Birzeit University excels in UN Sustainable Development Goals
Birzeit University has been placed first in Palestine and the Arab world in the second edition of the Times Higher Education (THE) “Impact Rankings 2020” that measure how an institution’s research, outreach, and stewardship are delivering in terms of fulfilling the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that form a blueprint for achieving a better and more sustainable world.
Locally and regionally, Birzeit University has been named the best along with universities in three other Arab countries that all ranked first. Globally and in the overall category, Birzeit University was placed among the 101-200 best universities in the rankings that evaluated data collected in 2018 from 766 universities in 85 countries around the world.
Birzeit University achieved high ratings in several categories, including quality education, promoting peace and justice, achieving gender equality, and strengthening its partnerships for sustainable development.
Birzeit University scored especially high for its role in providing a quality education, where it ranked first locally and eighteenth internationally. This evaluation falls in line with the university’s core values and mission and reaffirms its strong commitment to quality education, as Birzeit University is extending all efforts towards facilitating lifelong learning, fostering pedagogy research, and committing itself to an inclusive education.
The THE Impact Rankings are the only global performance tables that assess universities against the SDGs. The rankings use various indicators to provide a comprehensive and balanced comparisons across three broad areas: research, outreach, and stewardship. Universities included in the THE rankings are global pioneers that support the 17 SDGs through teaching, research, and knowledge transfer while embodying them in internal practices, policies and procedures.
This new accomplishment reaffirms Birzeit’s uniquness among other local and Arab universities. In line with its mission to contribute to society’s progress and advancement through transformative knowledge, the university pioneered the establishment of community-oriented institutes and centers which were at the forefront of Palestinian involvement in a number of important and critical areas such as public health, gender, environmental issues, law and justice and others. This involvement has been beneficial not only for its impact, but also because it obliterates the arbitrary separation between academic and applied research. It also has become a distinguishing feature of the University, reflecting its commitment towards freedom of expression, intellectual openness, diversity and international networking.
The complete list of Impact Rankings 2020: Quality Education
The overall list of Impact Rankings 2020
