Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU), Faculty of Architecture, Department of Architecture academic staff member, Chair of Urban Design and Research Center (URDC) and Sustainable Campus Coordinator Prof. Dr. Şebnem Hoşkara represented EMU at the “Times Higher Education (THE) Global Sustainable Development Congress (GSDC)” held in Istanbul on 16-19 June 2025.
Nearly 5,000 Participants from Over 100 Countries
Hosted by the Council of Higher Education (YÖK) of the Republic of Türkiye under the coordination of the Times Higher Education (THE), the congress was held in collaboration with the University of South Africa, Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Florida International University. The event which provided a prominent international platform for exchanging innovative ideas, strategies, and practices focused on promoting sustainability across multiple sectors by bringing together nearly 5,000 participant from over 100 countries. The congress focused on six main themes designed to address the transformative changes needed to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These themes included digital innovation; urban development and communities; education, gender and social inequalities, food systems, land, water and marine resources, health and well-being, and energy and industrial development. Additionally, the event hosted dedicated sessions that explored practical approaches to tackling the sustainability crisis.
Prof. Dr. Şebnem Hoşkara took part as an invited moderator in the “Integrating SDGs into Higher Education: Bridging Academia, Industry, and NGOs” session organized within the scope of the congress, by the Global Sustainability Ambassadors. The session explored various topics, including the development of SDG-oriented teaching models through collaboration between academia, the private sector, and non-governmental organizations; integration of the SDGs into interdisciplinary curricula by linking the natural and social sciences; assessing and monitoring the implementation of SDG practices in higher education, and examining how SDG-oriented education can effectively address sustainability challenges at both local and global levels.
