Achieving Excellence in Sustainable
Development Goals in Sunway University
Malaysia
Wing Thye Woo, Hock Lye Koh and Su Yean Teh
Abstract The Jeffrey Sachs Center on Sustainable Development (JSC) was
established in 2016 to promote United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs), with a generous grant of USD 10 million from the Jeffrey Cheah Foundation.
To enhance SDG 17: Partnerships for the goals, JSC has successfully conducted a
series of well attended public lectures and workshops among Asean ministers, senior
government officers, private enterprises and the public. Three additional core SDGs
are identified for implementation: SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being; SDG 6:
Clean Water and Sanitation; SDG 13: Climate Action. This paper outlines research
and community outreach undertaken by JSC, in collaboration with local and international partners, to develop competences, expertise and talents in SDG 17 and three
other core SDGs identified. On SDG 3, JSC advises Malaysian Ministry of Health
in formulating model DEER for licensing of dengue vaccine Dengvaxia based upon
a set of five criteria: safety, efficacy, equity, affordability and cost effectiveness. On
SDG 6, JSC conducts field and laboratory experiments coupled with simulations
using model E2Algae to implement effective measures for controlling eutrophication in a lake near campus. SDG 13 on climate action is intimately connected to
SDG 14: Life under water and SDG 15: Life on land, viewed in the perspective of
mangrove conservation.
Keywords Sustainable development · Good health · Clean water · Climate
action · Mangrove
W. T. Woo
Department of Economics, University of California, Davis, USA
e-mail: wtwoo@ucdavis.edu
W. T. Woo · H. L. Koh (B)
Jeffrey Sachs Center on Sustainable Development, Sunway University,
47500 Bandar Sunway, Selangor, Malaysia
e-mail: hocklyek@sunway.edu.my
S. Y. Teh
School of Mathematical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia,
11800 USM, Pulau, Pinang, Malaysia
e-mail: syteh@usm.my
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
W. Leal Filho et al. (eds.), Universities as Living Labs for Sustainable Development,
World Sustainability Series, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-15604-6_17
265
Development Goals in Sunway University
Malaysia
Wing Thye Woo, Hock Lye Koh and Su Yean Teh
Abstract The Jeffrey Sachs Center on Sustainable Development (JSC) was
established in 2016 to promote United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs), with a generous grant of USD 10 million from the Jeffrey Cheah Foundation.
To enhance SDG 17: Partnerships for the goals, JSC has successfully conducted a
series of well attended public lectures and workshops among Asean ministers, senior
government officers, private enterprises and the public. Three additional core SDGs
are identified for implementation: SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being; SDG 6:
Clean Water and Sanitation; SDG 13: Climate Action. This paper outlines research
and community outreach undertaken by JSC, in collaboration with local and international partners, to develop competences, expertise and talents in SDG 17 and three
other core SDGs identified. On SDG 3, JSC advises Malaysian Ministry of Health
in formulating model DEER for licensing of dengue vaccine Dengvaxia based upon
a set of five criteria: safety, efficacy, equity, affordability and cost effectiveness. On
SDG 6, JSC conducts field and laboratory experiments coupled with simulations
using model E2Algae to implement effective measures for controlling eutrophication in a lake near campus. SDG 13 on climate action is intimately connected to
SDG 14: Life under water and SDG 15: Life on land, viewed in the perspective of
mangrove conservation.
Keywords Sustainable development · Good health · Clean water · Climate
action · Mangrove
W. T. Woo
Department of Economics, University of California, Davis, USA
e-mail: wtwoo@ucdavis.edu
W. T. Woo · H. L. Koh (B)
Jeffrey Sachs Center on Sustainable Development, Sunway University,
47500 Bandar Sunway, Selangor, Malaysia
e-mail: hocklyek@sunway.edu.my
S. Y. Teh
School of Mathematical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia,
11800 USM, Pulau, Pinang, Malaysia
e-mail: syteh@usm.my
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
W. Leal Filho et al. (eds.), Universities as Living Labs for Sustainable Development,
World Sustainability Series, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-15604-6_17
265