Reimagining and reshaping higher education for a more sustainable future through the new LEAP-FAST Certificate Programme

25 April 2025, Geneva, Switzerland - UNITAR and UNESCO, in collaboration with a group of universities, have launched a new initiative “Leaders in Higher Education Alliance and Programme – For Accelerating Sustainability Transformations” (LEAP-FAST) aimed at creating a movement of committed sustainability leaders in higher education to advance deep transformations and enable HEIs to fulfil their potential with regards to contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Higher education is not just a place of learning, but is a powerful driver of sustainability and real-world impact – UNESCO.

The LEAP-FAST initiative aims to embed sustainability into every aspect of higher education—not only in course content, but in mindsets, teaching methods, and institutional cultures.  The focus is on building competencies of the head, heart, and hands: fostering critical thinking, emotional intelligence, and meaningful action. It’s not just about what we know, but how we lead and what we do. Participating educators and institutions should feel empowered to integrate sustainability into every classroom, course, and campus policy—spanning environmental and climate education, social justice, equity, and global citizenship.

One of the key components of the initiative is the LEAP-FAST Certificate Programme, which officially launched on 23 March 2025 in academic partnership with Majmaah University in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. 

The Certificate Programme offers an immersive learning journey designed to catalyze transformation at all levels of higher education. Participants – programme directors, administration, faculty members and teaching staff -  are guided through a structured process that begins at the institutional level, moves through the faculty and programme level, and deeps dive into the course and pedagogical level. Through this progression, participants are empowered to develop recommendations for institution-wide reforms, collaborate with colleagues across faculties, and apply new approaches directly within their own teaching practices. Special focus is given to embedding sustainability competencies across cognitive, socio-emotional, and behavioural learning domains, promoting transdisciplinarity, and integrating diverse ways of knowing that support inclusion, sustainability, and global citizenship.