Achieving SDGs Through Higher Educational Institutions: A Case Study of the University of Bahrain

This paper explores the role of higher educational institutions (HEI) in achieving sustainable development goals approved and promoted by the United Nations to ensure global sustainability. The paper empirically examines the conformity of Bahrain’s Higher Education Council’s (BHEC) Strategy and its Research Strategy with the norms of Sustainable Development Goals promoted by the United Nations. It also maps the performance of the University of Bahrain (UoB) in the context of these national strategies and SDGs. The guidelines published by SDSN Australia/Pacific 2017 have been used as a template to measure the performance of the University of Bahrain on multiple parameters. The University of Bahrain’s transformational plan has a high degree of alignment with the goals of its Higher Educational Council and Research strategy. It also found that the newly developed Ph.D. and MSc programs of the University of Bahrain contributed immensely to the SDGs as recommended by the SDSN Australia/Pacific. Empirical evidence shows that higher education institutions can play a significant role in achieving the SDGs promoted by the United Nations. The study can also explore the possibility of acceleration and funding of programs relating to SDGs through higher education institutions for more sustainable global development.