Advancing social impact

Our mission is to solve the world’s most pressing challenges.

[Report cover text: Queen's contributions to the UN Sustainable Development Goals - Advancing social impact | 2021-2022
Read the report: Queen's contributions to the UN Sustainable Development Goals: Advancing social impact | 2021-2022 [PDF Report 10 KB]

Universities are powerful engines of societal change. As one of Canada’s leading research-intensive academic institutions, Queen’s understands its role in helping to advance the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). Through research, teaching, outreach, and stewardship activities, the Queen’s community is contributing to the fight against climate change, helping to build inclusive societies, and ensuring equal access to health care and quality education to advance social impact. We also recognize that innovation, ingenuity, and collaboration are needed if we want to achieve these goals, which have united us all in a common global purpose.

In both 2022 and 2021, Queen’s ranked in the global top 10 in the Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings, which assess how universities are advancing the UN SDGs within and beyond their local communities. In 2022, the rankings measured more than 1,500 post-secondary institutions from 110 countries worldwide, showcasing the role that higher education institutions can play in addressing critical global challenges.

“At Queen’s, we believe our community – our people – will help solve the world’s most significant and urgent challenges, through our intellectual curiosity, passion to achieve, and commitment to collaboration,” says Patrick Deane, Principal and Vice-Chancellor, Queen's University.

UN SDGs: How we are meeting them

Across the Queen’s community, much of our research, teaching, outreach and stewardship activities are directly tied to the 17 SDGs and their targets. Click on any of the 17 SDGs below or view our annual reports to find out more about how the Queen’s community is helping to advance these global goals and achieve social impact.

The Impact Rankings

The Times Higher Education Impact Rankings are the only global performance tables that assess universities against the United Nations’ SDGs through their research, teaching, outreach, and stewardship efforts.

2022 Announcement

7th in the world
7th in the world

7th in the World

Times Higher Education Impact Rankings

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