MODEL FOR THE CONTRIBUTION TO SUSTAINABILITY MANAGEMENT IN ECUADORIAN UNIVERSITIES

Sustainability management is of great importance for all institutions, given the need for development with equity, equality, inclusion and eco-efficiency. Higher Education Institutions, as organizations with a marked research and training nature, must be at the forefront of environmental protection, local economic development and social progress. Currently, the methodological instruments developed for the management of university sustainability have limitations in terms of not integrating the dimensions of sustainability and indicators for their measurement. The objective of this article was to develop a model that contributes to the sustainable management of Ecuadorian universities, articulating the Sustainable Development Goals, the regulatory framework and the university strategy for the integration of the environmental, economic and social dimensions in the management of their processes. The fundamental contributions are in the creation of a theoretical model, a general procedure for its implementation and, in the identification of indicators, which allow the monitoring and continuous improvement of sustainability. The application of the proposal at the Technical University of Manabi, evidenced its practical feasibility and the improvement in sustainability management indicators.