I.b: Towards sustainable societies with higher education Speakers Chair/ Moderator: Pornchai Mongkhonvanit, President, Siam University, Thailand, IAU Vice-president Pastora Martínez Samper, Vice President for Globalization and Cooperation, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC), Spain Stacy Kennedy, Director of Development, Universty West Indies (UWI), Jamaica (by distance) Eira Garrido, Student Representative, University of Bergen, Norway Description The United Nations 2030 Agenda and the related SDGs are often referred to as the Global Agenda and the Global Goals as they are meant to apply to all and for all countries. It is left to the countries to translate this message to the local level. Higher education plays an important role in responding to these challenges and to help society to transform. They are ideally placed to translate the SDGs into actionable initiatives at the local level, and involving the local community. In this round table discussion, the speakers from 3 different continents will give an introduction to set the scene, highlighting examples about how higher education can help generate sustainable societies. Afterwards the audience is invited to join the discussion.