USM PENANG, 20 May 2026 – Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) continues to strengthen its global sustainability leadership when its SDG 16 case study was featured in a special international whitepaper by Times Higher Education (THE) launched during the Education World Forum (EWF) 2026 in London, United Kingdom.

The whitepaper, titled “How Universities are Contributing to a More Peaceful and Just Society”, showcases selected global university initiatives contributing towards Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions.

USM was featured alongside only three other universities worldwide, namely Queen’s University (Canada), Durham University (United Kingdom), and National Economics University (Vietnam).

Held from 17 to 20 May 2026 in London, the Education World Forum is recognised as one of the world’s leading gatherings of education ministers, policymakers, university leaders, and international organisations, with a focus on the future of education, governance, sustainability, and global collaboration.

USM’s case study, entitled “Living Lab for Institutional Trust, Policy Innovation & Inclusive Governance at Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia”, highlights the university’s role in advancing inclusive governance and sustainability policy development within Malaysia’s higher education ecosystem.

The case study also outlines USM’s contribution in supporting the Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) through the development of the ‘Kerangka Dasar Kelestarian Institusi Pendidikan Tinggi’ (KDK-IPT), a national sustainability framework aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), ESG principles, and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) 2030 agenda.

According to the publication, USM was recognised as a “trusted policy partner” in bridging academic expertise with national decision-making and institutional reform.

The report further highlighted USM as an example of how universities can evolve into “system-level policy advisors and co-creators of governance frameworks” in addressing complex sustainability and societal challenges.

USM Vice-Chancellor, Professor Dato’ Seri Ir. Dr. Abdul Rahman Mohamed, described the recognition as a reflection of the university’s commitment towards positioning sustainability as a university-wide transformation agenda embedded across governance, education, research, operations, and community engagement.

“This recognition reflects the important role of universities not only as centres of knowledge, but also as strategic partners in shaping inclusive, accountable, and resilient systems for society,” he said.

The recognition further reinforces USM’s global sustainability standing following its achievement as the world’s number one university for SDG 16 in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2025.

The official Education World Forum website is available at https://www.theewf.org/

Text: Dr. Normaliza Abdul Manaf, Director, Pejabat Kelestarian Universiti (PKU), USM/Reviewer: Professor Dr. Azlan Amran, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Community and Industry Network, USM