sustainable Development Reform Hub, the Global Ocean Accounts Partnership led the 4th Global Dialogue on Ocean Accounting. Bringing together delegates from 73 countries, it explored how ocean accounting can be used to meet international and regional climate and biodiversity commitments, and address challenges to our marine environments.
Measuring air quality in the Pacific
UNSW research found air quality in the urban areas of the Solomon Islands and Fiji has deteriorated since 2018, with increasing incidences of human respiratory illness. In partnership with Pacific and international partners, this project supports in-country efforts to continuously monitor air quality and inform local decision-making.
A team led by UNSW expanded the project to include Tonga in 2022 and Vanuatu in 2023.
PLuS Alliance renews global partnership
PLuS Alliance is a global partnership between UNSW, Arizona State University and King’s College London, combining the strengths of three global universities to create sustainable futures, solve global problems and increase access to education. Researchers from the three partners collaborate to pursue solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges underpinned by the SDGs.
Torch Innovation Partnerships
Torch Innovation Partnerships bring together industry representatives, small to medium-sized enterprises, entrepreneurs, investors and policymakers from around the world to the UNSW campus. Between 2016 and 2019, this resulted in $76M worth of contracts.
UN meeting on SDGs in Bangkok
In August 2022 UNSW development leaders and experts, facilitated by the UNSW Institute for Global Development, participated in an introductory meeting between UNSW and the regional UN Development Coordination Office in Bangkok to discuss the SDGs and begin an ongoing knowledge partnership.
Impact X Summit
In November 2022, students, staff and researchers from UNSW joined industry specialists at the 'COP27 and Beyond' research showcase in Sydney. Part of the Impact X Climate Summit, it highlighted Australia’s university-led research contribution to the global response to climate change. Panel topics included protecting community wellbeing, supporting blue and green economies, Australia’s role in global climate security and raising ambition on climate solutions.
Health advancements in the Pacific
2023 was significant for the Eliminating Cervical Cancer in the Western Pacific (ECCWP) program, a major collaboration for which the Kirby Institute is in-country implementation partner. In Vanuatu, the Institute is developing a national cervical cancer elimination strategy and in the Western Highlands of Papua New Guinea, scaled-up screening outreach has led to an increase in screening and treatment against HPV and cervical cancer.
Societal impact in Timor-Leste
A senior delegation from UNSW travelled to Timor-Leste in 2023, as part of broader efforts to achieve societal impact in the region. The visit built on the University’s long history of engagement with Timor-Leste and sought to amplify UNSW’s role as a critical intermediary and strategic advisor for governments, the UN, regional universities and civil society.
Senior representatives from UNSW Engineering, Medicine & Health, the Sustainable Development Reform Hub, the Global Water Institute and the Institute for Global Development travelled to Dili to strengthen the University’s existing partnerships and explore new opportunities for ongoing engagement.
UNSW Strategy in Action 2025
UNSW 2025 Strategy Update
This document 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.
UNSW Annual Reports
Informing, engaging and leading through critical thinking, evidence and debate.