Leading through global uncertainty
The challenges higher ed faces requires even more concerted leadership efforts to navigate. By Dr Dessy Ariyanti, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Diponegoro
"Universities are embedding sustainability into their core missions."
In 2026, higher education operates within a global environment marked by persistent geopolitical uncertainty. Strategic rivalry, conflicts, economic fragmentation and rapid technological competition continue to reshape international cooperation across sectors, including education and research. These dynamics influence not only how universities collaborate globally, but also how they educate students and define their role in society.
Internationalisation, once driven largely by openness and mobility, now unfolds under heightened political scrutiny. Academic mobility is shaped by visa regimes, security concerns and shifting diplomatic relations. Research collaboration faces growing constraints related to funding stability, data governance and strategic technologies. Partnerships that were once considered routine now require deliberate assessment and long-term resilience planning. Despite these pressures, universities remain among the few institutions capable of sustaining cross-border engagement grounded in shared knowledge, evidence, and public purpose.
Within this context, sustainability has emerged as a central organising principle for higher education. Global challenges such as climate change, public health, food security, biodiversity loss and social inequality transcend political boundaries and demand collective responses. The Sustainable Development Goals provide a shared framework that enables universities to maintain cooperation even when geopolitical relationships between states are strained. Sustainability, therefore, functions not only as a normative commitment, but as a practical foundation for continued global engagement.
Across regions, universities are embedding sustainability into their core missions, reshaping research priorities, curricula and definitions of success around societal impact. This shift reflects a growing recognition that global relevance is inseparable from local responsibility. Institutions that address place-based challenges, such as coastal resilience, urban sustainability, public health, and inclusive development, generate solutions with significance beyond their local contexts.
This locally grounded approach is reshaping international collaboration. Universities are moving toward mission-driven partnerships through collaborative research platforms, joint supervision, virtual exchange and interdisciplinary networks focused on sustainability. These models reduce geopolitical risk while enabling deeper cooperation around shared global priorities.
Education lies at the centre of this transformation. Sustainability-oriented learning connects global challenges with local realities, cultivating systems thinking, ethical judgement and adaptability. Through experiential and problem-based approaches, universities prepare graduates to navigate uncertainty and exercise leadership grounded in responsibility and impact.
Aligning global engagement with local responsibility also strengthens institutional resilience. Universities that demonstrate tangible societal value build trust among communities, governments and international partners. This trust becomes particularly important in periods of geopolitical instability, when legitimacy and credibility are essential for sustaining cooperation. By grounding internationalisation in real-world impact, universities enhance both their local relevance and global standing.
Nevertheless, challenges remain. Sustainability risks being reduced to symbolic commitment rather than systemic transformation. Impact may be interpreted through narrow metrics rather than meaningful outcomes. Internationalisation may become overly cautious if driven solely by risk avoidance. Addressing these tensions requires strong governance, strategic clarity, and an unwavering commitment to academic values, inclusion and openness.
The central question in 2026 is no longer whether higher education can adapt to geopolitical uncertainty, but whether it can lead through it. Universities that align global engagement with local responsibility, educate students as future leaders, and anchor their missions in sustainability will not only endure uncertainty; they will help shape a more resilient, inclusive, and cooperative global future.
Dessy Ariyanti is Deputy Director of Global Reputation at Universitas Diponegoro (UNDIP), Indonesia, who responsible for strengthening UNDIP’s international visibility through partnerships, academic collaborations, and strategic alignment with global standard frameworks which include promoting UNDIP’s engagement with the SDGs by embedding sustainability values into curricula, research, facilities and student initiatives.