AlmaU among PRME Champions 2023

The Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME), an initiative of the United Nations Global Compact, is pleased to announce the new cycle of PRME Champions for 2023. This year, 47 PRME Signatory Members, with a track record of impactful contributions in thought and action leadership, were selected to join the cohort by the PRME Secretariat from a pool of strong and diverse applicants.

The PRME Champions represent a group of dedicated business and management schools from across the PRME membership, committed to working collaboratively to develop and promote activities that address shared barriers for the PRME community, and which deliver value for business and society at large. Previous collaborations attributed to the PRME Champions include the Climate Literacy Training for Business Schools, the Blueprint for SDG Integration, the SDG Library, and more.

The focus of the 2023 Champions cycle will be on action leadership to inspire our global community, specifically through the Inspirational Guide on SDG Integration on Research, Curriculum, and Partnerships, which serves as a repository of inspiring examples that will build on the work of the existing Blueprint for SDG Integration. A unique feature of the 2023 cycle is engagement in The Impactful Five (i5) Project, a knowledge-sharing and peer-learning project with the aim of future-proofing higher education institutions with novel pedagogies and practices that inspire creativity and authenticity, and underpin sustainable development across all disciplines of business education. The 2023 Champions will participate in a series of workshops throughout the year to source, develop, and implement innovative pedagogies, inspired by the Impactful Five Characteristics outlined in partnership with The LEGO Foundation.

As a flagship PRME programme, the PRME Champions Programme provides faculty members, students and industry leaders with a space for developing and sharing collaborative educational methods and a ‘living lab’ for ambitious new ideas for developing the next generation of sustainability-driven business schools and management-related higher education institutions in support of the SDGs.

The 2023 Champions cycle is an amended 1-year cycle, as opposed to the usual 2-year cycle, as the Secretariat engages in a review process of the programme for future editions. The review will take place in parallel to the 2023 cycle and will involve Champion, community, and expert consultation in order to ensure that the PRME Champions Programme remains an impactful pioneer programme moving forward, and one in line with community needs and expectations.

Joining the PRME Champions group represents a unique opportunity for AlmaU, as well as a challenge to work with the best business schools and universities in the world in the field of management education.
Almaty Management University (AlmaU), as a socially responsible university, has been a member of the PRME program since 2009. Since 2012, the university has been preparing Progress Reports (SIPs), which are available here. AlmaU President and Founder Dr. Asylbek Kozhakhmetov is a member of the PRME Council in 2020-2023. In 2021, AlmaU Vice-Rector for Global Partnerships Aigerim Kaumenova was nominated for the post of Committee Chair of the UN PRME Representative Office in Eurasia. A new chapter in Eurasia (Eurasian Chapter) was presented to the public during the UN PRME Global Representation Forum in 2021. AlmaU student Navruz Yerkaev represents the Eurasian region in the PRME Global Students initiative since 2022.