Issue 65: January 2017

Message from the Global RCE Service Centre:   Dear Colleagues and Friends, Outcomes of the 10th Global RCE Conference For the 10th time we conclude our global meeting, feeling exhausted and exhilarated at the same time. The logistics of this meeting have been an incredible task to accomplish in the short time given by the RCE Service Centre team in Tokyo. At the same time, it has been, as every year, a wonderful experience to meet again and discuss upcoming initiatives and ideas The meeting was geared toward the 17 SDGs with a more outcome and impact oriented approach, which we are hoping to maintain for the coming events (regional and global). The Conference Proceedings have now been uploaded online. Here you will find presentations, conclusions, photos, minutes and much more consolidated in one place. Read more More photos have been uploaded on facebook Eight New RCEs Join the Network During the 10th Global RCE Conference We are delighted to announce the new RCEs that have joined our network as of November 2016. Please join us in welcoming eight new RCEs from across all regions bringing the total number of RCEs up to 154. 1. RCE Jammu, India 2. RCE Bordeaux Aquitaine, France 3. RCE Peterborough-Kawarthas, Canada 4. RCE Borderlands Mexico-USA, Mexico 5. RCE Georgetown, USA 6. RCE North Rift, Kenya 7. RCE Gauteng, South Africa 8. RCE Zaria, Nigeria Find the Press Release by RCE Peterborough-Kawarthas, Canada here We kindly remind all new members to provide us with a profile and an image for the RCE portal. You can find examples of profiles here RCE Award Winners 2016 for Innovative Projects in ESD Announced The RCE Service Centre is pleased to announce the winners of the 2016 RCE Award for Innovative Projects in ESD in the three categories (1) Outstanding Flagship Project, (2) Acknowledged Flagship Project, and (3) Honourable Mention. RCEs were publicly honoured during the 10th Global RCE Conference, in Yogyakarta. RCE Srinagar received the Outstanding Category for their project on “Climate smart and disaster resilient communities in the Indian Himalayan region”, a project that was particularly honored for its contributions to the community in Disaster Risk Reduction. Read more RCE Applications 2017 The 12th Ubuntu Committee of Peers for the RCEs will then make the final decision on RCEs being acknowledged probably in November. By end of the year, RCE Candidates will then be notified of their status. 154 RCEs have been acknowledged globally as of November 2016. Organisations that are interested in initiating the RCE process and applying to become an RCE are requested to submit an application (Guidelines for RCE applications) and an Application Summary by Tuesday, 28 April 2017 to the Global RCE Service Centre. Feedback will be provided by mid-June. Thereafter, candidates can re-submit their revised final draft by 8 September 2017. UNU-IAS does not require a specific format to be followed for the main application document, as long as all required information is provided. You also can refer sample applications of acknowledged RCE Greater Portland and RCE Bordeaux. Applications and application summaries should be sent to the Global RCE Service Centre at RCE Service Centre Spread the word! Open Call Regional Conferences 2017 - REMINDER We would like to invite RCE members from all regions to submit self-nominations to host the upcoming Regional Conferences for 2017. Any RCEs that have expressed interest in hosting at previous regional meetings are eagerly encouraged to apply. RCEs can apply by sending an official letter to the RCE Service Centre by 15 March, 2017. You may host as individual RCEs or work with other RCEs. The application letter should include: Proposed dates Location and capacity of venue Proposed theme Tentative sources of funding Contact person(s) with relevant assigned tasks and/or responsibilities Any events that will be held back to back with the RCE Regional Conference. For more information visit the RCE Portal Sincerely, The Global RCE Service Centre     Upcoming Events   UNESCO MOST School on Sustainability Science 1-3 February 2017, Padang, West Sumatra Researchers, experts, activists, and policymakers from across Indonesia will come together for the MOST School on Sustainability Science, organized by UNESCO Jakarta Office and its partners. The participants will tackle a critical question for Indonesia, as well as for the wider world: how can we use scientific knowledge for more effective policy and action to advance natural and social well-being for all? Read more UNESCO and TERI Organise "ESD Youth Leadership Training" 15-16 February, 2017, New Delhi, India UNESCO and the Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) is organising the event ‘Young ESD Leaders Capacity Building Training Workshop’. The programme is designed for Youth (18-35 years old) who are active leaders in sustainable development in their communities and regions. The objectives are to empower youth leaders to inspire and mobilize others to take action in sustainable development and to build a youth-led ESD network. Read more Japanese RCEs meeting 22 February, 2017, Chubu, Japan Seven RCEs from across Japan will meet on 22 February, 2017 to report back on their activities in 2016 and to strategize how they can contribute to the international policy platform on ESD such as GAP and the SDGs. The meeting will be also attended by a representative from the Ministry of Environment Japan. Outcomes will be shared soon. International Symposium for the Establishment of Sustainable Campuses 27 February, 2017, Kyoto, Japan The International Symposium for the Establishment of Sustainable Campuses: “A Firm Pivot and a Broad Expanse of Consciousness and Action Can Advance Campus Sustainability: Developing Wisdom from All Ages and Cultures Like Unfolding a Fan” is organized by the Agency for Health, Safety and Environment, and Kyoto University. Read more Global Festival of Ideas for Sustainable Development 1-3 March, 2017, Bonn, Germany The Global Festival of Ideas is the first in a series of annual forums, hosted by the UN SDG Action Campaign and supported by the Federal Government of Germany. The Festival brings together leading thinkers, policy-makers and civil society, together with gaming experts and policy simulators, to deliver the world’s first playable policy conference. A live simulation game will lie at the heart of the festival, engaging participants in the trade-offs at the heart of SDG implementation. Read more Youth Summit "Harnessing Talent for Wealth Creation and Sustainable Development” 1-3 March, 2017, MMUST Main Campus, Kakamega, Kenya RCE Kakamega Western is organizing this Summit to bring together young people, sensitize and enhance their talents and skills for independent and meaningful co-existence in our current knowledge-based economies. The issue of youth unemployment challenges all leaders and especially educators in Kenya, as the skills and talents of these youth could contribute substantially to the Vision 2030 for Kenya and the fulfilment of the SDGs. Read more UNESCO Week for Peace and Sustainable Development: The Role of Education 6-10 March 2017, Ottawa, Canada UNESCO and the Canadian Commission for UNESCO are jointly organizing this event, which presents a unique platform for discussion on two key programmes of UNESCO’s Education Sector (ESD and Global Citizenship Education). The Week will focus on the issue of teachers and teacher training, and highlight best practices in the field of ESD and GCED. Although the deadline for call submissions has passed and participation is by invitation only, this event and its outcomes are relevant to the RCE Community. Read more Ethics Teachers’ Training Course 24-28 April 2017, Surabaya, Indonesia The Ethics Teachers’ Training Course (ETTC) will be delivered jointly by UNESCO Jakarta and the Airlangga University to advance quality ethics education by building professional capacities of ethics teachers in the country and the wider region. The deadline is 31 January 2017. Read more World Symposium on Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation Strategies to Costal Communities 5-7 July 2017, Apia, Samoa The International Climate Change Information Programme (ICCIP) is calling for papers for this event. The deadline for the submission of abstracts is on 30 January 2017. Read more International Conference on Leadership and Management in Higher Education: Challenges, Opportunities and Ways Forward July 27-28, 2017, Ho Chi Minh City The conference is jointly organized by SEAMEO Regional Training Center in Vietnam (SEAMEO RETRAC) and British Columbia Council for International Education (BCCIE). The event will cover issues related to higher education leadership and management. Abstracts can be submitted until May 2, 2017. Read more 9th World Environmental Education Congress (WEEC) 9-15 September, 2017, Vancouver, Canada The title of this year’s WEEC Congress is Culture/Environment: Weaving new connections. The event focuses on the multi-disciplinarity nature of the congress and a developing view that Culture and Environment are inseparable and may even arise from within each other. The deadline for submitting abstracts is 31 March, 2017. Read more For more events visit our ESD calendar. Open Calls   JSPS-UNU Fellowship Programme UNU and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), are looking for several JSPS–UNU Fellows to conduct research in Sustainability (UNU-IAS) and related to the UNU Centre for Policy Research (UNU-CPR). Join the ESD team and work with the RCE Network and ProSPER.Net. Work with an interdisciplinary team on research related to the assessment and implementation of ESD curricula and practices at local, sub-national, national, and global levels Read more RCE Srinagar is looking for a Japanese partner to apply for below grants. Get in touch if you are interested  CEE Himalaya. Read more ProSPER.Net Member Universitas Indonesia Initiates GreenMetric University Ranking The UI GreenMetric World University Ranking is an initiative of ProSPER.Net member Universitas Indonesia which was launched in 2010. The aim is to show the current conditions and policies related to Green Campus and Sustainability in the Universities all over the world. Universities are invited to participate. Read more Apply Now for UNU-IAS 2017 Master’s and Doctoral Programmes UNU-IAS is now accepting applications for September 2017 admission to its MSc in Sustainability, and its PhD in Sustainability Science Programme. The application deadlines are 28 February 2017 for the Master’s degree, and 28 April 2016 for the doctoral degree. Read more EU Call for Applications on Cultural Heritage as a Driver for Sustainable Growth The European Union is seeking applications for its programme entitled “Cultural Heritage as a Driver for Sustainable Growth”. The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of up to a maximum of EUR 10 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Read more Call for nominations for the UNESCO-Japan Prize on ESD 2017 Funded by the Government of Japan, the third edition of UNESCO-Japan Prize on ESD consists of three awards of US $50,000 for each recipient. All ESD stakeholders (regional governments, public / private educational institutions, NGOs, local communities, media) can apply by 2 May, 2017. Read more UNESCO Green Citizens Stories Do you have a project on ESD and want to share it? Stories from around the world cover topics from sustainable fishing in France to recycling education in Egypt and promoting local and indigenous knowledge in Nicaragua. Find out more about UNESCO Green Citizens, and submit your own story  Read more Latest News   From Okayama to Hoa Binh: Promoting ESD through Community Learning Centres On 7 and 8 October 2016, representatives of Community Learning Centres (CLC) in Viet Nam and CLC experts from Cambodia, Japan and Lao People’s Democratic Republic, as well as specialists from UIL, UNESCO Bangkok and Hanoi gathered at the Conference on Promoting ESD through CLCs to share cases of various CLC practices for sustainable development. Read more Welcome to the UN Women Training Centre eLearning Campus The UN Women Training Centre eLearning Campus is a global and innovative online platform for training for gender equality. It is open to everybody interested in using training or learning as a means to advance gender equality, women’s empowerment and women’s rights. Read more ESD Books, Publications and Other   Good Practices on Campus Sustainability in Japan This report on good practices and specific cases of campus sustainability in Japan is an effective tool for building campus sustainability thereby integrating hardware and the soft aspects such as personnel training. The report is available both in English and Japanese. Sustainable Food Systems: The Role of the City The book by Robert Biel offers a genuine solution to today’s global food crisis. By contributing more to feeding themselves, cities can allow breathing space for the rural sector to convert to more organic sustainable approaches. Access the free online version Read more Overseas Development Institute Report: Are Cities on Track to Achieve the SDGs by 2030? This report explores for the first time the scale of the challenge for 20 cities across the world to reach selected targets set out in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Read more   This is a publication of UNU-IAS RCE Global Service Centre. If you wish to contribute to the monthly bulletin or have news, upcoming events, or publications, you would like to share, please use this form. You can mail it to the Global RCE Service Centre: rceservicecentre@unu.edu. Submissions must be made by the 15th of every month. In addition, we encourage you to continue using the RCE Portal to exchange ideas, share expertise and resources and deliberate emerging sustainability issues towards ESD implementation at a global level. Please send your comments, suggestions and materials to rceservicecentre@unu.edu.   To unsubscribe click here.   United Nations University 5–53–70 Jingumae Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-8925 Japan To opt-out of all United Nations University contact system messages: Opt-out