SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development.

By actively fostering partnerships and collaborations at the local, national and global levels, Wilfrid Laurier University demonstrates its commitment to SDG 17. These partnerships are instrumental in addressing complex global challenges and working toward a more sustainable and equitable future for all.

Highlights of Progress

The work that Laurier completed in 2023 to advance SDG 17.

Partnering with Indigenous communities for safe winter travel

As Arctic temperatures rise, Laurier’s Homa Kheyrollah Pour is partnering with northern Indigenous communities to ensure safe winter travel.

Laurier research collaboration spotlights lived experiences of homelessness through photography

Falling Through the Cracks is part of an ongoing research collaboration between Laurier students and faculty members and the Lived Expertise Working Group (LEWG), an advisory panel providing input on the City of Kitchener’s housing strategy. LEWG members conceptualized and led the project as part of Laurier’s Applied Community Research course, which partners students with local organizations to address an identified practical need. The exhibit features photos taken around Waterloo Region to highlight the impacts of homelessness and opportunities to address housing insecurity.

Laurier strengthening partnership with Community-Based Research Canada

As part of Laurier’s strategy to foster enriching partnerships, the university is strengthening its partnership with Community-Based Research Canada, a national champion and facilitator of community-based research.

Laurier and SpacesShared partnership creates new affordable housing options for students

Laurier has teamed up with SpacesShared, an online platform that pairs students looking for affordable accommodations with older adults who have extra space in their homes. The partnership will create new housing options for Laurier students in Waterloo and Brantford and give older adults a way to leverage a spare bedroom for some extra income, company and assistance around the house.

A year-end look at faculty engagement across the globe

Research can be done with books and beakers, but for many discoveries you’ve got to get out of the lab. That’s why Laurier researchers are frequently on the road, conducting fieldwork in far-off locales.

Research Centres

Laurier research centres advancing SDG 17.

Tshepo Institute for the Study of Contemporary Africa

The Tshepo Institute for the Study of Contemporary Africa (TISCA) is a university-wide research centre with active members across multiple faculties involved in Afrocentric research projects. TISCA’s vision is to provide scholars specializing in Africa with a platform and voice to produce and share timely interdisciplinary knowledge and discourse about issues affecting contemporary Continental Africa and its diaspora. TISCA’s mission is to promote global awareness and excellence in knowledge development on issues in contemporary Africa and the African diaspora in Canada and beyond.

International Migration Research Centre

The International Migration Research Centre (IMRC) serves as a node of excellence in scholarship and research, social and cultural debate, and policy formulation pertaining to international migration. The IMRC's mission is to create platforms for debate, research, policy analysis, community engagement and proposal development related to international migration and mobility at global, national, regional and local scales.

Centre for Research on Security Practices

The United Nations Development Program provides a framework for defining “human security” as a freedom from fear, want, poverty and despair, and the work of the Centre for Research on Security Practices (CRSP) both engages and extends this definition. The centre does so by thinking through global and state-level practices of security and securitization that uphold structural forms of power and which, somewhat paradoxically, leave particular populations vulnerable. CRSP takes this tension as the heart of its work and the place through which a more fulsome and productive notion of security may be generated.

Laurier Institute for Water Science

The Laurier Institute for Water Science is a multidisciplinary, collaborative undertaking among research faculty in the Faculty of Arts, the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics and the Faculty of Science. The focus of the institute is on research in three interconnected water-related disciplines:

  • Hydrological sciences: This includes physical, chemical and biogeochemical aspects of hydrology, climatology and hydrogeology.
  • Ecology and biogeochemical sciences: This includes toxicology, geochemistry, terrestrial and aquatic ecology.
  • Public policy and management: Related issues include policy, economic, governance and legal aspects of water across Canada and internationally.

The Cold Regions Research Centre

The Cold Regions Research Centre was established in 1987. Initially focused on arctic and mountain glaciology and hydrology, the scope has broadened to cold regions (mountain and northern) research consulting on topics such as hydrology, climatology, glaciology, resource management, parks planning and biogeochemistry.

The Laurier Centre for Sustainable Food Systems

The Laurier Centre for Sustainable Food Systems (LCSFS) connects researchers and community partners engaged in sustainable food systems change. It creates opportunities for citizens, practitioners, policy-makers, private enterprise and academics to work together to imagine and foster food systems that are fair, healthy, ecologically regenerative, culturally appropriate, prosperous and inclusive. Using food as a lever for positive change, the LCSFS enables meaningful collaboration among people across institutions, sectors and disciplines to support community-driven research, innovative knowledge sharing, and the development of community resources and sustainable food system policy.

Co-operators Centre for Business and Sustainability

The Co-operators Centre for Business and Sustainability facilitates and coordinates research related to business and environmental sustainability. The centre ensures regular communication between researchers and practitioners, including strategic decision-makers in the local sustainability community. Located in the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics at Laurier, the centre hosts seminars, conferences and roundtables to discuss relevant topics aligned with practitioner needs and assists in disseminating research findings in a timely fashion to those who can use them.

Viessmann Centre for Engagement and Research in Sustainability

The Viessmann Centre for Engagement and Research in Sustainability (VERiS) is an interdisciplinary and community-engaged research centre striving to be a catalyst and nexus for the transition toward strong cultures of sustainability. The centre understands cultures of sustainability “as characterized by shared values, symbols, rituals and practices grounded in sustainability principles leading to individual and societal choices that promote environmental protection, social justice and well-being, and a supportive economy." A culture of sustainability may exist within an organization, a building with multiple organizations or a community.

Laurier Centre for the Study of Canada

The Laurier Centre for the Study of Canada (LCSC) focuses on the interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary and comparative study of the Canadian experience. LCSC has three objectives:

  • Facilitate and support original research on Canada;
  • Mobilize and disseminate knowledge to both scholarly and general audiences through community engaged outreach programs; and
  • Provide high-quality experiential learning and training opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students.

In pursuit of this mission, LCSC recognizes there are expansive, evolving, and contested interpretations of Canada.

The Centre for Leading Research in Education

The Centre for Leading Research in Education (CLRiE) brings together Laurier faculty, staff and students, as well as researchers and partners from external community organizations with backgrounds in education, psychology, kinesiology, music, health studies, biology, languages and literatures, history, social work, youth and children’s studies, global studies and more. The centre aspires to support research and research-related activities in education. A salient feature of CLRiE is its focus on interdisciplinarity, encouraging the development of thoughtful, balanced and creative approaches to educational research in a changing world.

Manulife Centre for Community Health Research

The Manulife Centre for Community Health Research is an interdisciplinary community development and research centre guided by multiple social determinants of health. The centre acts as an incubator for students committed to community-based scholarship and development in the field of health and well-being. The centre welcomes master’s and PhD students, as well as postdoctoral fellows, from a variety of academic disciplines to work within any of its communities of practice. Research priorities include women and gender, global health and development, Francophone issues, Indigenous health and wellness, environmental issues, community economic development and social innovation.

Laurier Centre for Community Research, Learning and Action

The Centre for Community Research, Learning and Action (CCRLA) is an interdisciplinary research centre located in Laurier’s Faculty of Science. The centre's work is focused on developing community partnerships and producing research, learning and action that advances community well-being and social justice. CCRLA facilitates community-based research by brokering linkages between community partners and Laurier student and faculty researchers. CCRLA provides an activity centre for social policy development and community action. The defining feature of the centre is its commitment to collaborative processes between university, community, industry and policy partners that honour the unique wisdom and skills of the non-academic community.

Laurier Centre for Women in Science

Launched in 2012, the Laurier Centre for Women in Science (WinS) is proud to champion women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The centre is building an inclusive scientific community through research, action and communication. Its ultimate goal is to make the centre redundant.

Laurier Centre for Music in the Community

The Laurier Centre for Music in the Community (LCMC) was formed with a mission of connecting Laurier to the wider Waterloo Region community through musical activities, community research and collaboration. The LCMC lives out this mission through research, symposia, publishing, projects, partnerships and concerts. Using music as a conduit, it works to connect community, collaborate with music-makers, and contribute to the vitality of music and people.

Initiatives

Laurier initiatives in 2023 that advanced SDG 17.

Cross-sectoral dialogue about SDGs

The university hosts a variety of conferences, panels and events that bring together individuals from a range of sectors to discuss the SDGs. Examples include:

Programming during 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence

Laurier is committed to fostering a university culture where gender-based and sexual violence is not tolerated and survivors are believed and supported with compassion, dignity and respect. Between Nov. 25 and Dec. 10, 2023, Laurier hosted programming in support of 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, an international campaign that calls for action against harmful acts directed at individuals based on their gender and challenges gender inequality, the abuse of power and harmful norms. Gender-based violence disproportionately impacts women, girls, Two-Spirit, transgender and non-binary people, but men can also be impacted. Events included:

  • Bystander Intervention to Stop Hate-Based Harassment: Hate-based violence is on the rise and individuals may experience aggression in many forms. In this workshop, participants explored the “5Ds” of bystander intervention methodology — direct, distract, delay, delegate, document — and the “Spectrum of Disrespect.” The positive impacts of bystander intervention were covered, in addition to ways to prioritize personal safety while responding to hate-based harassment online or in person. The workshop was facilitated by the non-profit organization Right to Be and co-hosted by Consent is Golden, members of Laurier’s sexual violence response staff and the Centre for Student Equity Diversity and Inclusion.
  • #ConsentMatters campaign: Laurier joined the University of Waterloo, Conestoga College and the Sexual Assault Support Centre of Waterloo Region in the annual online #ConsentMatters campaign. The #ConsentMatters campaign brings attention to instances of sexual violence on campus and in the community. On Nov. 27, campaign supporters were invited to post a picture of themselves wearing their #ConsentMatters t-shirts, using their #ConsentMatters bags or wearing something purple on social media with a message of support.
  • We Can Get Better at This: A Conversation on Community Accountability and Building Our Collective Response to Sexual Harm: Abolition X podcast hosts Richie Reseda and Indigo Mateo held conversation with Julian McCants-Turner, program coordinator at Community Justice Initiatives, about sexual harm, accountability, toxic masculinity and responding to the needs of survivors of sexual harm. The event was organized by Consent Comes First (Toronto Metropolitan University), Consent is Golden (Laurier) and the Carleton University Sexual Assault Support Centre as part of the We Deserve Healing Not Harm speaker series.
  • Supporting 2SLGBTQQIA+ Survivors: Forms of homophobia, transphobia and cissexism are often connected to gendered and sexual violence, yet 2SLGBTQQIA+ voices are often silenced in these conversations. This workshop helped participants learn to support individuals who have experienced marginalization due to their sexual or gender identity. The workshop was a part of Laurier’s Sexual Violence Response Certificate. Students who attend five of 10 workshops offered will obtain the Sexual Violence Response Certificate for their Laurier Experience Record.
  • Cultivating Self-Compassion After Trauma: Many of us find it easy to feel compassion for others but struggle to feel it toward ourselves. Practicing self-compassion after experiencing trauma can be especially difficult. Developing tools to cultivate self-compassion can create a strong foundation for healing. This workshop explored common self-care challenges for survivors and strategies for treating ourselves with compassion, care and kindness. It was led by Natalie Guimond (MSW ’18), a registered social worker, therapist, educator and survivor who is on her own healing and wellness journey.
  • Holding Space for Stolen Voices Vigil: Dec. 6 marks the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. This vigil recognizes the 14 lives lost at École Polytechnique de Montréal on Dec. 6, 1989 and the ongoing acts of femicide that continue to impact communities around the world. The UN's 1993 Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women was the first international statement that defined violence against women within a broader gender-based framework and identified the family, the community and the state as major sites of gender-based violence. We can see the interdependent relationship between gender-based violence, and specifically femicide in its most egregious form, with state violence, genocide, political violence and war. These systems of harm reinforce each other in a cycle. Gender-based violence and the targeting of women’s lives is often used as a tool by these systems of oppression and harm. The Laurier community came together to mourn those who have been killed and recentre our commitment to fight for the living.

International Women’s Day luncheon tackled housing solutions for a better future

Properly addressing Canada’s housing crisis requires holistic, community-centered solutions and engagement from all levels of government. That was the message a panel of Laurier women shared with over 100 attendees during the seventh annual International Women’s Day luncheon, hosted by the Wilfrid Laurier University Alumni Association and International Women’s Forum Waterloo Chapter.

Leaders for Sustainability speaker series

Laurier hosted three amazing speakers for the second installment of the Leaders for Sustainability Speaker Series. Alumni Dolf DeJong (Toronto Zoo), Samantha Tremmel Lamb (Conestoga College) and Faye Wood (AET Group) discussed their insights and experiences working in sustainability.

Earth Summit Reflections: Thirty Years on, Where do we Go from Here?

Following the 30th anniversary of the 1992 Rio Earth Summit last year, we are farther than ever from our sustainability goals. Laurier’s Centre for Sustainable Food Systems hosted a webinar with a panel of experts including Robert McLeman (Laurier), Alison Blay-Palmer (Laurier), Miriam Medel Garcia (Food Systems, Nutrition and Agroecology, Society for International Development), and Magdalena Ackermann (Global Policy Advocacy and Regional Cooperation for the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification). The panel reflected on the intersections of food security, climate change, migration, desertification and land rights to address key directions about the future of people and the planet.

2023 LISPOP Housing Forum

Bringing together diverse leaders in the housing policy sector, LISPOP (Laurier Institute for the Study of Public Opinion and Policy) hosted its 2nd annual Forum on Public Opinion and Housing Policy. The day-long event was held on Oct. 20, 2023. The keynote panel brought together Prentiss Dantzler (University of Toronto), Heather Rollwagen (Toronto Metropolitan University) and Sean Simpson (Ipsos Public Affairs) to explore how public opinion shapes the possibilities for meaningful policy action on housing. Additional speakers included academics, community members, and other policy stakeholders from Waterloo Region and beyond.

International collaboration on gathering or measuring data to advance the SDGs

Laurier maintains strategic alliances with global institutions to advance the SDGs. By engaging in international partnerships, Laurier not only enhances its academic and research capabilities but also contributes significantly to global efforts to build a more sustainable and equitable world. Examples of our international collaborations focused on gathering data to advance the SDGs include:

  • Laurier is are a member of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) Canada, a global movement to build a network of universities, colleges and knowledge institutions to promote practical solutions for sustainable development. SDSN members work together to support action-oriented research to address some of the world’s most pressing problems, including the implementation of the SDGs and the Paris Climate Agreement.
  • Laurier is one of four Canadian university partners leading Global Water Futures (GWF), the largest and most-cited freshwater research program in the world. The program aims to manage water futures in Canada and other cold regions where global warming is changing landscapes, ecosystems and the water environment. GWF is closely linked to a number of institutions, organizations and programs around the world including the International Network for Alpine Research Catchment Hydrology, World Meteorological Organization, United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme, United Nations International Water Action Decade: Water for Sustainable Development, 2018–2028, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Third Pole Environment Program and the Future Earth Sustainable Water Futures Programme. Together these organization are collecting data to advance sustainable water futures globally.
  • One of the critical challenges facing Africa is how to harness the potential of internal and international migration in the interests of development. Led by Laurier Professor Jonathan Crush, the Southern African Migration Programme (SAMP) is an international network of organizations founded in 1996 to promote awareness of migration-development linkages in the Southern African Development Community. SAMP collects data on migration and development issues, provides policy advice and expertise, offers training in migration policy and management, and conducts public education campaigns on migration-related issues.
  • The Hungry Cities Partnership (HCP) is an international network of partner organizations which focuses on the relationships between rapid urbanization, urban food systems and migration in the Global South. The HCP conducts collaborative research, training and advocacy with the objective of providing innovative solutions to the challenge of building sustainable cities and policies, and programs that promote food security in migrant origin and destination communities and corridors.
  • The Fostering Pluralism project uncovers how xenophobia and racism are challenged within local communities in Europe. With a global team, researchers are collecting data and seeking to understand how newcomers and locals come together and create new, shared living experiences.
  • Laurier participates in the Arctic-Boreal Vulnerability Experiment (ABoVE), a NASA Terrestrial Ecology Program field campaign in Alaska and Western Canada. ABoVE is a large-scale international study of environmental change and its implications for social-ecological systems. ABoVE’s science objectives are broadly focused on gaining a better understanding of the vulnerability and resilience of Arctic and boreal ecosystems to environmental change in western North America, and providing the scientific basis for informed decision-making to guide societal responses.
  • Laurier’s Tshepo Institute for the Study of Contemporary Africa is a university-wide research centre with a global network of researchers conducting Afrocentric research projects. The institute's studies include collecting data on social work practises in Morocco, the experience of African youth entrepreneurs, education access and experiences of African refugees in Canada, and experiences of Saharan Africa migrants in Morocco and Mexico.

International collaboration and research to develop best practices for tackling the SDGs

Laurier is engaging in international collaborations to help develop and implement best practises for advancing the SDGs.

  • Laurier is a committed member of Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) Canada, a global movement to build a network of universities, colleges and knowledge institutions to promote practical solutions for sustainable development. SDSN members work together to support action-oriented research to address some of the world’s most pressing problems, including the implementation of the SDGs and the Paris Climate Agreement.
  • Laurier is a Changemaker Campus, an Ashoka designation that recognizes colleges and universities with a proven track record of campus-wide excellence for social innovation and changemaking. Through the network of Ashoka-designated campuses, Laurier collaborates to advance and establish best practises for social innovation and changemaking across higher education.
  • Laurier is a member of World University Services of Canada, a Canadian non-profit organization working to create a better world for all young people. The network brings together students, volunteers, schools, governments and businesses to support youth-centered solutions for improved education, economic and empowerment opportunities to overcome inequality and exclusion in over 15 countries across Asia, Africa and the Americas.
  • Led in Canada by the Canadian Commission for UNESCO, Laurier is a member of the prestigious UNESCO Chairs Network, which promotes international inter-university cooperation in key priority areas for the agency and involves more than 781 institutions in 116 countries. The work of Laurier’s UNESCO Chair on Food, Biodiversity and Sustainability Studies supports the development of best practises associated with several SDGs and includes close collaboration with other UNESCO Chairs on relevant programs and activities.

Collaboration with NGOs to tackle the SDGs

Laurier collaborates with a number of NGOs to support the advancement of the SDGs. These include:

Student volunteering programs

  • Hawks Beyond Borders (HBB) informs Laurier students about opportunities in health care around the world while learning about different health-related issues faced by other nations. HBB allows students to explore beyond what is familiar in Canada through facilitating educational seminars and volunteer opportunities with NGOs abroad to gain exposure beyond the classroom. Participating organizations include Me to We, Save a Child's Heart and Gap Medics.
  • Laurier’s Non-Profit Sector Experiential Certificate is a hands-on certificate program that provides students with the knowledge and practical skills to engage with community organizations dedicated to the betterment of society and to build skills to advance their careers. Students gain practical experience with a non-profit organization through 15 to 20 hours of volunteering during an academic term.
  • Laurier is connected to many NGOs within our local community who are advancing the SDGs. Organizations in the Waterloo and Brantford communities welcome Laurier students as volunteers and appreciate their contributions. Students have many opportunities to volunteer in the local community, both in person and virtually. These opportunities can be found in through Laurier’s Navigator system.

Research programs

Laurier researchers collaborate with numerous NGOs. As one example, Laurier’s Centre for Community Research, Learning and Action (CCRLA) is an interdisciplinary research centre focused on developing community partnerships, including with NGOs, and producing research, learning and action that advances community well-being and social justice. CCRLA facilitates community-based research by brokering linkages between community partners and Laurier students and faculty researchers. CCRLA provides an activity centre for community-focused and engaged research, social policy development and community action. The defining feature of the centre is its commitment to collaborative processes between university, community, industry and policy partners that honour the unique wisdom and skills of the non-academic community. CCRLA's community partners include Lutherwood, Ontario HIV Treatment Network, Sustainable Waterloo Region, Building Owners and Managers Association of Canada, and the David Suzuki Foundation.

Development of educational resources

As the regional health and wellness coordinator for Dehcho First Nations, located in the Northwest Territories, Kristen Tanche has sought to create culturally relevant resources to help inform local health care. She believes that wellness is inherently connected to language, culture, land, family and physical health, and that those values should be reflected in the health-care options available to the Dehcho Dene people.

To assist in her efforts, Tanche partnered with Laurier Professor Melody Morton Ninomiya, the Canada Research Chair in Community-Driven Knowledge Mobilization and Pathways to Wellness. Her research team synthesized 20 years of reports, meeting summaries and other existing documents, and chronicled Dehcho Dene concepts and indicators of health and wellness. They highlighted six interconnected priorities for the Dehcho First Nations to achieve wellness and healing, including on-the-land activities, language revitalization, and a strong focus on Elders and youth.

Their overarching finding was that, historically, the Dehcho’s belief system is rooted in Dene Ahthít’e, which means the ongoing relationship between Dene and the land. Being “healthy” means returning the mind, body, spirit and emotion to balance in the natural environment. This has become increasingly difficult in the context of colonialism, as the Dene struggle to live in accordance with their values and principles while being able to participate in the mainstream economy.

Measuring sustainability literacy

As part of Laurier's participation in the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System, Laurier has developed a student Sustainability Literacy Assessment (SLA). Students are asked questions that pertain to campus involvement, sustainability expertise and understanding, and personal opinions. Example questions include:

  • What do the 4Rs of waste management stand for?
  • Over the past three decades, how has the level of income inequality changed between Canadians with the highest and lowest incomes?
  • Approximately how many people in developing countries still do not have access to improved sanitation services?

A representative sample for Laurier's SLA is reached through distributing the survey to students registered in multiple courses at Laurier with no relation to sustainability. The results are used to inform Laurier's initiatives and programs in support of the SDGs.

Sustainability Courses

Laurier is committed to providing meaningful sustainability education to all its students. This is affirmed in Goal 9 of the Sustainability Action Plan. Laurier offers 434 sustainability-focused and related courses spanning all departments and Faculties. This means that every student receiving a degree from the institution is required to receive sustainability education during their time at Laurier.  Additionally, Laurier offers a range of full degrees that advance one or more of the SDGS.  Examples include degrees in Applied Health Sciences, Politics, Archaeology, Environmental Sciences, Global Governance, Human Rights, Law and Society, Public Safety, Social Work, Women and Gender Studies, among many others. Sustainability courses can be taken as part of a degree requirement and/or as electives. Courses include: 

UNESCO Chair on Food, Biodiversity and Sustainability Studies
years Laurier has maintained a research partnership with the Government of the Northwest Territories
international universities collaborating on Hungry Cities Partnership

Related Stories