Message from the Global RCE Service Centre:

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

ESD Programme Welcomes New Project Director

The Global RCE Service Centre would like to extend a warm welcome to Mr. Hiroaki Takiguchi, the new Project Director for the Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) Programme at UNU-IAS.

Mr. Hiroaki Takiguchi served with the Ministry of the Environment, Government of Japan (MOEJ) for over 20 years, where he served as the Director for Environmental Health and Safety Division from 2017 to 2018, overseeing and providing strategic, policy and technical guidance on hazardous chemicals management. From 2011 to 2014, he worked as a Senior Environmental Specialist at the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Secretariat in Washington DC, where he worked on the focal area of sustainable transport for climate change mitigation as well as that of hazardous chemicals management. He is a Japanese national with a Doctor of Engineering from the University of Tokyo.

We would also like to take this opportunity to thank the outgoing Project Director Mr. Naoya Tsukamoto for his leadership and substantial contribution to the ESD Programme and the RCE network over the past two years.

New-look RCE Profiles

We are pleased to unveil new-look RCE profiles which are now live on the RCE Portal! Profiles will now contain complete RCE information in one place: Overview; Activities; Projects; Communication Channels; and Contact Details. Take a look at some examples of the new layout by visiting the profiles of RCE Greater Burlington, RCE Greater Yenagoa, RCE Greater Eastern Uganda, RCE Severn, RCE Greater Shangri-la, and RCE Tongyeong.

Please take a look at the profile page for your RCE from the list of RCEs Worldwide. Existing information from currently completed profiles has been transferred to the new layout, however if you wish to update any information, add new content (including photos and logos), or create a new profile if your RCE does not currently have one, please complete the RCE Profile form and send it through to the RCE Service Centre at RCEServiceCentre@unu.edu.

Registration Deadlines: Asia-Pacific and Americas Regional Meetings 2018

Don't miss out on the upcoming Asia-Pacific and Americas Regional Meetings! Below is a reminder of the registration deadlines.

The deadline to register for the 11th Asia-Pacific Regional Meeting is 11:59pm, Friday 10 August, 2018 (AEST). Further details and required forms for submission can be found here.

The deadline to register for the 7th Americas Regional Meeting is 11:59pm, Monday 3 September, 2018 (ART). Further details and required forms for submission can be found here.

Sincerely,

The Global RCE Service Centre

Open Calls

What Happens to Your Waste?

The International Solid Waste Association Young Professionals Group (ISWA YPG) is running a global campaign #WhatHappensToMyWaste to raise awareness about how waste is dealt with around the world and how to prevent waste at source. A survey is being conducted to collect information on waste education initiatives and waste facilities worldwide, of which the data will be used to conduct a gap analysis to provide key insights on waste/resource education globally in the form of a report. Here's your chance to participate and contribute! Complete the survey hereby 31 August, 2018.

Schools, recycling companies, NGOs, and other 'waste educators' taking the survey are also eligible to apply for the ISWA YPG Education Award, designed to recognise excellent Waste Education concepts, materials, projects and lessons. Further details about the award can be found here.

2018 Asia-Pacific Leadership Programme on Environment for Sustainable Development

Co-hosted by the United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment) and Tongji University, the Asia-Pacific Leadership Programme on Environment for Sustainable Development is an annual programme for emerging leaders in the region that aims to build capacity on holistic sustainability thinking and evidence-based approaches for effective action. This year's programme will be held 17-21 September, 2018 at Tongji University, Shanghai, China under the theme 'Resource Efficiency and Sustainable Development'. For more information about the programme including the application process and selection criteria, visit the website here. The deadline for applications is 10 August, 2018.

Survey: Carbon Management at Universities

A research team from the Inter-University Sustainable Development Research Programme(IUSDRP) is inviting participants to partake in a survey to contribute to an international study on carbon management practices at higher education institutions. The study will carry out a comparative analysis of universities' experiences of implementing carbon management. The research findings will be presented through a global webinar, which will be hosted by the Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges (EAUC), UK, with the study and its results to be published in a major academic journal. Interested participants are asked to complete the survey here by 29 July, 2018.

2018 AASHE Conference & Expo

Registrations are still open for the 2018 AASHE Conference & Expo, to be held 2-5 October, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. Under the theme of 'Global Goals: Rising to the Challenge', the event will examine the critical role of higher education in achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Further details can be found here.

Latest News

RCE Severn Celebrates University-community Collaborative Projects

Four RCE Severn projects were selected for funding through the University of Gloucestershire's professional support programme, Learning Innovation for Tomorrow (LIFT) for 2018. One project involving Events Management students developed a pop-up event on the UN Global Goals at the high-profile Cheltenham Jazz Festival. Through interactive pop-ups, students developed activities focused on seven of the SDGs, including arts and crafts, planting, and an immersive ocean plastics experience. Read more

1st Europe-Africa-Asia RCE Youth Virtual Conference

Held at the end of April, the Global RCE Youth Network in collaboration with RCE Kano, RCE London, and RCE Penang, in partnership with the Centre for Global Sustainability Studies, Universiti Sains Malaysia brought together European, African and Asian RCEs virtually for the 1st Europe-Africa-Asia RCE Youth Virtual Conference.

The theme of the conference was 'South-North Migration Adversity and ESD's Role', enabling discussions to take place on how to address the challenges of youth unemployment, climate change, TVET, entrepreneurship and political situations that trigger mass migration across continents. Discussion exposed the negative impacts of mass migration to nations affected in Africa, Europe and Asia, the opportunities yet untapped in Africa and Asia, and the problems associated with entering Europe illegally.

The virtual conference was able to use ESD as an instrument of change and sensitised participants on the hazards, vulnerability and risks associated when there is a lack of managing unemployment, illegal migration and the opportunities yet untapped. The conference also created synergy in dealing with common sustainability problems between Africa, Asia and Europe.

RCE Kano and Partners Call for Transformative Collaboration to Tackle Environmental Challenges in Northern Nigeria

RCE Kano, in collaboration with Zamfara Environmental Network (ZEN) and the Centre for Renewable Energy and Action on Climate Change organised a one-day conference with a view to proposing solutions for the environmental and security challenges affecting northern Nigeria.

In recent years, northern Nigeria (especially parts of the North West and North East) has witnessed numerous chaos and conflicts between herders and farmers due to environmental degradation. On the occasion of World Environment Day 2018, this conference invited stakeholders to discuss solutions to the conflicts, including the need for security agencies to play more of a pivotal role to protect northern Nigeria's small forests and its wildlife. Read the full communique here.

Advancing Education for Sustainable Development Goals through Regional Centres of Expertise (RCE)

Featured in Triple Pundit, this article written by Meghna Tare, part of RCE candidate North Texas, provides an overview of ESD and the RCE network. Read it here.

ESD Books, Publications and Other

Policy Brief: Regional Education for Sustainable Development Networks – Advancing ESD Policy

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.