CENTRAL PHILIPPINE UNIVERSITY

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CPU participates in the 2026 Global Sustainability Development Congress (GSDC 2026) in Jakarta, Indonesia

by | Jun 26, 2026 | The Centralian Link | 0 comments

By QAAC


Dr. Zerrudo with Mei Mei Lim, President of Asia Pacific at Times Higher Education and Dr. Ricmar P. Aquino, CHED Commissioner.

Upon the invitation of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), CPU participated in the Global Sustainable Development Congress (GSDC) four-day conference at the Indonesia Convention Exhibition – ICE BSD, Jakarta, Indonesia from June 22-25, 2026. The GSDC is an annual international forum organized by Times Higher Education (THE) that brings together leaders from higher education, government, business, and civil society to discuss the responses of countries, higher education institutions, and multi-sectoral business and non-government organizations to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

The conference includes an extensive program of daily plenary sessions, and parallel sessions on multi-disciplinary discussions, agenda tracks, data releases, and networking events. Leaders from higher education institutions from Asia, Africa and Europe led the discussions of these topics.

An invitation-only workshop was specially designed for THE Impact Network members from the Philippines. During the session, an in-depth analysis of the Philippines’ performance in the THE Impact Rankings was shared. The discussion also explored emerging trends and benchmarking insights and discussed practical strategies to strengthen institutional impact and sustainability performance.

A special certificate presentation ceremony was conducted by Times Higher Education to recognize eligible institutions for their achievements and engagement within the THE Impact Rankings framework. Dr. Anna May A. Yap-Zerrudo, Director of Quality Assurance and Accreditation Center, received the Certificate for Central Philippine University.

In this year’s ratings, CPU placed in the 1001–1500 overall institutional ranking and was ranked in eight SDG categories, reflecting the University’s continuing commitment to sustainability, quality education, social responsibility, and institutional partnerships.

CPU’s highest placements this year were in SDG 2 – Zero Hunger, SDG 3 – Good Health and Well-being, and SDG 15 – Life on Land, where it ranked within the 401–600 bracket.

CPU also placed in SDG 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities at 601–800, and in SDG 1 – No Poverty and SDG 16 – Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions at 801+. For SDG 4 – Quality Education, CPU ranked 1001+, while for SDG 17 – Partnerships for the Goals, it placed in the 1001–1500 bracket.

This year’s result marks an improvement from CPU’s 1501+ overall ranking in 2024 and 2025. Since its debut in the THE Impact Rankings in 2023, CPU has steadily expanded its global visibility, ranking in four SDGs in 2023, seven SDGs in 2024, and eight SDGs in both 2025 and 2026.

Now in its fifth year, the GSDC, held alongside the release of the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings, convened for the first time in Glasgow, Scotland in 2022. CPU’s attendance to this conference strengthened the University’s relationship with partner universities that were also in attendance to the GSDC. Dr. Zerrudo also explored partnership possibilities with potential partners through networking and by signing Letters of Intent.