Opening Remarks - Prof. Cynthia Rose Banzon-Bautista, Vice President for Academic Affairs, University of the Philippines 11th Global RCE Conference 7-9 December, 2018 Cebu, the Philippines

1.
Maria Cynthia Rose Banzon Bautista
Vice President for Academic Affairs
University of the Philippines System
Multisector collaboration is essential to achieving the
Sustainable Development Goals. Though these goals are
universally applicable, they must still be adapted to national and local contexts,
and to do this, multiple perspectives have to be taken into account. These goals
also cover a broad range of interconnected issues coming from and affecting
several sectors, and so it becomes indispensable for government, the private
sector and civil society to forge closer links to implement development targets and
monitor their progress. As primary producers of knowledge, universities are
particularly important in linkages towards the SDGs. Involving universities in
these partnerships not only reinforce collaborative undertakings as multi-issue
platforms but they also allow these efforts to benefit from the expertise of
scholars and researchers from different backgrounds, making them multi-, inter-
and transdisciplinary. For universities, such approach is crucial if we are to find
long-term, integrated solutions to societal problems.
It was from this vantage point that in 2005, the University of the Philippines (or
UP) through UP Cebu (then known as the Cebu College of UP Visayas) explored
the possibility of becoming part of the United Nations University Institute of
Advanced Studies network of global Regional Centers of Expertise (or RCE) on
Education for Sustainable Development. Being the country’s national university,
UP is mandated by Philippine law to lead “as a public service university by
providing various forms of community, public and volunteer service, as well as
scholarly and technical assistance to the government, the private sector and civil
society while maintaining its standards of excellence.” The succeeding creation of
RCE Cebu in 2006, the first RCE in the Philippines and of which UP Cebu was
central node and secretariat, was thus an excellent opportunity for the University
to realize not only its mission of teaching and research but also of community
engagement by creating a multisector network of partners and stakeholders for the
promotion of sustainable development. Since its establishment nearly 12 years
ago, RCE Cebu has initiated multisector consultative workshops, provided direct
services such as the coastal community initiatives in Cebu, and strengthened
education for sustainable development through lecture-forums, education camps,
and research assistance to undergraduate students. It likewise supported UP Cebu
faculty members to participate in international conferences and to publish
research outputs. That these faculty members come from different departments --
business management, computer science, the humanities and the social sciences --

2. presents an appreciation that different fields can contribute equally to the
attainment of the SDGs.
Around the world, there is greater recognition of the role of universities in the
SDGs. In fact, Times Higher Education, publisher of one of the most widely used
global rankings of universities in which UP participates, will release next year a
new global ranking on how educational institutions are delivering the SDGs. This
only shows that there are large-scale attempts at measuring the impact of
universities on society. For its part, the University of the Philippines, directed to
“perform a unique and distinctive leadership role in higher education and the
country’s development” and if I may add, with a regional and global impact, will
continue to heed the universal call by providing the next generation of leaders
with high-quality education that upholds the principles of sustainable
development and enhances competencies (knowledge, skills and values) that will
help them think critically and analytically about and effectively respond to
development-related problems. Finally, the University will continue to carry out
research in support of evidence-based policy-making and, as our RCE Cebu
experience demonstrates, build bridges across disciplines and sectors of society in
our collective efforts towards sustainable development.
Thank you.