DE MONTFORT University played a leading role during 2025 in providing education and outreach to policy and law makers, according to an annual report published today.
The Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Global Academic Hub Report 2025 was presented by Dr Mark Charlton to show the impact made by DMU in its work with the United Nations.
DMU has been the global hub for the UN's SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions since 2019 providing leadership, general education, outreach, upskilling, and capacity building on migration, forced displacement and climate change.
In late 2025, it was confirmed that the university was taking on the role of the global academic hub chair for SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities leading three vice-chairs, in Vietnam, Brazil and Germany.
Dr Charlton said in his 2025 report: “Education and outreach are our two main priorities in the work with the United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI) in disseminating information on all topics related to peace, justice and strong institutions.
“The work of SDG 16 has been vital because without peace, justice and strong institutions none of the other sustainable development goals can prosper. We only need to see what has happened with war in Ukraine and civil wars across the world to see its importance.”
One of DMU’s flagship outreach and education projects has been Atefa, which aims to try to change the negative narrative around refugees and asylum seekers by telling the real-life stories of those that have fled threats and persecution in their homeland.
The SDG 16 hub has worked with MPs, both locally and nationally, and local authority councillors and officials as well as students and the general public in educating on the issues of migration and forced displacement.
Dr Charlton added: “Despite the university becoming the global hub chair for SDG 11, our efforts on SDG 16 will continue because we have become so invested in our work with the refugee and asylum seekers communities and its groups.”
DMU’s connections to the UN extends to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) as official observers.
The university was the only one in Europe to have a pavilion in the Blue Zone at COP 28 in Dubai in December 2023, and had official observer delegations at COP 29 in Azerbaijan in 2024, and COP 30 in Brazil in late 2025.
Experts from the university’s sustainable development department present evidence to the various UNFCCC committees reporting to the world leaders making the final decisions.
Further work in education, up-skilling and capacity building
DMU’s work in the arena of education, up-skilling and capacity building for law and policy makers stretches into all aspects of the university’s work.
DMU is one of the universities leading the SMIDGE project (Social Media narratives: Addressing Extremism in Middle Age), which advise policy and law makers in six countries on the rise of extremist narratives, misinformation and conspiracy theories online.
The project focuses on the middle-aged demographic (ages 45-65) in Belgium, Denmark, Italy, Kosovo, Cyprus and the UK who often play influential roles in shaping political discourse and societal attitudes. SMIDGE is the first project of its kind to explore how middle-aged individuals interact with online narratives and how their engagement can contribute to a healthier digital environment.
​Dr Ismini Vasileiou, the Cyber Skills Lead at DMU, has been appointed to the UK Government’s Women in Tech taskforce led by the Technology Secretary Liz Kendall. Dr Vasileiou and colleagues will advise on policy no how to boost diversity and technology as only 22% of those working in IT specialist roles are women. The taskforce will advise on policy and general education to build capacity within technology among women.
Up-skilling and capacity building are the primary aims of a £3.5 million plan to generate clean energy and tackle e-waste issues in Sub-Saharan Africa, while also providing evidence for policy to governments across the continent. Led by Professor Muyiwa Oyinlola of DMU, the project is part of the Circular Economy Powered Renewable Energy Centre.
The DMU Policy Unit has a Visiting Policy Fellows Programme, which hosts civil servants and policy experts from Government and local authority within its unit on its Leicester campus. DMU researchers are also placed in government departments for hands-on policy experience in a knowledge exchange agreement.
The CAPs (Community, Academic and Public Sector) research project at DMU takes that work further providing guidance to policy and law makers on the changes needed to address major issues identified in society.
Three teams have been working on issues within Leicester of how to make health care more equitable, improve inclusivity for refugees and asylum seekers and improve access to the arts and heritage in the city, with Policy Briefs providing education and details on how to build capacity and up-skilling.
A fourth CAPs research project has presented its work to the United Nations and to Government to show how the value of our forests can be used to help pay down a country’s national debt and improve the environment.
During 2025, DMU also hosted a major conference in Leicester to address poverty in the city and provide guidance to local and national policy makers on how to improve the plight of many in the city.
A Picture of Poverty in Leicester saw experts, charity workers and campaigners, include Leicester City Council officials and MPs, gather to discuss what needed to change within the city.