The SDR Hub was established by the UNSW Faculty of Law and Justice in 2022. We strive to fulfil the public responsibilities and mission of UNSW (and the university sector as a whole) through work to:
- Support action-focused collaboration between UNSW and other institutions and communities, designed to catalyse a new generation of ambitious and pragmatic legal, policy and governance reform, to realise the integrated environmental, social and economic objectives recognised in global commitments concerning sustainable development (in particular the 2030 Agenda).
- Build enduring and diverse research, education and knowledge exchange partnerships that are aligned to global commitments for sustainable development, characterised by a sustainable financial model and an applied interdisciplinary approach.
Hub activities currently span more than 20 countries and are characterised by working in partnership with decision-makers across government, international institutions, local communities, and the private and non-profit sectors. We are actively seeking to develop new collaborations and initiatives where we can add genuine value.
Our work is organised around three pathways:
- Development Beyond GDP: a future where the policies and performance of governments and other institutions are benchmarked against a range of indicators that complement Gross Domestic Product, accounting for the social, environmental and other foundations of sustainable development.
- Unlocking Zero-Carbon Transitions: a future where laws, policies and investment support the innovation required to unlock transitions to zero-carbon development across all relevant economic sectors.
- Economies that work for People and Nature: a future where economic activities achieve inclusive and equitable outcomes, and strengthen the environmental assets that are the foundation of sustainable development.
We also pursue a range of small scale exploratory projects designed to pilot new ideas and opportunities for collaboration at scale.