The United Arab Emirates University plays an active and positive role in achieving and keeping pace with global sustainable development goals by supporting initiatives and research projects that seek to achieve these goals. This is based on the UAE s declaration of 2020 as the Year of Preparation for the Next Fifty Years , in preparation for the next 50 years at all levels, and in line with the vision and directives of the UAE leadership to achieve the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and its 169 targets for the 2030 Sustainable Development Plan.

Prof. Ahmed Ali Murad - Associate Provost for Research - stressed the importance of sustainable development in our time at the international and global level, especially in energy, environment, natural and human resources. He pointed out that the strategic role of educational institutions is to support societies to face challenges and devote their global experiences in finding appropriate solutions to the problems facing society.

He also added that the number of UAEU research papers that are concerned with the sustainable development goals and published in international academic journals during the period from 2017-2020 was 1836 research papers, which is equivalent to 40% of the total research production in all disciplines during that period. He said that the percentage of publications on good health and well-being was 60% of the total research production concerned the Sustainable Development Goals during the period from 2017-2020. However, the percentage of publications on clean energy was 11%, the percentage of research publications on sustainable cities and communities was 5.5%, while the percentage of research publication on climate action was 5% of the total of all research published and concerned the Sustainable Development Goals during that period.

H e explained that the university is keenly concerned with cooperation and interaction with society to provide sustainable and integrated services that address the challenges faced by society, by encouraging individual and community initiatives to establish research projects concerned with the seventeen goals in terms of quality education, good health and well-being, c lean energy, clean water, industry, innovation and infrastructure, creating a positive link between people and the environment, and raising awareness about renewable energy such as wind and solar energy, among others.