Universitas Airlangga (UNAIR), through its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Center, has held its first Airlangga SDGs School. The event was held on Wednesday, August 21, 2024, in the Rote Room, 4th floor of ASEEC Tower at UNAIR’s Dharmawangsa – B Campus. Thirty students from various academic levels were selected to participate after a rigorous selection process.
Opened the event, the Vice Rector for Internationalization, Digitalization, and Information (IDI), Prof. Muhammad Miftahussurur, dr MKes SpPD-KGEH PhD FINASIM, explained that the Airlangga SDGs School is a course designed to cultivate both experts and activists who are well-versed in SDGs.
“The SDGs School is a two-day program aimed not only at producing experts but also at nurturing activists capable of driving and influencing SDGs implementation. This effort is intended to impact not just UNAIR but the entire country,” he stated.
Prof. Miftahussurur also highlighted that the Airlangga SDGs School is part of a larger initiative to embed SDGs awareness within the academic community. He emphasized that UNAIR has long been a leader in SDGs implementation, as evidenced by its world-ranking achievement in SDGs No Poverty.
“UNAIR has been leading the World University Association for Community Development (WUACD), where it serves as the pioneer and coordinator for global community service initiatives. Additionally, UNAIR consistently reports its SDGs indicators through platforms like UI Green Metric and THE Impact,” he added.
Bayu Arie Fianto PhD, Chair of UNAIR SDGs Center, also spoke at the event, emphasizing that the Airlangga SDGs School is part of a series of activities leading up to the SDGs Festival, which will culminate in October.
“This program is a key event leading up to the October SDGs Festival, where we plan to officially recognize the participants who complete the course. We hope this initiative will be fully realized,” Fianto said.
As the first of its kind-event organized by UNAIR’s SDGs Center, Fianto expressed his hope that the selected students would make the most of this unique opportunity to deepen their knowledge.
“We encourage the participants to fully engage in this experience, asking questions and discussing with the instructors to gain a comprehensive understanding of SDGs. As members of Generation Z, who are digitally connected and passionate, it’s crucial that this passion is complemented by solid knowledge of SDGs,” emphasized the National President of SDGs Centers across Indonesia.