Over 20 leading Indian universities and higher educational institutions joined together to sign the historic “Goa Declaration” pledging for better and improved action on achieving Sustainable Development Goals in their institution and cities, as part of the three-day PACT2030 conclave, held in Goa from 10-12 March 2022.

The “Goa Declaration” is the first of its kind academic declaration towards achieving the UN’s sustainable development goals, and the ceremony was witnessed by Dr Bhushan Patwardhan, Chairman of the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC); Shri Avinash Rai Khanna, Vice-Chairman of Indian Red Cross Society & Vice President of Bharatiya Janata Party; Padma Bhushan & Padma Shri Dr Anil Prakash Joshi, Founder, Himalayan Environmental Studies and Conservation Organization (HESCO); Shri Shaurya Doval, Founder, India Foundation and Prof Lawrence Pratchett, Former Pro-Vice-Chancellor – International, University of Canberra, Australia.

PACT2030 (Pledge, Act, Change & Transform) is a carbon-neutral conclave and is the brainchild of QS I-GAUGE, a renowned brand for Indian education ratings, from the UK based QS Quacquarelli Symonds Group. The conclave was co-hosted by the University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (UPES), Uttarakhand, and  Kalasalingam Academy of Research and Education (Deemed to be University), Tamil Nadu.

The event brought together the top universities and luminaries of Indian Higher Education; worked towards building consensus and sharing best practices, and perspectives among the delegates of the conclave to lay down a set of principles and promises to achieve sustainable development goals (SDGs) leading to the formation of the “Goa Declaration”. Sustainable Development Goals 2030, originally envisioned by United Nations (UN) was the foundation for the guidelines that are set in the Goa Declaration Document.

The Chairman of the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), Dr Bhushan Patwardhan  graced the conclave as the Chief Guest and said, "Knowledge, Action, Character and Mental Strength are important for Quality Education and desired change is possible only through education."

Vice-Chairman of Indian Red Cross Society and Vice President of Bharatiya Janata Party, Shri Avinash Rai Khanna, the guest of honour addressed the gathering and laid down a five-point agenda for the higher education institutions and said, "Leadership, Research, Teaching and Learning, Campus Operations, and Quality of Service are the most important aspects that every institution must emphasise upon to make a larger contribution to the SDG Agenda.”

Padma Bhushan & Padma Shri, Dr Anil Prakash Joshi, Founder, Himalayan Environmental Studies and Conservation Organization (HESCO) delivered the first keynote address of the conclave and said, "like GDP (Gross Domestic Product), GEP (Gross Environment Product) must be initiated and practised by the Government to ensure the wellbeing of the country in an environmental perspective." Shri Shaurya Doval, Founder, India Foundation in his keynote address said, "Institutions must carry the responsibility to provide Quality Education to every student."

Prof Lawrence Pratchett, former Pro-Vice-Chancellor – International, University of Canberra, Australia delivered the final keynote address of the conclave and said, "SDG is a complex model but it is very important for making the world a better place to live."

About QS I-GAUGE

QS I-GAUGE is a brand incorporated in India as an independent private-sector initiative specialised in rating colleges, universities and schools. It brings together the global expertise, experience, and reputation of UK-based (QS) Quacquarelli Symonds, along with deep local knowledge of luminaries from Indian education. QS I-GAUGE has rated and certified more than 100 colleges and universities across India and helping them improve the overall quality of Education.

Pledging members

1. Alliance University, Bangalore, Karnataka
2. Chandigarh University, Mohali, Punjab
3. Chitkara University, Rajpura, Punjab
4. Himalayiya University, Dehradun, Uttarakhand
5. Hindustan Institute of Technology & Science (Deemed to be University), Chennai, Tamil Nadu
6. IIHMR University, Jaipur, Rajasthan
7. Integral University, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh
8. Kalasalingam Academy of Research and Education (Deemed to be University), Virudhunagar, Tamil Nadu
9. Karpagam Academy of Higher Education (Deemed to be University), Coimbatore Tamil Nadu
10. Manav Rachna University, Faridabad, Haryana
11. Marwadi University, Rajkot, Gujarat
12. MIT World Peace University, Pune, Maharashtra
13. NIMS University, Jaipur, Rajasthan
14. NITTE (Deemed to be University), Mangalore, Karnataka
15. NIET, Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh
16. P. Jindal Global Institution of Eminence Deemed to be University, Sonipat, Haryana
17. Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Chennai, Tamil Nadu
18. Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan, Bhubaneswar, Odisha
19. Shoolini University, Solan, Himachal Pradesh
20. UPES, Dehradun, Uttarakhand
21. Vijaybhoomi University, Karjat, Maharashtra
22. World University of Design, Sonipat, Haryana

For more information on PACT2030 and PACT-Star Awards visit: https://www.pact2030.org/.