The commitment of the Mexican government and Higher Education Institutions to the 2030 Agenda

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the commitment and actions of the Mexican government and Higher Education Institutions with the 4th Sustainable Development Goal of the 2030 Agenda to achieve quality, inclusive, equitable education that promotes learning throughout life. The Sustainable Development approach for higher education (United Nations, 1998; UNESCO, 2015) and the notion of University Social Responsibility (ANUIES, 2020) are used as a conceptual framework. The methodology followed is the policy process approach (Aguilar, 1993) for the study of the 2030 Agenda and the implementation of policies.
The results expose limited actions and programs of the Mexican government with the 2030 Agenda and the 4th Sustainable Development Goal despite the current narrative of "leaving no one behind" and raising higher education to constitutional status. In the case of higher education institutions, their internal commitment in their substantive and adjective functions has been insufficient, as have the actions in the region where they are located to promote Sustainable Development. Therefore, there is an urgent need for greater leadership, commitment and university social responsibility.