Philippine Consulate General in Istanbul, CHED & Universities Represent PH Higher Education at the 2025 Global Sustainable Development Congress 

Acting Head of Post Rachel Anne Oronce with CHED and PH University officials during the Global Sustainable Development Congress (GSDC)  (Istanbul PCG Photo)

ISTANBUL 23 June 2025 — The Philippine Consulate General in Istanbul and a fifty-strong delegation led by Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Executive Director Cinderella Filipina Benitez-Jaro represented the best of Filipino tertiary education at the Fourth Global Sustainable Development Congress (GSDC) held in Istanbul from 16 to 19 June 2025.

Hosted in Türkiye for the first time, the GSDC was organized by Times Higher Education (THE) in partnership with the Turkish Council of Higher Education. Over 5,000 delegates from more than 100 countries and their respective colleges and universities participated at this global platform to drive urgent and effective action in support of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The event facilitated the exchange of strategies, policies, and research among leaders in academia, government, business, and civil society to advance progress on the 17 SDGs.

The Philippines was among the countries with a dedicated national pavilion at the Congress alongside other countries like Türkiye, Azerbaijan, China, and Pakistan, highlighting its higher education initiatives and sustainability efforts.  The Philippine Pavilion featured cultural, tourism, and design highlights from the Cordillera region, all the while providing an avenue for networking and discussion with tertiary school officials from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

During the event, Quezon City University entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Sakarya University of Applied Sciences to collaborate on academic initiatives, research, and other joint projects. The signing took place in the presence of CHED officials and the undersigned.

The Philippine Government’s continued engagement in international education events in Türkiye, from EURIE to GSDC 2025, reflects its ongoing commitment to internationalization and cross-sector collaboration. END

CHED officials and university presidents called on Acting Head of Post, Ms. Rachel Anne Oronce at the Philippine Consulate on 16 June 2025 (Istanbul PCG Photo).

Acting Head of Post Ms. Rachel Anne Oronce met with CHED Officials and University Presidents at the Philippine Consulate to discuss possible areas of collaboration (Istanbul PCG Photo).

During the signing of MoU between Quezon City University and Sakarya University of Applied Sciences to collaborate on academic initiatives, research, and other joint projects (Istanbul PCG Photo)

Acting Head of Post Ms. Rachel Anne Oronce visits the Philippine Pavilion during the Global Sustainable Development Congress (GSDC) featuring design elements from the Cordillera region (Istanbul PCG Photo)

For more information, visit https://istanbulpcg.dfa.gov.ph/ or https://www.facebook.com/PHLinIstanbul/.