Education for Sustainable Development at Queen's
Queen’s University Belfast is committed to preparing students for leadership and citizenship in a global society. Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) ensures that sustainability is embedded in what students learn, how they learn, and how that learning connects to the wider world.
Guided by Strategy 2030, our Net Zero Plan, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), we are embedding sustainability across academic programmes through collaboration between students, educators, and researchers.
This work is coordinated by the Climate and Sustainability in the Curriculum Officer, supported by colleagues across the university and reporting into the Sustainability Committee.
In 2025, Queen’s University Belfast approved a university-wide Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) Framework. This provides a structured and consistent approach to embedding sustainability across teaching, learning, staff development, and student engagement.
At Queen’s, we believe every staff member has a role to play in delivering a more sustainable future - through the choices we make, the skills we use, and the examples we set for our students.
That is why staff development is a core strand of our Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) Framework, with dedicated programmes, networks, and training to support staff across all areas of the university.
Find out more about how we are supporting staff to lead on sustainability.
At Queen’s, sustainability is not just something students learn about - it’s something they do. Through our Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) Framework, we embed sustainability directly into the student experience, creating opportunities to explore global challenges, apply knowledge, and shape real-world solutions.
Many initiatives and modules have strong links to the SDGs. These include our Postgraduate and Undergraduate courses as well as programmes to increase access to higher education and connect our teaching and learning with to our local community.
Explore our programmes in sustainability and climate change.
Queen’s supports access to higher education for refugees and asylum seekers through initiatives like the Copty Scholarships for Palestinian students and inclusion in widening participation programmes.
- Find out more about The Copty Scholarship for Palestinian Students.
- Find out more about the Queen’s University Widening Participation Unit.
- Find out more about Queen's commitment to civic engagement and research activity.
Queen’s is committed to promoting environmentally responsible research practices. As a signatory to the UKRI Concordat for the Environmental Sustainability of Research and Innovation Practice, we are dedicated to integrating sustainability and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into research, innovation, and leadership.
Find out more about our commitment to the Concordat for Environmental Sustainability in Research and innovation.