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TAMK is committed to promoting sustainable development objectives

Published on 28.10.2020
Tampere University of Applied Sciences
Kukkia ja perhonen Saukonpuistossa
Tampere University of Applied Sciences was the first Finnish university of applied sciences to sign the international sustainable development commitment of higher education institutions.

TAMK was the first Finnish university of applied sciences to sign the international sustainable development agreement (SDG Accord). 

The agreement is an expression of universities’ and higher education institutions’ joint will to promote UN’s sustainable development objectives in their operation. TAMK’s President Markku Lahtinen signed the commitment on behalf of TAMK.

Sustainable development means social change with the aim to ensure good living possibilities without endangering future generations’ possibility to do the same. Sustainable development encompasses ecological, economic and sociocultural dimensions.

Along with the signature, TAMK commits itself to promote UN’s sustainable development objectives in education, RDI and campus development and report on development and completed measures annually. Sustainable development measures are also promoted in the whole Tampere Universities community. The Finnish Aalto University and LUT University have signed the agreement earlier. 

According to TAMK’s Impact Area Leader Eeva-Liisa Viskari, the commitment is greatly in line with TAMK’s strategy and works as a cross-cutting theme in all future operations.

“Sustainable development has been discussed for years at TAMK. Now we will make all our sustainable development measures visible. At the same time we will also raise development objectives.”

TAMK’s sustainable development work will continue even stronger in 2021 under coordination of a new sustainable development working group.

“The United Nations turn 75 this year. Because of it, this is a great commitment from Tampere University of Applied Sciences,” says Eveliina Asikainen, who leads TAMK’s sustainable development working group.

The UN member countries agreed on sustainable development objectives and agenda in their New York summit in September 2015. The purpose of the objectives and agenda is to guide the world’s development efforts until 2030. The sustainable development agenda (Agenda2030) aims at sustainable development with equal consideration of the environment, economy and people as well as elimination of extreme poverty. The leading principle of the agenda is not to leave anyone behind in development.

More information on sustainable development objectives: https://sdgs.un.org/goals

Further information on the commitment: https://www.sdgaccord.org/ 

The international UN day is celebrated on 24 October.
 

Further information: Impact Area Leader Eeva-Liisa Viskari, TAMK, eeva-liisa.viskari [at] tuni.fi (eeva-liisa[dot]viskari[at]tuni[dot]fi)

Photo: Jonne Renvall