BEIRUT ARAB UNIVERSITY
SDG 17
PARTNERSHIPS FOR THE GOALS
THE IMPACT RANKINGS INDICATOR 17.2.3
International Collaboration on SDG Data
Does the University as a body participate in international collaboration on gathering or measuring data for the SDGs?
Executive assessment
Beirut Arab University should answer YES to Indicator 17.2.3. The evidence demonstrates institutional, international participation in both the infrastructure for SDG data and completed cross-border measurement. The strongest institutional mechanism is BAU's three-year memorandum with the Arab Institute for Training and Research in Statistics in Jordan. The agreement expressly covers improvement of data collection, analysis and dissemination in Arab countries, joint statistical research, capacity building and exchange of technical expertise.
BAU also contributes data to an international SDG collaboration. As the institutional lead for SDG 9 in the International Association of Universities Global Cluster on Higher Education and Research for Sustainable Development, BAU reports and analyses its SDG-related research activity. Its 2025 cluster report quantifies SDG 9 publications and faculty contributions and documents an institutional system in which researchers and postgraduate students identify the SDGs, targets and indicators connected to their work.
Completed international research confirms practical data gathering and measurement. Two 2025 health studies included BAU researchers and international university partners. One gathered and compared survey data from 881 adult athletes in Italy and Lebanon. The other analysed 1,351 adults using body-mass index and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry to test the accuracy of a widely used health classification. BAU researchers held documented roles in investigation, methodology and formal analysis.
The claim is deliberately bounded. The evidence proves international collaboration on institutional SDG research mapping and on SDG-relevant data collection and measurement. It does not establish that BAU maintains Lebanon's official UN indicator database, nor that every international study produces an official national SDG indicator.
Original evidence BAU–AITRS cooperation agreement | Official university record | 4 September 2025
Original evidence IAU Global HESD Cluster | Official international association | Current international network page
Original evidence BAU SDG 9 activity report to the IAU, 2025 | International cluster report | 2025
Original evidence Italy–Lebanon athlete study | Peer-reviewed open-access research | 4 January 2025
Original evidence International BMI–DXA assessment study | Peer-reviewed open-access research | 29 June 2025
Indicator test | Verified evidence | Assessment |
|---|---|---|
University as a body | The AITRS memorandum was signed institutionally; BAU serves as an institutional lead in the IAU cluster. | Met |
International collaboration | Partners include a regional statistical institute in Jordan, a worldwide university network and universities and hospitals in Italy. | Met |
Gathering or measuring data | The evidence covers statistical data systems, SDG research-output measurement, a two-country survey and a quantitative diagnostic-classification study. | Met |
SDG relevance | Outputs relate directly to SDGs 3, 4, 9 and 17, with sex-disaggregated findings also relevant to SDG 5. | Met |
Current evidence | The principal agreement, reports and research outputs date from 2023–2025 and remain current within the review period. | Met |
Claim precision | Official SDG research mapping is distinguished from thematic SDG-relevant research and from national UN indicator reporting. | Appropriate |
Assessment scope and evidence standard
What qualifies for this indicator
The report treats the indicator as satisfied where three conditions are evidenced: BAU participates institutionally or through formally identified researchers; at least one partner is located outside Lebanon or represents an international network; and the activity includes the collection, analysis, comparison, classification, reporting or dissemination of data that supports understanding or delivery of one or more SDGs.
Evidence is ranked by strength. Formal agreements and international network records establish the institutional mechanism. Published international reports establish SDG-specific measurement and reporting. Peer-reviewed research establishes completed data collection and quantitative analysis. General conferences, rankings and broad partnership statements are not used as the primary basis for the YES response.
Evidence hierarchy
Evidence level | Role in the assessment | Verified example |
|---|---|---|
Formal international mechanism | Establishes continuing organisational commitment to statistical cooperation | BAU–AITRS three-year memorandum |
International SDG reporting | Shows systematic measurement and sharing of SDG-aligned institutional data | IAU HESD Cluster and BAU SDG 9 reports |
Completed cross-national research | Shows actual data gathering, analysis and comparison | Italy–Lebanon athlete study |
International measurement validation | Shows BAU participation in testing a measurement method against a reference standard | BMI compared with DXA in an international research team |
Institutional data infrastructure | Shows how BAU embeds SDG tagging and analysis in research management | BAU Research Report 2023–2024 |
SDG interpretation used in this report
Not every dataset must be an official UN global-indicator series to be relevant. Universities contribute to SDG measurement by producing comparable evidence on health, infrastructure, education and other target areas, and by mapping their research and outputs to SDG targets and indicators. The report therefore distinguishes three categories: official statistical capacity, institutional SDG reporting and SDG-relevant research measurement.
Category | Meaning | Evidence in this report |
|---|---|---|
Statistical capacity | Cooperation that improves how data are collected, analysed and disseminated | AITRS agreement |
Institutional SDG measurement | University data mapped and reported against SDGs | IAU cluster reporting and BAU research-output mapping |
Thematic SDG measurement | Research data measuring an outcome connected to an SDG target | Athlete health survey and BMI–DXA classification study |
Formal regional collaboration in statistics
Three-year agreement with AITRS, Jordan
On 4 September 2025, BAU and the Arab Institute for Training and Research in Statistics signed a three-year memorandum of understanding. The official BAU record states that the agreement seeks to strengthen statistical cooperation across Arab countries and enhance the statistical capacities of Arab states by improving data collection, analysis and dissemination. It also provides for joint specialised research in statistical sciences and in fields relevant to statistical agencies.
The cooperation is operational rather than ceremonial. Its scope includes joint training courses, workshops and conferences; exchange of technical and administrative expertise; publication of research and studies; development of joint strategies and plans; and periodic evaluation of implementation. These elements create a regional mechanism through which methods, competencies and evidence can be shared and improved.
AITRS describes its mission as supporting Arab statistical offices through training, publications, research programmes and consultations. This independent institutional description confirms that BAU's partner is a specialist regional statistics organisation and not merely a general education provider.
Original evidence BAU official record of the AITRS agreement | Official university record | 4 September 2025
Original evidence Arab Institute for Training and Research in Statistics | Official partner record | Current institutional page
Cooperation Agreement between Beirut Arab University and the Arab Institute for Training and Research in Statistics Jordan
Beirut Arab University, represented by its President, Professor Wael Nabil Abdel Salam, signed a three-year Memorandum of Understanding with the Arab Institute for Training and Research in Statistics in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, represented by its Director General, Dr. Ziad Abdullah. The agreement aims to strengthen academic, research, and training cooperation in the field of statistics and related sciences across Arab countries, while addressing the regional need for specialized trainers in statistics and its various branches.
The memorandum also outlines the commitment to enhancing statistical capacities in Arab states by improving data collection, analysis, and dissemination. This will be achieved through joint efforts in conducting specialized research in statistical sciences and fields relevant to the work of statistical agencies, as well as by designing joint training programs, organizing workshops, conferences, and training sessions.
Furthermore, the agreement provides for the exchange of technical and administrative expertise, the publication of research findings in print and electronic journals, and the development of joint strategies and plans with periodic evaluations of the effectiveness of this collaboration.
Arab Institute for Training and Research in Statistic
Agreement component | Data function | SDG contribution |
|---|---|---|
Data collection | Improves the capacity and methods used to obtain statistical evidence | Supports the evidence base needed across all SDGs |
Analysis | Builds the ability to interpret and compare collected information | Supports diagnosis, target setting and evaluation |
Dissemination | Improves the communication and availability of statistical findings | Supports accountability and knowledge exchange |
Joint research | Creates shared studies in statistics and fields relevant to statistical agencies | Produces comparable regional knowledge |
Training and expertise exchange | Develops human and institutional capacity | Contributes to SDGs 4 and 17 |
Periodic evaluation | Provides a mechanism to review implementation | Supports learning and adaptive management |
Evidential significance and boundary
This agreement is the strongest evidence of a formal international mechanism dedicated specifically to statistical data. It establishes BAU's organisational commitment and a route for regional work on collection, analysis and dissemination. The published source does not yet identify a completed joint SDG dataset arising from the agreement; accordingly, the memorandum is presented as an active collaboration framework, while completed outputs are evidenced separately below.
International SDG research measurement through the IAU
BAU as the institutional lead for SDG 9
The International Association of Universities' Global Cluster on Higher Education and Research for Sustainable Development is a consortium of universities working internationally on the 2030 Agenda. The cluster assigns an institutional lead and supporting universities to each SDG, enabling members to share practices, report activity and develop joint initiatives. BAU is identified by the IAU and by the University as the lead institution for SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure.
Original evidence IAU Global HESD Cluster and institutional leads | Official IAU record | Current international network page
Original evidence BAU SDG 9 cluster role | Official university record | Current university page
Global Cluster on HESD
BAU SDG Home
Measured outputs in the 2025 international cluster report
BAU's 2025 report to the IAU cluster contains measurable institutional evidence rather than only narrative participation. BAU reported that it had gathered data on research supporting SDG 9. For the 2024–2025 academic year, 35% of publications across the principal contributing faculties were classified as SDG 9-related, and the Faculty of Engineering accounted for 60% of the University's SDG 9 research output.
The report also documents changes to the data system used to produce and improve these measurements. BAU's publication-submission form asks researchers to identify the SDGs connected to their work; research subthemes were revised to improve SDG alignment; and postgraduate theses are systematically linked to a selected SDG, its targets and relevant indicators. This creates a repeatable process for collecting SDG metadata rather than relying on retrospective description alone.
Original evidence BAU SDG 9 activity report submitted through the IAU cluster | International cluster report | 2025
Measured element | Reported result or method | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
SDG 9 research share | 35% of publications across key contributing faculties were reported as SDG 9-related in 2024–2025 | Quantifies the scale of SDG-aligned research |
Faculty contribution | Engineering produced 60% of the University's reported SDG 9 research output | Identifies where institutional capacity is concentrated |
Publication metadata | Researchers identify associated SDGs when submitting publications | Creates structured, reusable SDG data |
Research taxonomy | Research subthemes were revised to align more clearly with SDGs | Improves consistency of classification |
Postgraduate research | Theses are linked to a selected SDG, targets and key indicators | Connects student research to measurable SDG frameworks |
Continuity of international reporting
The 2025 report is not an isolated submission. BAU also filed an SDG 9 activity report to the IAU cluster in April 2023, describing research mapping and the University's role as cluster lead. In addition, the IAU published BAU's Research Report on the SDGs 2023–2024 through its international platform. These records demonstrate continuity in BAU's production and international dissemination of SDG-aligned institutional information.
Original evidence BAU SDG 9 report to the IAU cluster | International cluster report | 17 April 2023
Original evidence IAU publication of BAU's Research Report on the SDGs 2023–2024 | Official IAU record | 2024
Original evidence BAU Research Report 2023–2024 | Official university report | 2024
Activity Report submitted on the 17th of April 2023 for SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure, within the IAU HESD Cluster
Beirut Arab University Research Report on SDGs 2023-24
Completed cross-national data gathering: athlete health
Italy–Lebanon study of disordered eating
A peer-reviewed study published in January 2025 investigated disordered-eating risk among adult athletes in Italy and Lebanon. The research team included BAU's Dima Kreidieh and Leila Itani together with researchers from the University of Verona, the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Modena and IRCCS Reggio Emilia. The published contributor statement identifies BAU researchers in investigation, methodology and formal analysis roles.
Data were gathered between May and October 2024 using sport-related questions and the validated 26-item Eating Attitudes Test. Following exclusions, the comparative sample contained 881 adult athletes. The design therefore generated a harmonised two-country dataset using a common instrument and allowed researchers to compare prevalence and associated characteristics across national contexts.
The study reported elevated EAT-26 scores in 6.1% of the Italian sample and 21.3% of the Lebanese sample and presented findings by sex. The authors concluded that screening and early intervention are important, especially for groups with higher observed risk. The evidence contributes to SDG 3 through measurement of health-related risk and to SDG 5 through sex-disaggregated analysis.
Original evidence Original peer-reviewed Italy–Lebanon athlete study | Publisher record | 4 January 2025
Original evidence Permanent open-access copy in PubMed Central | US National Library of Medicine | 2025
The Prevalence of and Factors Associated with Disordered Eating Among Adult Athletes in Italy and Lebanon
Indicator element | Documented evidence |
|---|---|
International partnership | BAU researchers worked with universities, a university hospital and a research institute in Italy. |
Data gathering | A common validated questionnaire and sport-related variables were collected in Italy and Lebanon. |
Measurement | Researchers calculated prevalence and compared results by country and sex. |
BAU contribution | BAU authors held investigation, methodology and formal-analysis roles; BAU ethical approval is recorded. |
SDG value | The study provides evidence for prevention, screening and wellbeing under SDG 3 and offers sex-disaggregated insight relevant to SDG 5. |
Claim boundary
This study measures an SDG-relevant health outcome and demonstrates completed international data gathering. It is not presented as Lebanon's official measure for a UN global indicator. Its value for Indicator 17.2.3 is the documented international method, dataset, comparison and BAU analytical role.
International measurement validation: BMI and DXA
Testing the accuracy of a common health classification
A second peer-reviewed study, published in June 2025, assessed whether the World Health Organization body-mass-index classification accurately represents adiposity when compared with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. The research team involved the University of Verona, BAU, the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia and associated clinical institutions. BAU researcher Leila Itani is credited with methodology and formal analysis, in addition to writing the original draft.
The study analysed 1,351 adults aged 18–98 years in Northern Italy. Researchers compared BMI categories with body-fat classification derived from DXA and quantified agreement and misclassification. More than one-third of participants were misclassified by BMI. This is international collaboration on measurement quality: the project tests whether a widely used metric accurately identifies the condition it is intended to represent.
The study is relevant to SDG 3 because reliable measurement affects obesity surveillance, risk identification and clinical or public-health decisions. It also illustrates BAU's contribution to international methodological work, not merely access to a foreign dataset. BAU's role is explicitly recorded in the publication's contributor statement.
Original evidence Original peer-reviewed BMI–DXA study | Publisher record | 29 June 2025
Original evidence Permanent open-access copy in PubMed Central | US National Library of Medicine | 2025
Original evidence BAU Faculty of Health Sciences publication record | Official university record | 2024–2025
Original evidence BAU news on the international BMI research | Official university record | 2026
Thesis - Faculty of Health Sciences
BMI paper
Dr. Leila Itani from Beirut Arab University participated in an international scientific study examining the limitations of relying on Body Mass Index (BMI) as a tool for assessing obesity. This study was conducted as part of an international research collaboration led by Dr. Marwan Al-Ghoch from the University of Modena in Italy, with the participation of a distinguished group of researchers specializing in nutrition and public health.
The study revealed that relying on BMI as a sole measure for evaluating obesity may lead to the misclassification of at least one-third of the population. This raises important concerns about its validity and accuracy as a standalone indicator for estimating obesity and its associated health risks.
The study received wide scientific and media attention, being covered by several leading international media outlets, including The Independent, Daily Mail, Sky News, La Repubblica, Medscape, and Daily Mirror, in addition to Al Arabiya, along with more than 70 other media organizations.
The study findings are scheduled to be officially presented at the European Congress on Obesity (ECO 2026), which will be held in Istanbul, Republic of Turkey, from May 12 to May 15, 2026, under the auspices of the European Association for the Study of Obesity (EASO). This conference is considered one of the leading international scientific events in this field.
Measurement feature | Evidence | Significance |
|---|---|---|
Reference comparison | BMI classification was compared with body-fat status measured by DXA | Tests validity rather than assuming accuracy |
Sample | 1,351 adults aged 18–98 years | Provides a substantial adult dataset |
Analytical output | Agreement and misclassification were quantified | Identifies measurement error affecting surveillance |
BAU role | Methodology and formal analysis | Confirms substantive participation in measurement design and interpretation |
International structure | BAU collaborated with Italian academic and clinical institutions | Demonstrates cross-border expertise and data analysis |
How the evidence operates as one institutional system
The evidence forms a coherent chain rather than a collection of unrelated activities. The AITRS agreement develops regional statistical capacity. BAU's IAU cluster role turns institutional research information into internationally shared SDG reporting. Cross-national studies demonstrate that BAU researchers apply common instruments, reference standards and analytical methods to real datasets. Together, these activities cover capacity, collection, classification, analysis, comparison, reporting and dissemination.
Stage | BAU mechanism | Verified output |
|---|---|---|
Build capacity | AITRS partnership | Regional framework for statistical training, research and expertise exchange |
Define and classify | SDG-tagged publication and thesis processes | Research linked to SDGs, targets and relevant indicators |
Gather | Italy–Lebanon athlete project | Common survey data collected across two countries |
Measure and test | BMI–DXA research | Quantified agreement and classification error |
Aggregate and report | IAU SDG 9 activity reports | Institutional SDG 9 research proportions and faculty contribution |
Disseminate internationally | IAU platform and peer-reviewed open-access journals | Reports, methods and findings available to global audiences |
SDG coverage
SDG | Contribution demonstrated |
|---|---|
SDG 3 — Good Health and Well-being | Cross-national measurement of disordered-eating risk and validation of obesity classification methods |
SDG 4 — Quality Education | Statistical training, workshops, postgraduate research alignment and research-capacity development |
SDG 5 — Gender Equality | Sex-disaggregated analysis in the athlete-health study |
SDG 9 — Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure | BAU's institutional leadership, research mapping and quantitative reporting through the IAU cluster |
SDG 17 — Partnerships for the Goals | International institutional agreements, global university-network participation and shared research methods |
Participation across the University
The activities operate at several institutional levels. University leadership formalises statistical cooperation through the AITRS memorandum. The Faculty of Engineering leads BAU's SDG 9 cluster activity and contributes the largest reported share of SDG 9 research. The Faculty of Health Sciences supplies methodological and analytical expertise to international studies. Researchers and postgraduate students add SDG metadata to publications and theses. This breadth supports treatment of the evidence as University-level participation rather than a single isolated project.