For the second consecutive year, Times Higher Education (THE) released the results of its Impact Rankings, which assess the performance of universities worldwide in areas covered by the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by UN member states.
This fourth edition marks the second time that Universidad ORT Uruguay has . Among 1,406 universities, it ranked between 401st and 600th in the global ranking and performed exceptionally well, at the disaggregated level, in each of the four SDGs in which it participated: “Quality Education,” “Responsible Consumption and Production,” “Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions,” and “Partnerships for the Goals.”
In SDG 4, “Quality Education,” ORT ranked between 301st and 400th out of 1,180 institutions. This is due not only to ORT’s contributions to educational research, but also to its organization of events and the incorporation of topics related to sustainable development into course curricula.
For SDG 12, “Responsible Consumption and Production,” ORT ranked between 101st and 200th out of a total of 604 universities that submitted data in this area. The #ORTrecicla campaign played a key role, as it has not only led to a reduction and recycling of the amounts of paper and plastic used at the university, but also works within its value chain to encourage the adoption of sustainable practices.
For SDG 16, “Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions,” ORT ranked between 101 and 200 out of a total of 809 institutions, while for SDG 17, “Partnerships for the Goals,” it ranked between 801 and 1,000 out of a total of 1,438.
According to ORT professor Dr. Nicolás Gambetta—who compiled data on the university’s performance regarding the SDGs—THE Impact Rankings were created to demonstrate how universities incorporate the UN’s SDGs into their operations, with the aim of ensuring that their degree programs and graduates generate social, environmental, and economic impact in the community.
"Unlike other organizations, universities generate very significant positive externalities, precisely because their role is to train professionals who will serve as leaders in the process of transforming organizations and society. A university’s ability to influence society on sustainability issues likely exceeds that of any other organization, as it does so through education, research, and outreach. That is why this ranking is so important," he concluded.