Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU)
Teaching SDGs Bac courses “International Humanitarian Cooperation” and Master courses “Sustainable Development and Globalistics” and “Management of Social Transformations for SDGs”.
The initiative aims at preparing qualified specialists for practical work in all spheres of achieving the SDGs. The main target groups are Bac and Master students. Preparatory courses are organized for the interested school youth / UNESCO Schools on MOST and SDGs are held. At the UNESCO Chair a UNESCO Lab on ST and SDGs works since 2017 providing additional education. The initiative was to elaborate and to introduce into the teaching process of two innovative courses which would allow the preparation of specialists in international relations aware of the Global Agenda, problems of SD and tasks of practical achievement of SDGs.The courses elaborated by the scientific team of FGP MSU headed by UNESCO Chair Holder have never existed before as educational disciplines at FGP MSU. It was mentioned at the 40th UNESCO GC Session in 2019 that the FGP MSU is the only higher educational establishment providing full scale teaching on all SDGs which also elaborated an International Master Program on MOST welcomed by the 201st UNESCO Ex Board Session in May 2017.
A textbook on SD and SDGs was prepared and published. The UNESCO Lab on ST and SDGs remains the only one in the world, contributing to prepare high-level specialists on SDGs. We achieved the goal of providing the community with qualified specialists for SDGs implementation. In 2020 the first group of SDGs specialists graduated from the FGP MSU and all of them were employed, since the demand for such specialists is very high. It is envisaged to continue, deepen and expand the advanced teaching on SDGs, elaborating new teaching materials, holding International Scientific Congresses “Globalistics” and UNESCO Schools. The further perfection of teaching on SDGs is part of Development Programs of the UNESCO Chair, FGP and MSU.To enlarge the scope of SDGs education, partnerships of the UNESCO Chair were established and are working at the Russian Academy of Education, at the Russian Academy of Ecology, at a number of Russian universities and universities and centers in India, Italy, Hong Kong, Switzerland etc.
Outcomes and impact could be measured by the number of specialists prepared to work for SDGs and students involved in scientific activities on SDGs, in the work of UNESCO Lab on ST and SDGs, in UNESCO Schools on MOST and SDGs, as well as school youth attending preparatory lectures. The first flow of 2020 with SDGs profile was about 110 Bac graduates and about 80 Master graduates. The three UNESCO MOST SDGs Schools held in 2015, 2017 and 2019 involved over 800 participants and the Global Lecture on MOST SDGs and UNESCO Anniversary provided online by Dr. John Crowley had about 7.000 participants. The preparatory lectures for interested school youth involved over 550 participants. Among students and graduates there is a number of citizens of other countries – China, Arab countries, Italy, CIS etc.
The initiative is part of education for the SDGs.
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Initiative could be applicable for other universities. They may use for SDGs teaching already elaborated FGP MSU courses, MOST Master Program (in Russian and English), textbook and other educational materials which we are ready to provide free of charge and without any obligations to all institutions interested.
