Partnerships for the Goals

UNESA works with universities abroad to develop SDG best practice

Universitas Negeri Surabaya (UNESA) works with universities abroad to compare approaches and develop best practice on the SDGs: in 2025 and 2026 its lecturers presented research on sustainability education at HAW Hamburg in Germany (Fakultas Ilmu Sosial dan Ilmu Politik, 2025), ran a comparative study of climate change learning in small-island schools of Indonesia and the Philippines with the University of the Philippines Visayas (S1 Pendidikan IPA, 2026), and co-supported the Forum on Clean Energy Engineering in Seoul.

UNESA's international collaboration on SDG best practice, 2025 and 2026

International collaboration reviewing comparative approaches to the SDGs

Universitas Negeri Surabaya (UNESA) reviews comparative international approaches to the SDGs: its science education lecturers, led by Beni Setiawan, Ph.D., with Donne Jone Panizales Sodusta, Ph.D. of the University of the Philippines Visayas, are conducting the study Exploration of Local Wisdom on the Reality of Climate Change in Science Learning to Support SDGs: A Comparative Study of Schools in a Small Island of Indonesia and the Philippines, reported in January 2026. It compares how local knowledge in small-island communities, which face extreme weather, sea level rise and coastal erosion, can be used in school science to build understanding of climate change (SDG 4 and SDG 13) (S1 Pendidikan IPA, 2026).

On 24 April 2026 the Faculty of Law and the Surabaya State Administrative Court held a dialogue with Prof. Dr. Rob van Gestel of Tilburg University, the Netherlands, that compared the Dutch and Indonesian systems of administrative justice and the role of courts in reviewing government decisions on the environment, development and public services (SDG 16) (Fakultas Hukum, 2026).

In May 2026 the Sociology programme took part in the international webinar Building Sustainable Communities: Local Innovations and Collaborative Approaches to Waste Management, held with Capiz State University, the Philippines, which exchanged community-based waste management practice across the two countries (SDG 11 and SDG 12) (S1 Sosiologi, 2026).

Best practice developed and shared

Universitas Negeri Surabaya (UNESA) develops and shares best practice on the SDGs internationally. On 1 and 2 December 2025 four UNESA lecturers presented papers at the International Symposium on Global Sustainability Education: Innovations in Digital and International Teaching at the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences (HAW Hamburg), Germany. Jauhar Wahyuni and Tatak Setiadi presented Inclusive Student Engagement in Urban Sustainability: AI Literacy, Gender Equality, and Living Labs for Civic Innovation; Dr. Bambang Sigit Widodo presented Why Trust is Not Enough? Critical AI Literacy and Behavioral Determinants of Women's AI Engagement in Surabaya, Indonesia; and Dr. Hendri Prastiyono and Jauhar Wahyuni presented Higher Education and Academic Participatory: A Pentahelix Model for Advancing Sustainability Education in Indonesia, a model that joins academia, government, industry, communities and media (SDG 4, SDG 5 and SDG 8) (Fakultas Ilmu Sosial dan Ilmu Politik, 2025).

On 18 April 2026 a UNESA delegation led by the Vice-Rector for Research, Innovation, Ranking, Publication and Science Center took part in the Forum on Clean Energy Engineering (FCEE) 2026 in Seoul, South Korea, which UNESA supported as a main partner with Soochow University, the University of Ljubljana, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS and Universiti Kuala Lumpur. UNESA researchers presented work on clean energy and education, and Deny Arifiana won Best Presenter for integrating renewable energy into fashion design with solar-powered travel wear (SDG 7 and SDG 13) (Direktorat Inovasi, Pemeringkatan, dan Publikasi Ilmiah, 2026).

UNESA also hosts its own international conference on the SDGs. The 2nd International Conference on SDGs for Sustainable Future (ICSSF) 2026, held at UNESA on 24 January 2026, took the theme Collaborative Action of Environmental Science and Renewable Energy for the Future on SDGs in Higher Education, and brought together research on how earth and environmental sciences, engineering and life sciences can drive the SDGs (Universitas Negeri Surabaya, 2026).

In June 2026, Universitas Negeri Surabaya (UNESA), in collaboration with Uzbekistan State World Languages University (UZSWLU), disseminated the results of their international research collaboration through Dissemination of EMONESA: The Compassionate Robot for Children with Autism, held online on 9 June 2026. EMONESA is an interactive educational robot designed to help children with autism recognize, understand, and express emotions through visual, auditory, movement-based, and interactive learning activities. The initiative illustrates how international research collaboration can translate educational research into practical, inclusive learning resources and share innovative approaches with academics, researchers, students, and educational practitioners across countries. The collaboration contributes to SDG 4 (Quality Education) through inclusive learning innovation, SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure) through the development of AI-based educational technology, SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities) through its focus on learners with additional educational needs, and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals) through international research cooperation (Universitas Negeri Surabaya, 2026).

This initiative is consistent with the institutional framework established by UNESA Rector Regulation No. 13 of 2023 on University Cooperation, which provides a formal basis for the university’s cooperation with external institutions. The EMONESA collaboration demonstrates how international academic partnerships can support research development, knowledge exchange, innovation, and the dissemination of practices relevant to sustainable and inclusive education. The regulation provides the institutional cooperation framework, while the program's contribution to the SDGs is evidenced by its research objectives, educational innovation, and international dissemination activities (Universitas Negeri Surabaya, 2023, 2026).

Online dissemination of EMONESA, an educational robot developed through UNESA-UZSWLU international collaboration to support inclusive learning for children with autism.