MANILA: Commission on Higher Education (CHED) chairperson J. Prospero de Vera III on Friday said a paradigm shift in advancing sustainable development goals (SDG) is evident as 56 Philippine higher education institutions (HEI) joined the 2024 Times Higher Education Impact Rankings (THE-IR).In a statement, De Vera said the HEIs were included for their "real-world" impact in terms of integrating select SDGs in their programs.SDG is part of the 2030 agenda set by the United Nations which entails a 17-point call to action to resolve challenges in poverty, hunger, health, economy, education, environment, equality, and justice, among others.'We are witnessing a paradigm shift where universities are actively integrating social development goals into their core mission,' he said.In particular, the HEIs excelled in SDG 1, No Poverty; SDG 2, Zero Hunger; SDG 3, Good Health and Well-Being; SDG 6, Clean Water and Sanitation; SDG 7, Affordable and Clean Energy; SDG 14, Climate Action; and SDG 16, Peace, Justice, a nd Strong Institutions.'This collective effort reflects the growing understanding that universities have a vital role to play in addressing global challenges,' De Vera said.Out of 2,152 universities from 125 countries across the globe, the Philippines is one of the top 10 countries with the greatest number of participating HEIs in THE-IR.This year's participation is a 93-percent increase from last year's 29, and much higher than the five in 2022, four in 2021 and 2020 and one in 2019.The globally ranked Philippine universities are the following:1. Ateneo de Manila University2. Visayas State University3. De La Salle University4. Biliran Province State University5. Ifugao State University6. Bulacan State University7. University of the Philippines8. Cagayan State University9. Batangas State University10. Catanduanes State University11. Mariano Marcos State University12. Cavite State University13. Saint Louis University14. Central Philippines State University15. University of Santo Tomas16. Central Philippine University17. Benguet State University18. Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University19. Central Luzon State University20. Far Eastern University - Dr. Nicanor Reyes Medical Foundation21. Isabela State University22. Iloilo Science and Technology University23. Leyte Normal University24. Lyceum- Northwestern University25. Mapua University26. Lyceum of the Philippines University27. Mountain Province State Polytechnic College28. Mabalacat City College29. Samar State University30. Mapua Malayan Colleges Laguna31. Tarlac Agricultural University32. Pangasinan State University33. Cebu Technological University34. Panpacific University35. Central Bicol State University of Agriculture36. Polytechnic University of the Philippines37. Cordillera Career Development College38. Quezon City University39. Mindanao State University - Iligan Institute Technology40. Southern Leyte State University41. Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technol ogy42. University of Eastern Philippines43. Philippine Normal University44. University of Mindanao45. San Beda University46. University of San Carlos47. St. Paul University Philippines48. University of Southern Mindanao49. University of Baguio50. University of the Immaculate Conception51. University of Northern Philippines52. Virgen Milagrosa University Foundation53. University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines54. WCC Aeronautical and Technological College55. University of Cordilleras56. Western Philippine UniversityThe Ateneo de Manila University garnered the highest ranking among the batch, securing a place in the 201-300 bracket.Besides SDG-based evaluation, all participating universities were also ranked considering programs, research, and faculty development, among others.Before THE-IR, the CHED also lauded 65 Philippine HEIs which were included among the top 300 most innovative universities across the globe, based on the World University Rankings for I nnovation 2024 issued last week.Source: Philippines News Agency