The Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) Issues Call to Reimagine Business Education for a Sustainable Future

[New York, NY - September 26, 2025] – As the world faces climate change, economic instability, and technological disruption, the Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) will use the stage of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to call on business schools to prepare leaders who will put people and planet on equal footing with profit.

According to a Gallup survey, while 96% of Chief Academic Officers believe they are preparing students for the workforce, only 41% of college students and 11% of business leaders agree. With roughly 70 million business and management students graduating each year globally – the largest field in higher education – it is imperative that institutions rethink their roles in society and embed responsible management as a core business competency.

“The mounting challenges of today’s world require leaders who are not only profitable, but who make the idea of responsible leadership a global standard,” said Omid Aschari, Senior Advisor to PRME and Professor of Strategic Management at the University of St. Gallen. “By integrating ethics, sustainability and community impact into the core of business education curricula, we can ensure that tomorrow’s business leaders are prepared not just to adapt to change, but to drive it for the better.”

During UNGA’s Climate Week, PRME will kick off a year-long campaign, “Shape the Students who Shape the World,” a global effort to accelerate the integration of responsible leadership into the core of business and management education. The campaign will spotlight real-world examples of responsible leadership in action - from student-led sustainability initiatives to business schools reimagining their curricula - and will also elevate the voices of students, educators, and business leaders worldwide on the urgency of RME.

PRME will host a high-level launch event on September 26, bringing together top business school deans, student changemakers, UN officials, and industry leaders focused on transforming business.

The event will debut PRME’s new short film and three RME toolkits - which detail actionable steps designed for students, faculty, and institutional leaders to champion responsible management education (RME) within their schools and beyond. Additionally, Marco Marchesi, Board Member of FyrstGen, will be announcing their commitment to bringing sustainable innovation out of business education and into the private sector through a collaboration with PRME over the next year, demonstrating how business leaders are investing in a sustainable future.

"In collaboration with the United Nations [PRME initiative], FyrstGen unlocks dormant innovations and transforms them into scalable companies—accelerating SDG progress and proving that leadership means democratizing entrepreneurship to build a fairer, more sustainable global economy,” says Philipp Assmus, CEO of FyrstGen.

To further support future business leaders, PRME is sponsoring 7 of its 10 Student Regional Leaders from around the world to attend UNGA, serve as panelists, and connect with business leaders. These exceptional students will be traveling from countries including Canada, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Niger, Saudi Arabia, Sweden and Venezuela.

“Attending UNGA with PRME has been truly inspiring. Being in the same room with top political leaders from around the world underscores the importance of multinational collaboration and diplomacy, and motivates me to play an active role in shaping a more sustainable and just future,” shared Magdalena Zaczek, student at Stockholm School of Economics, and PRME Students Regional Leader representing Europe.

Following UNGA, PRME will drive the movement forward through global storytelling, partner-led events, and digital outreach to ensure RME is not a trend but a strategic imperative to develop leaders who act with purpose, values, and long-term impact.

For more information on PRME, please visit https://www.unprme.org/.

About PRME
The Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) is an initiative of the United Nations Global Compact founded in 2007 that aims to raise the profile of sustainability in their classrooms through Seven Principles focused on serving society and safeguarding our planet. As a voluntary initiative with over 800 signatories worldwide, PRME has become the largest organized relationship between the United Nations and management-related higher education institutions. The United Nations Global Compact is a voluntary initiative based on CEO commitments to implement universal sustainability principles and to take steps to support UN goals.