Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Targets 1.2 and 1.4

The HUG enable everyone to have access to essential healthcare services regardless of age, origin, status, insurance coverage, financial or social situation.

Targets 2.1 and 2.2

Ensuring food security, improving nutrition and promoting sustainable agriculture are important issues for the HUG.

Every year the HUG prepare several million healthy, nutritious and balanced meals for patients and staff. The catering service prefers to use products from local and seasonal agriculture.

Targets 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 3.7, 3.8, 3.A, 3.B and 3.C

Through their mission of care provision to the community and their commitment to health promotion, the HUG contribute to a healthy life for everyone.

The HUG are also attentive to the well-being of their staff, particularly in times of pandemic.

Targets 4.3, 4.4, 4.5, 4.6, 4.7 and 4.C

In collaboration with the University of Geneva and the Universities of Applied Sciences, the HUG contribute to the quality of education and training of doctors and health professionals.

Internships, apprenticeships, in-house vocational training courses and further training are also offered in the medical-technical, logistical, technical or administrative fields.

Targets 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5 and 5.6

The HUG has obtained the "Equal salary" certification which certifies that there is no difference in salary between women and men within the institution for equivalent positions.

Aware that there is still progress to be made in promoting gender equality, the HUG have launched a dedicated program.

Targets 6.3, 6.4 and 6.8

The HUG place great emphasis on monitoring their water consumption.The water consumption of the HUG remained relatively constant while the Maison de l’enfance et de l’adolescence and the extension of adult emergencies were put into operation in 2023. The wastewater generated is collected and treated in the canton's purification plants.

Targets 7.2 and 7.3

For more than a decade the electricity consumed by the HUG has been 100% Swiss and 100% renewable. As of 2019, 40% of the electricity has been "Naturemade Star certified" and comes from solar panels or local ecological hydropower plants.

Targets 8.2, 8.5, 8.6, 8.8 and 8.2

The HUG are among the largest employers in the canton of Geneva and contribute to its economic prosperity. The HUG have been labelled 1+ for all since 2014 thanks to their commitment to the recruitment of unemployed persons.

The HUG are also committed to giving opportunities to young people entering the job market and to people returning to the workplace.

Targets 9.1, 9.4 and 9.5

Research activities are an integral part of the mission of the HUG and are carried out in close collaboration with the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Geneva and the universities of applied sciences.

In 2009 the HUG set up an innovation office and its activities were extended in 2017 with the creation of an Innovation Center. This is a unique platform for exchange. It gathers, develops and implements the best ideas of the staff, with the aim of improving and developing the hospital.

Targets 10.2 and 10.3

The HUG guarantees equal opportunities and considers the diversity of profiles, origins and generations within the teams as an asset for the institution.

They have been involved in humanitarian and international cooperation partnerships for more than 40 years and contribute, for example, to the further education and training of healthcare personnel.

Targets 11.2, 11.3, 11.4, 11.6, 11.7 and 11.8

The mission of the HUG is to provide medical care to the whole community.

The HUG are attentive to reducing the environmental impact of travel related to their activities. In 2008 they adopted a mobility plan for the HUG teams and encourage patients and their relatives who are able to do so to prioritize sustainable mobility when attending the hospital.

Targets 12.1, 12.2, 12.3, 12.4, 12.5, 12.6, 12.7, 12.8 and 12.A

The HUG and their suppliers are committed to responsible and sustainable production and supply chains. The institution also encourages users to reduce their waste, to promote recycling, reuse and sharing of objects and equipment.

Targets 13.1, 13.2 and 13.3

The HUG have quantified their greenhouse gas emissions and are committed to reducing them by taking specific actions. Measures aimed at combating global warming and its repercussions on health have also been introduced.

SDG 14 is concerned with pollution and overexploitation of the oceans. The HUG have a limited impact on this SDG.

However, the HUG are careful to purchase fish from sustainable fisheries (90% of purchases).

Targets 15.1, 15.2, 15.3, 15.5, 15.8 and 15.9

Attentive to the preservation of terrestrial ecosystems, the HUG manage their 24 hectares of green spaces with respect for the environment and biodiversity.

Targets 16.1, 16.2, 16.5, 16.6 and 16.7

Through regular dialogue with their stakeholders and key players in the sustainability network, the HUG wishes to collaborate with as many people as possible in order to face tomorrow's challenges together and be a responsible and efficient institution.

Targets 17.3, 17.6, 17.16 and 17.17

The HUG has six WHO collaborating cEnters in the following disciplines : 

• Therapeutic education for chronic diseases 
• Humanitarian medicine and disaster management
• Research and training in mental health 
• Telemedicine and e-health
• Control and prevention of infection and antimicrobial resistance 
• Pandemic and epidemic diseases

At the local and regional levels, there are numerous collaborations and partnerships with, among others, home care services, private clinics, the canton of Vaud, neighboring France and the cantonal office of health of the Canton of Geneva. The HUG are members of the International Hospital Federation (IHF) and signatories of the agreement on the launch in 2022 of the Geneva Centre of Healthcare Leadership for Sustainability.