Heads of University Management & Administration Network in Europe

HUMANE Sustainability Summit

The race to net zero

Hosted by Ghent University, May 1-3, 2022

If the historic 2015 Paris Agreement on Sustainable Development Goals was a turning point, COP 26 in Glasgow was the wake-up moment that the climate emergency requires concerted, accelerated action. It charted a new course in the global challenge to address climate change.

It provided an impetus for universities to demonstrate even more visibly, the unique role that they can play in effecting lasting change in relation to climate change by virtue of their role as knowledge-intensive organisations and engines of innovation.

But it also presaged the need for universities to be more ambitious in getting their own houses in order as net zero institutions.

In this post-pandemic re-launch of HUMANE’s Sustainability Summit, we will explore what our host institution, Ghent University, along with five other universities from around Europe, are doing to achieve ‘change that sticks’ in implementing their sustainability and social responsibility strategies

  • How is an institution’s sustainability and social responsibility agenda best led?
  • How are internal and external stakeholders engaged to commit to organisational sustainability goals?
  • How is student opinion and activism harnessed to achieve positive momentum?
  • What are the big barriers that must be overcome to take sustainability strategies forward?
  • How is progress measured, reported and rewarded?

With speaker contributions from around Europe, student activists and others playing a leading role in helping universities to achieve their net zero ambitions, participants will be engaged in an immersive, interactive and practical learning experience.

Programme and speakers

Presentations