Home Goal 17: Policies, processes and practices

Goal 17: Policies, processes and practices

The following page outlines specific policies, processes and practices in support of Sustainable Development Goal 17 Partnership for the goals.

Relationships with regional NGOs and government for SDG policy

We are directly involved with regional and national governments and with NGOs to translate the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into public policy and practical action. These partnerships ensure that research informs real-world strategies on health, work, housing, climate and equality.

Regional government partnerships

We work with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) and Manchester City Council to help deliver the region’s Greater Manchester Strategy: Good Lives for All (2021–2031) and Together We Are Greater Manchester (2025–2035).

The University is also part of Greater Manchester’s independent Climate Change Partnership, where we collaborate with regional government and NGOs to inform zero-carbon strategies, addressing SDG 13 – Climate Action.

Through the GM Policy Hub and Policy@Manchester, our researchers contribute evidence that underpins:

  • SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being: research on health inequalities informing GMCA’s “Making Manchester Fairer” plan;
  • SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities: expertise on affordable and low-carbon housing policy;
  • SDG 13: Climate Action: advice on decarbonisation and the region’s Zero Carbon 2038 Plan.

Through our #BeeWell programme, we are working with Greater Manchester Combined Authority to inform regional and national policies on mental health and welleing of young people in schools. This research will create a rich longitudinal evidence base that leads to a better understanding of the factors influencing young people’s well-being, including the impact of arts, cultural, and physical activities

National government partnerships

Through Policy@Manchester, our experts provide impartial, evidence-based policy briefings to the Cabinet Office, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), and Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), supporting:

  • SDG 7 & 13: clean-energy and just-transition policy;
  • SDG 3 & 8: healthy, safe and sustainable workplaces.

Our Thomas Ashton Institute partnership with the Government’s Health and Safety Executive produces joint research on safe, fair and resilient work—most recently informing DESNZ’s Local Net Zero Hubs Review (2024) and DHSC’s Healthy Places Framework.

NGO and civic-society collaborations

We collaborate with Rivers Trust, Friends of the Earth, and River Action on water-quality and flood-management policy ( SDG 6 & 15 ).

Since 2024 we have been a member of the Living Wage University Network Steering Group, working with the Living Wage Foundation to promote fair pay and inclusive growth (SDG 8 & 10).

Cross sectoral dialogues about SDGs

We actively initiate and participate in cross-sectoral dialogue on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) involving government, NGOs, and higher education institutions.

  • International engagement: We presented at the Times Higher Education Global Sustainable Development Congress, delivering a workshop on “THE SDG Accord – a global picture of Higher Education’s progress on embedding the SDGs.” This Congress brings together universities, governments, and non-governmental organisations to exchange strategies and foster collaboration on achieving the SDGs.

  • European collaboration: We co-organised and contributed to the major European event “Social responsibility and the SDGs: Innovation for a Sustainable Future”, which brought together academia, industry, government agencies, and NGOs to promote cross-sector innovation for sustainable development.

  • Founding partnerships for youth and green skills: As a founding member of the International Green Learning and Skills Accelerator (a Times Higher Education initiative under the United Nations Green Jobs for Youth Pact), we are advancing multi-sector cooperation to equip young people with the green skills needed to deliver the SDGs.

Collaboration for SDG best practice

We partner with universities, research institutes and international agencies to collect, analyse and share data that supports the delivery and monitoring of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Climate and environmental data (SDG 13 & 15)

Through the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, we coordinate international modelling and data-sharing on greenhouse-gas emissions and climate-mitigation pathways with partners in countries such as China, the Netherlands and Norway. These shared datasets inform national Net Zero strategies and global SDG 13 reporting under the UNFCCC.

Our Sustainable Forest Transitions Programme is studying the changing nature of forest cover and human development (SDG 13 and 15) across 51 low and middle countries using 643 case studies. Evidence from these analyses will support the design and evaluation of forest- sector interventions, highlighting feasible options for improving forest cover and human development

Health, safety and decent work data (SDG 3 & 8)

The Thomas Ashton Institute, a partnership with the UK Health and Safety Executive, collaborates with international safety agencies in Europe and Latin America to share occupational-health data and develop global indicators for safe and sustainable workplaces.

We presented to universities around the world on how we report against the 17 SDGs via the global Sustainable Development Solutions Network

Led by the University of Manchester, the African Cities Research Consortium (ACRC) produces high-quality and research and data on SDGs 8, 11 and 16 to understand which policies and programmes will improve the living standards of residents in 12 African cities (Bukavu, Dar Es Salaam, Freetown, Harare, Kampala, Lagos, Lilongwe, Maiduguri, Mogadishu and Nairobi).

 

We are undertaking international collaborations and reviewing comparative approaches to develop international best practice on tackling the SDGs.

Our African Cities Research Consortium is producing high-quality international collaboration to tackle SDGs 8, 11 and 16 alongside ICLEI, PASGR and SDI. We collaborated on SDG 7.1 (universal access to affordable, reliable and modern energy services) through a prolific programme of European-wide engagement. As a result, we shaped European-wide policy direction of the European Commission’s Vulnerable Consumer Working Group, the body responsible for developing EU energy policy. The research has framed national energy poverty policies, influencing the work of the UK’s largest fuel poverty charity, National Energy Action, the Spanish National Poverty Strategy, and the National Energy and Climate Plans of nine EU countries – Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Romania, the Czech Republic, Latvia, Estonia and Malta.

Our Humanitarian and Conflict Response Institute (HCRI) works with the World Health Organization, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and humanitarian agencies across Europe, Africa and Asia to identify and share best practice in crisis preparedness and humanitarian coordination.

Joint reviews of emergency-response models and open training resources developed through HCRI improve global humanitarian policy and capacity, advancing SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) and SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions).

Our Sustainable Forest Transitions Programme compares how different national forest-governance systems manage reforestation, carbon capture and community livelihoods. Findings are synthesised into international best-practice frameworks shared with the UN FAO and UNEP, informing global guidance on SDG 13 (Climate Action) and SDG 15 (Life on Land).

Through our membership of the UN Environment Programme, the University Social Responsibility Network, the SDG Accord, UN Academic Impact and UNESCO we publish case studies, share performance data and ensure we collaborate with others to benchmark and adapt our methods on sustainable development. These help to define sector-wide best practice for embedding the SDGs in research, teaching and operations.

 

We work closely with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to tackle global sustainability challenges through student volunteering, joint research, and co-developed educational resources that advance the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Student volunteering:

Through our student volunteering and Stellify initiative, students regularly volunteer with NGOs. For example, our partnership with  NGO Azizi Life and the University of Rwanda enables students to support sustainable business ventures and poverty-alleviation projects for artisan communities in Rwanda, directly contributing to SDG 1 (No Poverty), SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) and SDG 4 (Quality Education).

Research collaboration with NGOs

Our Humanitarian and Conflict Response Institute HCRI) partners with the Red Cross Movement, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), Save the Children, and the World Health Organization on joint research that strengthens emergency response, humanitarian health systems and disaster preparedness worldwide.

The Global Development Institute (GDI) collaborates with NGOs in Ghana, Indonesia and Peru through the  Sustainable Forest Transitions, sharing comparative research on forest governance and community livelihoods that informs international policy for SDG 13 (Climate Action) and SDG 15 (Life on Land).

Educational resources

HCRI and GDI co-develop open educational resources with NGO partners; including training materials for humanitarian health workers, community-forestry toolkits, and open-access learning resources for sustainable-development practitioners.

Within our MSc in Global Health, course content is co-created with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and MSF, ensuring the curriculum reflects global humanitarian best practice and advances SDG 3 and SDG 4.

Education for the SDGs

We offer dedicated courses that address sustainability and the SDGs. Students are assessed on their ability to learn and retain key sustainability concepts, measuring their sustainability literacy. We are kite-marking all undergraduate courses with the relevant United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) they address. We deliver teaching, learning and the student experience by embedding the principles of education for sustainable development across the full curriculum, and through engaging all students in mandatory education around social, political and environmental issues presented in the SDGs. 

Our University College for Interdisciplinary Learning (UCIL) offers students from various disciplines a selection of courses they can study as part of their degree, many of which focus on sustainability.

For example, the ‘PGT Creating a Sustainable World: Interdisciplinary Applications of the Sustainable Development Goals’ module equips students with the knowledge and skills needed to address the SDGs. It introduces the concept of sustainable development and explains the partnership-based approach that underpins the SDGs. The module aims to analyze the diverse ways sustainable development is applied across different spaces and scales, including policy, everyday life, and infrastructures.

Students’ sustainability literacy is assessed through various tasks, including:

  • An applied research project on sustainable development set by an external organization.
  • A research proposal for the applied research project.
  • Interdisciplinary discussions with fellow students about how to enhance their research project.

We have 11 different Master’s programmes focused on sustainable development and the environment. One example is our MA in Education for a Sustainable Environment, which is committed to reducing carbon emissions as part of a broader commitment to socio-environmental sustainability within the School of Environment, Education, and Development. We also deliver 12 undergraduate programmes related to sustainable development and the environment.

Education for the SDGs – Outreach to the Wider Community

We also have dedicated outreach educational activities for the wider community, with learning opportunities for alumni, community groups and displaced people around the world.

Global alumni learning and volunteering

Our award-winning Manchester Day of Action mobilises alumni on every continent to tackle local sustainability challenges, from health and education to environmental projects, translating the UN SDGs into practical community impact.

Empowering the next generation of civic leaders

Through collaboration with the NGO Common Purpose, we support the GM100 Legacy Programme, an intensive learning experience that equips 100 young people from across Greater Manchester with the knowledge, leadership skills and values to become the sustainability decision-makers of tomorrow. University experts share SDG-related research and teaching to help participants understand global goals in a local context.

Open public education on health and sustainability

We also make SDG-aligned education accessible to the public through our open-access courses on Public Health and the SDGs. These courses address pressing health issues linked to the Goals, such as inequality, climate and well-being, and demonstrate how public-health action underpins progress across the SDG framework.

Inclusive learning for displaced communities

The University’s Humanitarian and Conflict Response Institute (HCRI) shares teaching resources with global partners to improve education for refugees and displaced learners, ensuring that those affected by crisis can access SDG-relevant health and humanitarian training.