Two years ago, the Jeffrey Cheah Foundation entered into a partnership with the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network Association (SDSN), led by Professor Jeffrey Sachs of Columbia University, renowned economist and Director of the SDSN. The partnership, based on a steadfast commitment to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), aims to develop the expertise needed to move Malaysia and Southeast Asia forward on the path of sustainable development.
The partnership led to the establishment of the Jeffrey Sachs Center on Sustainable Development at Sunway University. As the Southeast Asian base for the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network, the Center is a hub of research and policy practice, delivering world-class programs to train students, practitioners and policy leaders on sustainable initiatives while working in collaboration with industry, agencies, government bodies and universities worldwide.
In line with this, the Center launched its first Masters programme yesterday. “Today, we are proud to mark another major milestone in the Center’s journey – the launch of its Master in Sustainable Development Management Programme. It is our hope that this programme will produce a new generation of leaders who are equipped with the knowledge, the science and the analytical thinking to make real, positive changes for our country, our region and our world”, said Tan Sri Dr Jeffrey Cheah AO, Founder and Chancellor of Sunway University in his opening remarks. Tan Sri Dr Cheah also announced that the Jeffrey Cheah Foundation is offering a bursary of RM30,000, more than 50 percent of the RM 50,000 fee, for the entire 18-month program for the first batch of students.
YB Yeo Bee Yin, Minister of Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change, Malaysia and Member of Parliament for Bakri, Johor delivered the keynote address before officiating the launch of the Master in Sustainable Development Management programme with Tan Sri Dr Cheah and Professor Sachs.
YB Yeo congratulated Tan Sri Dr Cheah and Sunway University for being a pioneer in offering a Master in Sustainable Development Management programme, saying that finally in Malaysia there is the foresight to develop the country towards a sustainable future.
To mark the auspicious occasion, Professor Sachs delivered a lecture on “How to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals” where he spoke on the major transformation challenges of sustainable development, and its implications for Malaysia.
“Every country must decarbonise by mid-century, without exception. This is not a choice. This is a need. If every country with fossil fuels says, “Not us please”, it will get all of us killed, I’m sorry to say. The pace in which we act is not set by fairness. It is set by our survival needs. Fairness may determine who should bear the burden of loss and damages – and the rich countries, starting with my own, have a tremendous historical responsibility. When a country is hit by a typhoon more intense than would have ever occurred without the human induced factor, let those who are historically responsible for this increased intensity share in the bill. And I pledge my voice to help Malaysia make that happen”, said Professor Sachs.
The Master in Sustainable Development Management at Sunway University was formulated to equip passionate, ambitious people from multidisciplinary backgrounds to become pioneers who will be adept at management and problem-solving using analytics and systems thinking guided by global concerns. “The programme aims to empower individuals and organisations to develop innovative solutions to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals in actionable ways in their specific sectors or areas of work”, said Professor Woo Wing Thye, Director of the Jeffrey Sachs Center on Sustainable Development and President of the Jeffrey Cheah Institute on Southeast Asia. ”The world is in desperate need of pioneers who have the knowledge and skills to transform business as usual and lead us on a more sustainable path”, he said.
The Master in Sustainable Development Management, designed for working professionals and recent graduates, will be delivered over 18 months through classroom sessions; virtual tutorials and e-modules; research projects; and individual and group assignments.
Notable local and international faculty who are expected to facilitate the programme include Professor Jeffrey Sachs; Professor Woo Wing Thye; and Dr Guido Schmidt-Traub, Senior Fellow at Jeffrey Sachs Center on Sustainable Development, and Executive Director of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network.
Application submission for the January 2019 intake is now open. For more information on the Master in Sustainable Development Management at Sunway University, please log on to http://jeffreysachs.center/graduate-study
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