RESODAP – AUF

In 2022, Ajou University (South Korea) was ranked 54th for SDG 1 by the global university Impacts Ranking. This recognition was awarded for its effective programs and policies to end poverty in its local community.

Each year, the University of French Polynesia offers its students scholarships, annual allowances, jobs and one-time financial aid to help them meet the cost of their studies for lodging, meals and registration fees.

Many research projects on the theme of food security are carried out by researchers from AUF member universities.

This is the case, for example, of the ASIFOOD project, an Erasmus+ project on capacity building in food safety and quality for Southeast Asia. This is also the case for researcher Hà Thị Thanh Mai’s (Vietnam National University of Agriculture) latest project on ethnic minority food security in Vietnam.

Sookmyung Women’s University (South Korea) has opened a health center in an effort to maintain and improve the health of its students and employees. This center offers various medical services including health counseling and education and medical treatment.

The Hanoi University of Public Health (Vietnam) voluntarily participated in the prevention and control of COVID-19 in response to the mobilization of the National Steering Committee for the Prevention and Control of COVID-19 and the Ministry of Health at the epicenters of the disease.

The National University of Vanuatu has strengthened its digital infrastructure to ensure its resilience to future health and environmental crises.

In March 2023, at Naresuan University (Thailand), a speech contest on the theme “Why Going Green Is the New Black” was held to allow enthusiastic students, both undergraduate and graduate, to express their thoughts and ideas on how to make the world a better place by becoming clean, green, and eco-friendly.

The University of French Polynesia organizes annual events to raise awareness on the issue of gender equality. In 2022, it organized the “Savoirs pour tous” conference: deconstructing gender stereotypes, why and how (December 1, 2022) and the “Savoirs pour tous” conference: the fight against violence against women, talking about it, understanding it and taking action. She also participated in the International Week for Women’s Rights at UPF (March 7-11, 2022).

The website of the University of Economic Sciences in Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) displays photos of both men and women. This initiative encourages both women and men to apply for a program or a job at this university.

In the bathrooms of Kasetsart University (Thailand), a detection system runs the water in the sinks only when it detects movement. It runs the water in the toilets only when it detects that people have moved from sitting to standing. This system reduces water consumption by more than 75%.

An automatic watering system has been installed in the gardens of the University of Delhi (India) to avoid wasting water.

In addition to adopting simple energy-saving measures in the office, such as opening blinds in workspaces to take advantage of daylight or turning off lights and monitors when not in use, the French Institute in Pondicherry, India, is using renewable energy from solar panels and integrating it into the overall energy management of its campus. This reduces the associated energy costs and lowers the carbon footprint of its daily operations.

Together with several actors in its field, the University of New Caledonia has launched Pépite, a project that aims to raise awareness and train as many students or former students as possible in entrepreneurship by developing a culture of entrepreneurship for the creation and/or takeover of businesses in all its forms and by strengthening the links between higher education and the economic fabric.

The University of Mumbai has established a start-up incubation center, the MU IDEAS Foundation, to encourage the creation of companies with innovative ideas and practical, viable industrial solutions.

In 2022, Hanoi University of Architecture (Vietnam) involved 50 of its students in a workshop on the theme of “Climate Resilient Architecture” held in Son La and Hanoi. The objective of this workshop was to identify practical and easily achievable landscape architecture ideas to make the city of Son La more pleasant for its inhabitants given its drainage problems and its lack of green spaces and water bodies.

Prior to the Japanese government’s implementation of the Law on the Elimination of Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities from April 2016, Chuo University (Japan) established guidelines for supporting students with disabilities to respect their dignity and create and maintain a comfortable educational and research environment.

The University of the South Pacific (Fiji) formally encourages people of all ages, ethnic groups, citizenships, and socio-economic backgrounds to study. It offers on-campus, online and asynchronous courses to provide access to education for all.

The Sookmyung Women’s University (South Korea) has opened its two museums to the public: the Sookmyung Women’s University Museum, dedicated to the life of Korean women, and the Chung Young Yang Embroidery Museum, the first museum in the world dedicated to embroidery.

Students, staff and members of the public visit the gardens of the University of Delhi (India) daily for exercise and yoga.

The research work of Nguyen Thai Huyen, PhD in urban planning (Hanoi University of Architecture, Vietnam) focuses on the “3 Rs” (reduce, reuse, recycle).

Several researchers from Wuhan University (China) have published work on food waste in university canteens.

Kasetsart University (Thailand) sorts and measures the amount of waste recycled or composted on its campus

Kasetsart University (Thailand) measures its greenhouse gases. It has several policies and programs in this area. As a result, it has, for example, renovated its buildings to make them “smart buildings” by using a building automation system (BAS). The BAS automatically controls the air conditioning, lighting, fire control, access control, security and elevator control system.

Kasetsart University has also implemented a public transportation policy to facilitate travel for students, staff and the general public. It encourages the use of bicycles and short-distance walking within the university to reduce fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions.

The Royal University of Agriculture (Cambodia), together with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, founded the Biogas Technology & Information Center (BTIC), an organization that aims to provide technical services and training to harness the potential of biogas from pig farms as a renewable energy source for rural electrification.

The National University of Vanuatu offers a program entitled “Climate Resilience and Humanitarian Action”.

Nha Trang University (Vietnam) has partnered with UNCTAD to open a new Center of Excellence on Sustainable Fisheries.

At Kasetsart University (Thailand), an agency is responsible for monitoring the quality of water from water sources in the Kasetsart University area and verifying that the water quality meets standards before it is used in various systems, which affects aquatic ecosystems in a large area.

In March 2022, students from Rangsit University (Thailand) went to the Baan Mai Chai Lane complex in the community of Khlong Khon to participate in a mangrove forest planting activity. This activity aimed to maintain the balance of the ecosystem to avoid significant impacts on the sea and human habitations.

The University of Delhi (India) is actively participating in the “plastic-free-village” campaign in five villages. This initiative aims to eliminate the use of plastics and replace them with environmentally friendly alternatives. The initiative is led by the Department of Social Work in partnership with the School of Open Learning.

The University of New Caledonia has opened a Law and Mediation Clinic. This is a free service of legal information and mediation support that its students and employees can consult in case of legal difficulties, conflicts or questions about their rights.

The University of Mumbai (India) has hired an ombudsperson to handle complaints from its students and employees

In partnership with the AUF, the University of Savannakhet (Laos) embarked on strengthening its governance in 2019. Through interviews with various university actors and stakeholders, the university first conducted an inventory of its situation, actions and dysfunctions. The university’s senior leaders then attended workshops and trainings to develop and improve the university’s strategic plan and publish reliable and comprehensive reference documents. Finally, the university planned a staff satisfaction survey and an external evaluation.

Da nang University is involved in several international projects that can help it contribute to achieving the SDGs. For example, the HARMONY project aims to support the modernization, accessibility and internationalization of higher education institutions in India, Bangladesh and Vietnam, and to strengthen cooperation between European and Asian universities. The V2WORK project aims to support the Vietnamese education system in order to increase the employment opportunities and entrepreneurial skills of its graduates. Finally, the HUB4GROWTH project aims to strengthen university-industry collaboration for the sustainable and intelligent development of Asian universities.