Decolonising Global Partnerships in Higher Education

Petra Olschowski. Photo: Sandra Meyndt/University of Freiburg Sustainable Development Goals University Day at the University of Freiburg under the banner of the United Nations' 17th Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) - Keynote by Science Minister Petra Olschowski This year's Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) University Day organised by the state of Baden-Württemberg took place on June 16, 2023 at the University of Freiburg. In the spirit of the 17th Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of the United Nations "Partnerships for the Goals," University members and politicians discussed in the auditorium the guiding question of how global partnerships in higher education can be decolonised. In her keynote speech, Petra Olschowski , State Secretary at the Baden-Württemberg Ministery of Science, emphasised that the state of Baden-Württemberg is committed to its responsibility in decolonisation and is advancing related aspects such as provenance research and the restitution of cultural property and human remains. Kerstin Krieglstein , Rector for the University of Freiburg, clarified the role of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the University of Freiburg and emphasised with regard to SDG 17 that the expansion of cooperation with partners from the "Global South" would be beneficial in order to achieve global sustainability goals. Dr. Grace Diabah , Co-Director Ghana at the Merian Institute for Advanced Studies in Africa at the University of Ghana, pointed out that global university collaborations continue to face multiple problems and that African universities expect more willingness from German authorities to solve them.