Chinese and South African universities reaffirm commitment to SDGs

Zhejiang University (ZJU), also a member of the Global MOOC Alliance, and the University of Cape Town (UCT) renewed their Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and inked a new university-wide student exchange agreement during a virtual conference held on June 23, reaffirming their shared commitment to sustainable development.

Highlighting the relationship between two institutions, Prof. WU Zhaohui, ZJU’s president, said, “Faced with grand challenges such as Covid-19, climate change and natural disasters, we look forward to identifying common priorities with UCT and working together to make greater contributions to global welfare.”

Prof. Mamokgethi Phakeng, UCT’s vice-chancellor, pointed out that sustainability cannot be achieved if countries work in isolation. “Even though Covid has disrupted much of the way we work, it has not disrupted the value of collaboration. It is a pleasure to have a partner like ZJU, a top performer in the world, who we share values with,” she added.

During the meeting, Prof. HE Lianzhen, ZJU’s vice president, gave a brief introduction to the University’s global strategy “Global ZJU: CREATE to Impact” and the sustainability action plan “A Global ZJU for Social Good (Z4G)”, underlining ZJU’s commitment to the global development and responsibility while pursuing excellence. Prof. Sue Harrison, UCT’s deputy vice-chancellor, shared Vision 2030, a new strategy focusing on three key pillars – excellence, transformation, and sustainability.

Moderated by Prof. LI Min, director of ZJU’s Office of Global Engagement, the online meeting was also joined by colleagues from UCT’s International Academic Programs Office, Research Office, Communication and Marketing Department, etc. Following the signing ceremony, the participants held an in-depth discussion of the next steps, agreeing to promote bilateral and multilateral cooperation in environmental sustainability, poverty alleviation and green campus, and to enhance student mobility through semester exchange and summer school programs.

The University of Cape Town, established in 1892, is the best university in Africa and home to five Nobel Prize winners, with strengths in development studies, medicine, environmental science and engineering, and oceanography. The partnership between ZJU and UCT can be traced back to August 2015, when both parties signed the first MoU. This March, UCT joined 60 peer universities from 31 countries and regions to sign onto the “Joint Statement of Global University Leaders on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” launched by ZJU.

This article originally appeared on https://www.zju.edu.cn/english/2021/0626/c19573a2399332/page.htm