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University Combats Xenophobia in South Africa

Imani Khumalo, a recent graduate of a university in Johannesburg, South Africa, still remembers the shock she felt during a Philosophy class in her second year.

Students were asked by the lecturer to give their opinion on whether the immigration law in South Africa should be more stringent. Imani felt her heart quiver as one of her classmates spoke up: “Laws should be stricter. All foreigners come here illegally to steal our jobs.” Imani, who asked a pseudonym to be used for personal reasons, couldn’t speak up against him. “I was afraid that people were going to gang up on me if I did.”

Saudi Students Lead Initiative to Counter Hate Speech

When launching the��United Nations Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate Speech��in June 2019, Secretary-General António Guterres said that hate speech “is in itself an attack on tolerance, inclusion, diversity, and the very essence of our human rights norms and principles. More broadly, it undermines social cohesion, erodes shared values, and can lay the foundation for violence, setting back the cause of peace, stability, sustainable development, and the fulfillment of human rights for all.”

Academia Helps Farmers Balance Production and Conservation

According to the World Bank, more than 1.3 billion people globally rely on small scale livestock production for their livelihoods and nutrition. In Botswana, a landlocked country in southern Africa where cattle production comprises 80 per cent of agricultural gross domestic product, foot and mouth disease (FMD) has negatively impacted the livestock and wildlife sectors since the late 1950s, when beef exports were expanded in the days of colonial rule.

Foot and mouth disease is a viral disease that affects cattle, goats and other cloven-hoofed animals. The virus does does not normally infect people, but in animals it can cause blisters on the gums, tongue and feet that may eventually lead to lameness and an inability to eat, and a loss of meat and milk production.��

International Youth Day: Its Origins and the Promise of Youth Leadership

This article, in line with the International Youth Day on 12 August, was written by�� (@samvaghar), Co-Founder and Executive Director of Millennium Campus Network (MCN).�� MCN and the United Nations Academic Impact partner to present the annually for university undergraduates advancing the Sustainable Development Goals.

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University of Oxford Brings Cutting-Edge Research to the Front-Line of Conflict Resolution

“Universities are places that nurture incubation, exchange, innovation, and interdisciplinary analysis, setting the pathway to change,” said Amina J. Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations in a video message in April this year. “Universities are at the intersection of knowledge and action,” she added. Certainly, the significant contribution that has been made by institutions of higher education worldwide and their research, cannot be underestimated.��

University of Aberdeen Studies Healthy and Environmentally Sustainable Diets

The food we eat affects our health, and that of our planet. Food insecurity, poor nutrition and climate change are some of the global major challenges. Malnutrition for instance, which includes micronutrient deficiencies and obesity, has a devastating impact on health. According to published by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, over 800 million people went hungry in 2020.

Enhancing SDGs-Related Teaching: Irish University Offers Open-Source Toolkit

Universities and colleges are critical components for implementing the��, as indicated in the agenda itself. Their prominent role is even crucial as the achievement of its Goals has been severely impacted by the��COVID-19 pandemic��and other global as well as regional crises. Such circumstances have created a wide range of challenges, affecting in particular developing and vulnerable countries.

University in Brazil Develops Social Cartography of an ‘Invisible City’

While restrictions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic are being eased and the new normal is a reality worldwide, for many, particularly those who are ‘socially invisible,’ the recovery might be much more challenging. For instance, prior to the pandemic at the end of 2018, many families living in areas of São Leopoldo, southern Brazil, became the target of an eviction order. A vast majority of these populations were in vulnerable areas prone to environmental hazards.

The��, a member institution of the United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI) in Brazil, decided to partner with various stakeholders to create the��Missão pela Moradia Digna or ‘Mission for Decent Housing’ in Portuguese, a movement focused on addressing challenges in vulnerable communities while liaising with authorities.

Venezuelan University Improves Environmental Management: Measuring Weather on Campus

Environmental sustainability has been one of the pillars of��, a member institution of the��United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI)��in Venezuela, for advancing the��. Various actions have been undertaken to raise awareness within its campuses and beyond, on critical issues like those related to environmental balance and the mitigation of the adverse effects of climate change.��

Diplomacy Provides Indonesian Youth with Growth Opportunities

Youth diplomacy, and its fostering by organizations such as the United Nations, has seen an uptick in its activity in the 21st century. Encouraging young people to express their voices through diplomacy gives their generation an opportunity to make an imprint on issues that have significant effects on their lives. Youth diplomacy can be defined as the participation of individuals from the ages 15-24 years (as recognized by the UN) in activities that promote interests of young people and seek to catalyze positive change in global issues that often transcend borders.

Countering Physical Inactivity During the Pandemic: Colombian University at the Forefront

In light of the many changes in the development of physical activity during the��COVID-19 pandemic, a team from the Faculty of Physiotherapy at CES University, a member institution of the United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI) in Colombia, led and promoted the practice of physical activity among different sectors of the population, even amid the restrictions generated by the global health emergency.

In the context before the COVID-19 pandemic, Colombia, like other Latin American countries, was characterized by low physical activity levels, with a prevalence of physical activity at 54% reported by the��. Moreover, the people who practiced physical activity were, for the most part, motivated -or forced- by the need to commute to work or school, but not necessarily as a strategy to keep their good health.

Combating Hate Speech Through Media: A Young Caribbean Woman’s Perspective

By Isheba Cornwall*

Hate speech is a phenomenon that can be defined as threatening speech or writing expressing prejudice towards a specific group, primarily based on race, religion, or sexual orientation. As a black undergraduate student from Jamaica, especially being a part of Generation Z, I have experienced countless attacks in the form of hate speech. This phenomenon has grown immensely over the years, taking different shapes and forms. One major reason for this is the advancement of technology, and more so the creation of new media or social media.��

Sea Turtles: Harbingers of Oceanic Health

Topsail Island, at 26 miles (41 kilometers) long and 500 to 1,000 feet (150 to 300 meters) wide, is an ideal place for a retreat with its beautiful shorelines and fishing sites. The��small island located in the State of North Carolina, United States, is also known, to a lesser degree, to be one of the few nesting grounds in the country for sea turtles. ��

“Look, there’s another one!”

Helping to Fight the COVID-19 Pandemic with Artificial Intelligence

As we navigate the��COVID-19 pandemic, it is clear that having the right tools and technology to fight infectious diseases is at the forefront of healthcare innovation priorities. In times like these, we have seen that it is vital to act quickly to mitigate consequences to human populations, the economy, and the ecosystem.��

In addition, the emergence of new variants of the COVID-19 virus has shown that it is of critical relevance to keep track of them in the community as both natural and acquired immunity wanes.��With this consideration in mind, a group of scientists from the��, a United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI) member institution in the United Kingdom, recently joined forces with Vertebrate Antibodies Ltd and the National Health Service (NHS) Grampian to tackle the ongoing pandemic.��

GoGreen Project: University Studies Environmental Psychology in Young People

“Young people’s attitudes and behavior will dictate the future shape and look of our societies,” said the United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, in 2021. It is now more evident than ever before, that we need to change our habits and behaviors to successfully adapt to ecological crises. And to ensure that evidence-based solutions in this sense are effective, we need to consider diverse contexts.

Environmental policies, level of environmental education, and infrastructure readiness vary widely from country to country. Some countries are challenged by social issues more than others, and these factors may prevent people from engaging in environmental conservation. Thus, policymakers need a variety of tools to facilitate transition and engagement in conservation of nature and the environment.