25 September 2015, the United Nations Summit adopted the Sustainable Development Objectives (SDG) which include 17 objectives and 169 goals. Those are focused on economic growth, social inclusion and environment protection. When it comes to the sustainable development, in the Millennium Assembly of the United Nations celebrated on September 2000, it was recognised the importance of sustainable values of people for encouraging attitudes and behaviours to a global sustainable development. Globalisation processes enforced by socioeconomic and sociocultural changes had a strong influence in value systems, lifestyle and sustainable development.

It goes without saying that the educational system in general and the university system specifically, have the responsibility of rising awareness on the importance of the SDG in people, business and institution’s daily life. As an open and global institution, the Universitat de València has been developing training, implementation and SDG development programmes promoted by the Vice-dean of Sustainability, Cooperation and Healthy Life since several years.

On its first edition, the ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON SUSTAINABILITY IN THE FRAMWORK OF HIGH EDUCATION is born with the aim to encourage, every year, the creation of an open space to the exchange of experiences of those initiatives on sustainability carried out in the Faculty of Economy that entails, on one hand, the Economy and Business field (Universitat de València, Universitat Jaume I and Universidad de Extremadura), and on the other hand, Health Sciences, Pharmacy, Chemistry, Physiotherapy and Medicine (Universitat de València). Therefore, the conference covers the three UV campus.

This conference will be directed by the Vice-dean of Sustainability Cooperation and Healthy Life of the Universitat de València, Dr. Pilar Serra Añó who will also conduct the opening conference. In this way, the Dean of the Faculty of Economy, Dr. Francisco Muñoz Murgui, will accompany to the presidential table the vice-dean opening the conference in representation of the Fd'E.

Furthermore, the conference will also have the attendance of persons of renowned prestige in and out of the Universitat de València in the field of Economy and Business, responsible for organising the plenary conference of the first day, such as: Dr. Begoña Giner Inchausti (UV Full University Professor Financial Economics, and member of the Sustainability Reporting Board (SRB) of the European Financial Reporting Advisory Group, (EFRAG), member of the Council of Public Interest Oversight Board (PIOB), president of the European Accounting Association (EAA) 2011-2013); Dr. Mª Antonia García Benau (UV Full University Professor of Financial Economics and, among others, member of the Comité de Auditoría del Instituto de Contabilidad y Auditoría de Cuentas (ICAC), member of the Grupo de Expertos de Studia XXI of the Fundación Europea Sociedad y Educación); D. Francisco José Tomás Catalá (Professional linked to the field of Sustainable Finances. Account Executive in the Levante region. VidaCaixa-Empresas).

When it comes to the field of Health Sciences, Pharmacy, Physiotherapy, Odontology and Medicine, plenary conferences of the second day will be directed by: Dr. Mª Luisa Ferrándiz Manglano (UV Full university professor of Pharmacology and expert in the implementation of SDG in the curriculum. Vice-dean of Pharmacy Studies. Department of Pharmacology. Faculty of Pharmacy. UV); Dr. Mª Luisa Guillen Domínguez (Member of the GT4 Group: Curricular Sustainability. UV principal. Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health.  Faculty of Medicine and Odontology.  UV);

Dr. Mª Aranzazu Ruescas Nicolau (Member of the GT3 Group: Health. UV principal. Vice-dean of Studies and Teaching Staff, Faculty of Physiotherapy. UV); Dr. José Antonio Sáez Case (Responsible for the SDG implementation in academic guides of the Chemistry Degree. Faculty of Chemistry. UV).

For two days, 12 and 13 July 2023, the academic and research committee, PDI, and students, are invited to take part in the programmed activities. The conference, will have the attendance of professionals in both, the academic world and the business field, among others. In addition, this conference will have a section where students can participate, specially presenting their undergraduate degree final project (TFG) and their master's degree final project (TFM) focused on sustainability.

Related to the previous one, the main objective of this annual conference is to make people aware of the importance of incorporating the SDG progressively, in general, and the sustainability, in particular, in the academic programmes. On one hand, this invitation to reflection is based on the experience of teachers and researchers that are currently designing and implementing teaching-learning strategies on SDG for the university rooms. The aim of this initiative is that the educational community and specially, the students become aware of the necessity of adopting SDG as sustainable development standards, as well as of the effects of no-compliance. On the other hand, as a result of the learning on SDGs experienced and assimilated by the students, they are called to participate in the congress by presenting their TFG or TFM on sustainability in any field, and in particular in the field of Economics, Finance and Health Sciences (Medicine, Dentistry, Physiotherapy, Chemistry and Pharmacy).