Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
The University of °µÍø½ûÇø (UOW) is committed to working towards the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through its governance, teaching and learning, community engagement, partnerships and research. The following initiatives are by UOW staff and students working towards Goal 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions.
Across our subjects, courses, research publications and partnerships, UOW staff and students continued working towards the goals in 2025.
*SciVal figures accessed July - October 2026
7,881 students studying subjects about this goal
21.8% of publications related to this goal had international collaboration*
3.5 citations per publication*
29.5% publications in the Top 10% most cited*
A team of UOW School of Education linguists have joined forces with the Universities of Kryvyi Rih and Kharkiv, TESOL Ukraine, and a US partner to deliver a project which aims to enhance Ukrainian students’ proficiency in English, equipping them with the necessary language skills to thrive in international contexts.
The Bilingual Ukrainian English Primary Schools in Ukraine project came about after Ukraine born and raised, Dr Ruslana Westerlund, from Wisconsin Cooperative Educational Service met with academics from Ukrainian universities. Yet it was after Dr Westerlund’s trip to Australia in 2016 and meeting with UOW’s and Emeritus Professor Beverly Derewianka, two leading figures in educational linguistics and authors of the best-selling book Teaching Language in Context, that she became eager to bring these innovative approaches to her home country of Ukraine.
Despite being delayed by the difficult political situation in Ukraine, the project began in September 2023, marking a significant milestone in advancing bilingual education and English language proficiency in Ukraine.
Led by UOW from the School of Social Sciences, Settling well in regional Australia: Experiences of people from refugee backgrounds represents one of the most comprehensive assessments of the impacts of refugee settlement in regional Australia. The study is funded by the Australian Research Council Linkage Program until 2026, with support from five partner organisations including the Department of Home Affairs and Multicultural NSW.
The project examines how regional settlement impacts people of refugee backgrounds themselves, as well as the communities in which they settle. The research team has conducted in-depth interviews with hundreds of former refugees, community stakeholders and First Nations custodians, operating across six study sites in New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria.
Settling Well aims to answer a range of important questions, with findings expected to enhance government decision-making and maximise positive outcomes for both former refugees and their destination communities.
In 2024, UOW's Indigenous Strategy Unit launched the Indigenous Education and Engagement Strategy 2024-2028, marking a significant milestone in the University's commitment to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander advancement.
The comprehensive strategy encompasses deliverables and strategic actions designed to resurrect, reinvigorate and advance partnerships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, staff and community. At its core, the strategy navigates the transformative path of students while celebrating the interconnectedness of community and education.
The strategy aims to provide an overarching framework of self-determination, illuminating the University's commitment to an accountable and transparent way forward for staff, students, communities and partners. It reinforces UOW's position as a leader in Indigenous higher education, providing clear priorities and measurable outcomes for meaningful progress.
Learn how UOW is strengthening partnerships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities
UOW has built close relationships with the government, providing outreach and education to policymakers in the field of Maritime Studies. As a partner to governments, NGOs, international agencies and industry, UOW’s Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security (ANCORS) translates evidence into practice to offer practical solutions to global challenges, public policy and commercial endeavours.
Maritime Studies deals with policy, law and security issues related to the world’s oceans. It addresses various issues related to the sea, including maritime trade routes, its significance as a natural habitat, and its role as a source of both international political tensions and cooperation.
UOW offers degrees in , and providing an understanding of areas such as maritime enforcement, maritime security threats and solutions, marine environmental law, regulation of shipping and marine resources management.
Students learn to analyse the legal, political and operational factors that contribute to the development of the law of the sea and maritime policy, and devise solutions to gaps in legal and policy frameworks.
One of the benefits for students of the Graduate Certificate in Maritime Studies is the close links that UOW’s ANCORS has established with a range of government agencies, international businesses and non-governmental organisations in Australia, the Indo-Pacific region and globally, including a long-term relationship with the Royal Australian Navy.
Graduates are typically interested in careers in policy with government (federal and state, also international /regional) involved in areas such as resource management, defence, foreign affairs or with organisations involved in marine resource management and conservation.
ANCORS also has a strong record as a provider of sophisticated and practical technical and advisory services in the fields of:
• ocean governance and resource security
• fisheries governance and sustainable development
• marine conservation
• marine dispute resolution, and
• maritime crime prevention.
ANCORS bring together teams of specialist lawyers, political scientists, marine economists, geographers, marine biologists and social scientists to design, innovate and integrate ocean law, maritime management and marine policy.
ANCORS has built long-term working relationships with numerous government departments and international agencies throughout the region providing sophisticated and grounded technical and advisory services. The expertise and capacity enable them to employ a multi-disciplinary approach to complex issues and bring to the subject a range of specialised perspectives.
ANCORS relationships and outreach include:
• chairing international committees and working groups at treaty meetings
• facilitating inter-governmental workshops
• advising Ministerial meetings and national delegations, and
• providing technical advice and support for numerous governments and international organisations.
Get in touch with the UOW Media Team to share your story and help shape UOW’s contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals.
