SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goal | Ateneo & UN Sustainable Development Goals

Ateneo and the UN Sustainable Development Goals

The Ateneo Sustainability Audit Framework for ESG Practices

The Office of Student Activities and Ateneo GLP 2023 delegates developed the Organization Sustainability Audit (Matrix) as a framework for embedding sustainability practices aligned with Laudato Si’ principles into University activities, especially student organizations. The audit focuses on sustainability across environmental, social, and governance (ESG) dimensions, ensuring current needs are met without compromising the future. It assesses the student organizations’ sustainability practices while addressing environmental impact, ethical awareness, and resource use.

Key components include:

Current Organizational State – Evaluating existing sustainability practices, such as awareness campaigns, use of recyclable materials, and carbon footprint offsets, without ranking or grading.
Organizational Events – Assessing sustainability measures in event planning, including meat-free food options, carpooling arrangements, and waste generation.
Sustainability Knowledge – evaluate the perceived relevance of various concepts, such as water consumption and waste management, to sustainability in the context of youth organizations, using a ranking matrix to gauge their alignment with sustainable practices.
Sustainability Goals – Identifying the organization’s short- and long-term objectives for improving sustainability.

Through this comprehensive audit, the Office of Student Activities and the Ateneo GLP 2023 delegates aim to empower student organizations to adopt actionable sustainability strategies. This will ensure a culture of environmental stewardship, social responsibility, and ethical governance aligned with the University’s Laudato Si thrust.

Ateneo's participation in government policy development

Ateneo de Manila University has actively participated in the development of national government policies related to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Its involvement in the creation of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Plan 2020-2030 is an example of its ability to collaborate with the government in policy formulation. The university is a part of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network, and the Ateneo Institute of Sustainability serves as the host of SDSN Philippines.

To showcase its commitment to the SDGs, the Ateneo Institute of Sustainability, and later the Ateneo Innovation Center, have released a report on the University's sustainability initiatives and its contributions to attaining the SDGs 1–17 in order to demonstrate its commitment to the SDGs.

Ateneo's Contribution to SDG 17: Progress and Challenges

Analyzing trends in SDG 17, research supporting sustainable development partnerships improved from 2021 to 2022 but saw a slight decline in 2023. This indicates potential setbacks in fostering effective partnerships. Relationships to support the goals were strong in 2021 but declined in 2022 and 2023, suggesting a decreasing focus on partnerships for sustainable development.

On a positive note, Ateneo actively engages in cross-sectoral dialogues on SDGs and collaborates internationally on gathering SDG data, contributing to research reports on multiple SDGs. The university also reviews best practices for tackling SDGs through international collaborations and actively partners with NGOs and local governments for SDG initiatives. However, there was a significant drop in the publication of SDG reports in 2023, indicating a potential setback or need for further investigation. Despite these challenges, Ateneo demonstrates a commitment to meaningful education on SDGs through mandatory education for all students and dedicated courses addressing sustainability within the university curriculum and for the broader community through outreach and scholarship programs.