The 2025 Annual Review on SDGs Impact (ARSI) opened with a program at the MSU-IIT Gymnasium, convening university officials, evaluators, project implementers, participants, and guests for a morning of reflections on sustainability and community-focused initiatives on Wednesday, December 3.
Dr. Nancy Echavez, Vice Chancellor for Public Affairs, spoke on behalf of Chancellor Alizedney M. Ditucalan, recounting the efforts of the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Public Affairs (OVCPA) through the WE CARE Office in 2023 to align extension initiatives with the UN SDGs.
She noted that what started as a hopeful ripple has now become powerful, transformative, and collaborative waves, empowering local communities and strengthening MSU-IIT’s commitment to sustainability.
Dr. Echavez mentioned the various projects under the OVCPA and the WE CARE Office in areas such as education, psychosocial and medical support, livelihood, development, cultural empowerment, peacebuilding, and more, emphasizing that these initiatives unite the university in service.
She also acknowledged the mentors, student leaders, persons deprived of liberty, the elderly, and persons with disabilities, noting that they remind us that “our work is about sustaining movements, not just hitting targets.”
“In doubt, hear the ocean within us—steady, purposeful, and hopeful. When we act together, let’s make sure lives transform by choice, not by chance,” she reminded.
The keynote speaker, Prof. Arney Binti Saapat from the Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM), presented UTHM’s vision and mission to be a global technical university in sustainable technology and transportation, providing technical solutions for industry and community based on the tauhidic paradigm.
She highlighted their university’s extensive projects on poverty reduction, food safety, healthcare, quality education, gender equity, clean water and energy, decent employment opportunities, infrastructure innovations, decreased inequalities, sustainable urban development, responsible consumption, climate initiatives, land and marine preservation, effective governance, and global collaborations.
Prof. Saapat emphasized how each of these initiatives supports the university’s development agenda centered on the Sustainable Development Goals. She concluded her presentation with UTHM’s Future Sustainable Goals: Toward Net Zero Carbon 2050, categorized into environmental, economic, and social targets, ranging from reducing GHG emissions to promoting green lifestyles to improve quality of life.
The opening program wrapped up with the introduction and rationale of the esteemed evaluators, followed by a group photo session. These activities officially marked the start of the 2025 Annual Review on SDGs Impact (ARSI), which then continued on the 4th floor of the PRISM Building for the Professional Category and the 3rd floor for the Student Category.
Written by Nazmeen Sani
Proofread by Andrea Ross Sedero
Photo by Janine Patrice Estrada
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