LOCALISING SUSTAINABILITY: FROM UN MANDATES TO LOCAL ACTION - 2026/7

Module Overview

The module introduces students to global sustainability agendas, with a focus on United Nations agencies such as the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and the CIFAL Global Network (CGN). It explores participatory methods and action-learning activities to translate sustainable development into local communities.

Students will critically examine how global frameworks such as the Sustainable Development Goals are interpreted, adapted, and implemented within diverse social, cultural, economic, and governance contexts. The module emphasises the importance of local knowledge, community engagement, and place-based approaches in shaping effective and inclusive sustainability initiatives; it will allow students to amplify the work of global sustainability agendas at the local level by bridging the gap between global mandates and local community needs, through the design of a practical intervention, employing active learning pedagogies and collaborative multi-stakeholder co-creation.

This module constitutes a unique opportunity for students to get exposed to the work of the United Nations, as the module is delivered in partnership with CIFAL Surrey, a UNITAR accredited training centre.

Module provider

School of Engineering

Module Leader

SEYMOUR Valentine (Sch of Eng)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 6

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Module Availability

Semester 2

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

N/A

Module content

Indicative module contents include:

• Global sustainability agendas: review of the strategic framework and core responsibilities of global actors in strengthening local capacities for sustainable development;
• Localisation principles: defining sustainable development localisation and key guiding principles: inclusivity, multi-stakeholder partnerships, and multilevel governance;
• Institutional barriers: common governance challenges and data gaps that hinder the translation of global mandates into national and local policy and action;
• Reporting mechanisms for local and regional governments to monitor and accelerate sustainable development progress;
• The role of Civil Society Organizations in creating sustainable development reports;
• Co-creation strategies: engaging local stakeholders to ensure that sustainable development action is locally relevant;
• Participatory methods for community engagement, collecting local community data and conducting data gap analysis;
• Inclusive design: strategies for engaging marginalized communities and integrating inclusion into local action;
• Toolkit development: consolidating analysis into the final report and Localisation Toolkit, focusing on capacity building for the local partner.

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

- A group presentation of the toolkit design process, worth 30% of the module mark - An individual coursework; a report on the toolkit for translating global sustainability agendas into local outcomes, worth 70% of the module mark

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to assist students develop their knowledge and understanding of global sustainability agendas and the translation process into local community needs. Students will be able to develop a Localisation Toolkit in consultation with an external partner, such as UNITAR and/or the CIFAL Global Network.

The summative assessment for this module consists of:

• A group presentation, worth 30% of the module mark
• An individual coursework, worth 70% of the module mark

The assessment will capture the learning outcomes as follows:

• Group presentation on the toolkit design process, in consultation with the external partner (LO4)
• Individual coursework on transforming global sustainability agendas into local action, including: an analysis of the barriers encountered in localising sustainable agendas (LO1), a synthesis of the available data (LO2), a discussion on stakeholder and community engagement strategies (LO3), and the finalised design of a localisation toolkit (LO4).

Formative assessment and feedback:

Students receive verbal feedback during lectures. There are also weekly interactive seminar sessions during which students will receive feedback on the design of the localisation toolkit.

Module aims

• Provide an overview of the core mandates and strategic priorities of global sustainability agendas, including United Nations agencies.
• Explore participatory methods and multi-stakeholder co-creation approaches.
• Translate global sustainability agendas into strategic local interventions.

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The module is based on experiential learning and cooperative learning approaches in collaboration with an external partner, such as UNITAR and/or the CIFAL Global Network. The learning approach emphasizes practical application, real-world consultation and reporting processes with the external partner, to ensure students are prepared to deliver practical results through co-creation and local capacity building.

The learning and teaching methods include:

- Lectures and class discussions (11 hours)

- Captured content (11 hours)

- Seminars (11 hours)

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: ENG3218

Other information

The Centre for Environment and Sustainability is committed to developing graduates with strengths in Employability, Digital Capabilities, Global and Cultural Capabilities, Sustainability and Resourcefulness and Resilience, in line with the Surrey Curriculum Framework. This module is designed to allow students to develop knowledge, skills and capabilities in the following areas:

• Sustainability: This module provides students with the opportunity to learn about global sustainability agendas, and how these global sustainability goals become translated into local action. Students will also learn about the institutional, social, and political barriers hindering sustainable development and the participatory and stakeholder engagement methods that support sustainable development.
• Employability: This module will require students to learn about real-world challenges, translating global sustainability frameworks into action relevant to local communities, and engaging with an external partner through consultation and reporting, thus providing transversal and professional skills to sustainability work.
• Digital capabilities: in this module students will be required to consult and collaborate with the external partner (i.e. UNITAR and/or CIFAL Global Network) through digital tools; therefore the module will strengthen digital capabilities through online collaborations.
• Global and cultural capabilities: This module helps students develop competencies to engage with international partners and translate global agendas into local action relevant to local community needs.
• Resourcefulness and resilience: This module adopts a student-led, solution-focused, action learning¿approach. This is supported by group-based work, analysis of participatory methodologies, and the development of a ¿localisation toolkit¿ as part of the assessment.

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2026/7 academic year.