Sunway University's Global Impact in Sustainable Development Highlighted in SDG Academy 2026 Annual Report

jeffrey cheah & jeffrey sachs
Sustainability

Sunway’s role as a global hub and national pioneer for Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) was highlighted in the recently released SDG Academy Annual Report 2026. The report showcases Sunway University and the wider Sunway Education Group’s expanding collaboration with the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), highlighting achievements in national policy reform, global degree programs, educator training, and campus upskilling.

Global Secretariat Home and Leadership

In the report,  Professor Jeffrey D. Sachs, President of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, named Sunway University as the global home of the SDG Academy. Highlighting a key transition, Karen Chand of Sunway University assumed the role of Managing Director of the SDG Academy effective July 1, 2026. Sunway Education Group CEO Dr Elizabeth Lee also continues her governance role on the Academy’s High-Level Advisory Council. SDSN President Professor Jeffrey Sachs commended Sunway for its "steadfast partnership, guidance, and generosity" in hosting this global effort.

Shaping National Education Policy

Partnering with SDSN’s Mission 4.7 Malaysia initiative, which contributed to the Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) Pillar (Pillar 6) in the Malaysia Education Plan 2026–2036, Sunway served as a key collaborator for its national rollout:

  • National Delivery Partner: Sunway University’s School of Education partnered with the Mission 4.7 team to run a 5-day Training of Trainers program, equipping 20 master trainers who are rolling out ESD training to 2,500 educators across 40 schools.
  • Impact Evaluation: Researchers from Sunway University and the Sunway Institute for Global Strategy and Competitiveness established a long-term research program alongside Mission 4.7 to evaluate the rollout and measure the national impact of ESD in classrooms.
  • Strategic Engagement: Sunway Education Group leadership joined Professor Jeffrey Sachs and senior ministry officials in March 2026 for a high-level briefing with the Minister of Education to support the transition from policy to practice.

Academic Innovation and Joint Global Modules

The report spotlights Sunway’s Master in Sustainable Development Management (MSDM)—offered by the Jeffrey Sachs Centre—which reached 140 total alumni this year. In January 2026, 12 Sunway MSDM students joined University College Dublin (UCD) students for a shared Sustainable Cities module. This cross-cultural collaboration serves as a primary template for the SDG Academy’s upcoming Global Master’s in Sustainable Development, launching in 2027.

Campus-Wide Professional Training

At the institutional level, the SDG Academy and Sunway completed their fifth year of compulsory SDG professional development for employees. The April 2026 rollout reached over 2,500 faculty and staff across Sunway University, Sunway College, and Sunway International School. Reflecting high local engagement, 51.4% of all video views from the global SDG Academy Library originated from Malaysia this past year.

You can read the SDG Academy Annual Report 2026 and read our article on the 2025 report at the links below: