UNITAR Advances to the Global Higher Education Agenda at HLPF

13 July 2026, New York, United States of America – Universities, UN entities, Member States and youth networks have committed to a shared vision for higher education's role in advancing sustainable development, with the formal launch of the GHES Consensus Statement at UN Headquarters in New York. The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) participated as a collaborating partner in the second Global Higher Education Symposium (GHES II), convened on the margins of the 2026 High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF).

The half-day, invitation-only symposium brought together approximately 70 representatives from higher education institutions, Member States, international organizations, UN entities, youth networks and private sector partners to formally launch the Consensus Statement on the role of higher education in advancing sustainable development.

The symposium built directly on the first Global Higher Education Symposium (GHES I), convened at UN Headquarters in July 2025, which produced a Zero Draft Consensus Statement setting out shared priorities on the transformative potential of higher education. Between October and December 2025, a global consultation engaged some 350 voices from higher education institutions and networks across all regions to refine the draft. GHES II marked the formal launch of the resulting Consensus Statement, positioning higher education within the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Higher Education Roadmap, the Pact for the Future and the emerging post-2030 agenda.