Sustainability management at UKM was initiated in 2007 when the Development Unit of UKM prepared the Physical Campus Development Master Plan 2007-2020. This strategic plan was aimed to monitor the development plan to be sustainable in terms of infrastructure development, space requirements, environmental conservation, energy and solid waste management, landscape, campus facilities and cultivation of sustainable life. This plan was first drafted in November 2008 by the Institute of Environment and Development (LESTARI) UKM led by Datin Paduka Dr. Halimaton Saadiah, Head of UKM Sustainable Campus Group and a Senior Fellow at LESTARI.

In line with that development, the UKM Sustainability Committee was set up in 2014 under the auspices of the Risk, Safety and Health Management Centre (ROSH-UKM). In 2020, the committee underwent a transition, becoming the UKM Sustainability Secretariat under the UKM Strategy Centre. This move aimed to enhance strategic ranking affairs, planning, and the promotion of a sustainability culture throughout UKM, aligning with the objectives of the Physical Campus Development Master Plan 2007-2020.

After the conclusion of the Physical Campus Development Master Plan in 2020, UKM took the next step by embarking on the formulation of the UKM 2030 Strategic Plan for Sustainability. Centred around the theme of ‘Cultivating Sustainability for the Future,’ this strategic roadmap encompasses the period from 2021 to 2030 and revolves around five (5) key pillars: governance and management, teaching and learning, research and innovation, sustainable and wellness campus.  It is important for the members of UKM to fully understand the Sustainability Charter en route to achieving the goal of becoming a sustainable university. This charter takes into account the United Nation Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030 which contains 17 main indicators as follows:

SDG 1: ZERO POVERTY
SDG 2: ZERO HUNGER
SDG 3: GOOD HEALTH AND WELL BEING
SDG 4: QUALITY EDUCATION
SDG 5: GENDER EQUALITY
SDG 6: CLEAN WATER AND SANITATION
SDG 7: AFFORDABLE AND CLEAN ENERGY
SDG 8: DECENT WORK AND ECONOMIC GROWTH
SDG 9: INDUSTRY, INNOVATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE
SDG 10: REDUCED INEQUALITIES
SDG 11: SUSTAINABLE CITIES AND COMMUNITIES
SDG 12: RESPONSIBLE CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION
SDG 13: CLIMATE ACTION
SDG 14: LIFE BELOW WATER
SDG 15: LIFE ON LAND
SDG 16: PEACE, JUSTICE AND STRONG INSTITUTIONS
SDG 17: PARTNERSHIPS FOR THE GOALS

UKM’s Sustainability Charter is as in Appendix 1 (www.ukm.my/kelestarian/charter)