Oakland University has been appointed as the new United Nations Academic Impact Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Hub Vice-Chair for Partnership and Outreach for SDG6 (Clean Water and Sanitation) by the United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI) initiative.
“It’s an incredible honor to be selected,” said Adem Althor, executive director of Global Engagement at Oakland University. “I think this is going to be something that will be very exciting for all faculty, staff and students at the university.”
OU will play an essential role in advancing the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by leading partnership and outreach initiatives for the UNAI SDG6 Hub, from March 2025 to December 2027, as part of the larger UNAI network, which comprises over 1,700 universities and colleges across more than 150 countries.
“As a vice-chair, we get to lead global higher education efforts in advancing this Sustainable Development Goal,” Althor said. “That means that we will seek to amplify SDG6 in curriculum, research, community outreach, and partnerships. We will contribute to the new knowledge emerging around SDG6.”
Oakland University was selected to serve as vice-chair of SDG6 following a rigorous selection process, during which the United Nations reviewed over 330 applications from higher education institutions worldwide.
“Oakland University stood out for its long-standing focus on water-related education and hands-on research, including extensive work in the OU Campus Biopreserve and collaborations with regional partners such as the Clinton River Watershed Council,” said OU alum Robert Skinner, officer in charge and chief of partnerships and global engagement outreach division of the United Nations Department of Global Communications.
‘Through these efforts, Oakland University has demonstrated its dedication to advance the principles of SDG6,” he added.
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UNAI SDG Hubs are designated institutions of higher education within the UNAI network that actively work to promote the SDGs by leveraging the power of academia to create positive social, economic, and environmental change. Each Hub is designated to focus on a specific SDG, fostering research, education, and global collaboration to advance that goal, while respecting the strong interdependencies across all 17 SDGs.
“Goal 6 is about clean water and sanitation,” said Alex Zimmerman, director of international education at Oakland University. ““It’s something that we often take for granted in the U.S., but half of the world’s population still experiences severe water scarcity at least one month per year.”
In fact, the United Nations estimates that in 2024, 2.2 billion people still lacked safely managed drinking water, 3.4 billion people lacked safely managed sanitation, and 1.7 billion lacked basic hygiene services at home.
“It’s such an important issue,” Zimmerman said, noting that OU will be collaborating with the Shiv Nadar Institution of Eminence (India), the University of Manitoba (Canada), the Technological University of Uruguay (Uruguay). and the Federal University of Paraná (Brazil) on the initiative.
“I think it’s a good opportunity for Oakland University to be involved in things that are very broadly important, not only to the community here in Michigan and the United States, but to the world,” he added.
Oakland University Professor Scott Tiegs and Assistant Professor Nicole Wagner from the Department of Biological Sciences will serve as the university’s main liaisons on the SDG6 initiative.
“They’ll be looking into ways that the university can include this goal into its research,” Althor said. “But I could easily see this spilling over into others areas, such as Environmental Science, Chemistry, and Public Health. It’s very exciting.”
For more information about the new UNAI SDG Hub cohort and their activities please visit www.un.org/en/academic-impact/unai-sdg-hub-network.
About United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI)
UNAI is an initiative that aligns institutions of higher education with the United Nations in supporting and contributing to the realization of United Nations goals and mandates. UNAI members are making significant strides in advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Agenda to further encourage innovation and commitment to sustainability education for future generations.
About Oakland University
Oakland University is a doctoral, Carnegie Classification R2 “High Research Activity” university located in Oakland and Macomb counties, Michigan. The main campus is located on 1,443 acres of scenic land in the Southeast Michigan cities of Rochester Hills and Auburn Hills. The university also maintains program space at the University Center in Clinton Township and at the Anton/Frankel Center in Mount Clemens. Oakland University offers bachelor’s degrees, graduate degrees and certificate programs, and is dedicated to delivering a distinctive college experience. Oakland University is organized into the College of Arts and Sciences (which includes a School of Music, Theatre and Dance), the Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine and the Schools of Business Administration, Education and Human Services, Engineering and Computer Science, Health Sciences, Nursing, and The Honors College. At Oakland, the student experience is enhanced as students work alongside inspired faculty and community mentors in laboratory, field and corporate workplace settings. Students enjoy small class sizes, countless research and social opportunities, and a high rate of job placement after graduation. In fact, 96 percent of OU graduates stay and work in the state. This rich campus atmosphere is complete with residence halls, Greek life, Division I athletics and more than 300 student groups that lend to the total college experience.
To learn more about Oakland University, please visit www.oakland.edu.