2011 News Archive

International Mountain Day 2011
 
RCE Srinigar celebrated International Mountain Day (IMD) on 15 December with a day-long programme attended by students, NGO representatives, local government officials and Centre for Environment Education staff members. It was the first such programme organized by RCE Srinagar since its establishment earlier this year. Participants discussed local issues pertaining to this year’s theme ‘Mountains Forests’, including the illegal felling of trees leading to a decline in flora and fauna, changes in land use systems, threats to endangered species such as the Snow Leopard and Himalayan Ibex, the near-extinction of medicinal plants like Saussarrea and Berberis, livelihood insecurity arising due to decline in forest cover and the role of forests in minimizing natural disasters. The highly interactive and informative programme ended with the participants’ resolve to work towards a sustainable future for the mountains.
(posted 29 Dec)
 

Youth and the Voice of a Sustainable Future in Education

RCE Saskatchewan co-coordinator Lyle Benko recently spoke at the University of Regina on the voice of youth in building a sustainable future in education. Download his presentation by clicking here. To find out more about RCE Saskatchewan visit here
(posted 27 Dec)
 
 

RCE Yogyakarta Empowers Youth in Rural Indonesian Villages Research Associate Aurea Christine Tanaka writes about her experiences visiting the Regional Centre of Expertise in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The challenges there are diverse — ranging from environmental degradation and pollution to economic gaps and poverty, disaster risks and management, among others. Read about the ways in which RCE Yogyakarta is tackling those issues by clicking here
(posted 26 Dec)
 
 
RCE Yogyakarta promotes ESD implementation into higher education curricula
 
As a part of RCE Yogyakarta’s mission to promote sustainable development through formal, non-formal and informal education, RCE Yogyakarta conducted a workshop on the implementation ESD into curricula. The workshop, held in late November, was designed to explore ideas and methods on how to integrate the concept of community-based sustainable development into university subjects or courses, as a part of an accelerated process of implementing ESD into society. 
Seventeen proposals from nine faculties were received and reviewed by RCE Yogyakarta experts. The topics of proposals were varied such as on biodiversity, conservation and forest management, community based-herbal plantation, sustainable laboratory practice, house waste management, children's dental health, coastal plantation using natural ameliorant, green philosophy implementation on basic philosophy courses, environmental etiquettes, adaptation and mitigation on climate change, green village, sustainable housing management, ESD based bioscience program, botanical garden, herbal plantation, research for community. The proposals were presented and discussed and the five best proposals were chosen to be implemented in 2012. 
 
The workshop was attended by the representative of faculties from Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM). The program helped increase the number of academic staff involved in promoting and implementing ESD and will be used as a basis for implementation in national higher education.For more information, contact: Prof. Dr. Retno Sunarminingsihwrsp3m@ugm.ac.id or Puji Astuti p.astuti@gmail.com.

(posted 14 Dec)

IV International Wildlife Management Congress

9-12 July 2012 in Durban, South Africa
The Wildlife Society and its partners invite you to the IV International Wildlife Management Congress in Durban, South Africa, 9-12 July 2012. The theme of the Congress is Cooperative Wildlife Management across Borders: Learning in the Face of Change. It will be the first time the Congress is held in Africa and South Africa will be a particularly ideal venue due to the numerous examples there of exemplary practice in wildlife management. Wildlife management worldwide faces complex challenges including depleted resources, competition for habitats used by wildlife, poaching, changing habitats, and an increasing human population. The goals of the IV IWMC are to provide increased capacity for participants to integrate global needs into their work, continue to develop and expand global networks, experience wildlife management in Southern Africa, raise awareness for wildlife management legacy programs, and raise the profile of wildlife management globally.The Wildlife Society and its partners hope to attract over 1,000 delegates from around the globe to attend. Abstract submission has already opened for the conference. To find out more information, check out the International Wildlife Management Congress page at (www.iwmc2012.org).
(posted 14 Dec)

 

New publication: Higher Education in the World 4

A new publication “Higher Education in the World 4. Higher Education’s Commitment to Sustainability: from Understanding to Action” from the Global University Network for Innovation (GUNi) and published by Palgrave Macmillan is now available. The report analyzes the link between sustainability and higher education, showing a map of how various regions are working on the issue. The publication also includes a study to identify the main barriers that prevent the transformation of higher education institutions towards contributing to the sustainability paradigm and highlights possible solutions. Read an excerpt of the reporthere or download the full document here: http://www.palgrave.com/products/title.aspx?pid=280841.
(posted 9 Dec)

 

UNU-IAS Programme Director & Senior Fellow featured in Huffington Post, Our World 2.0 and more

UNU-IAS Programme Director and Senior Fellow, Kazuhiko Takemoto, is featured in the Huffington Post, Our World 2.0 and on the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs websites. Read the features by clicking here.
(posted 7 Dec)
 
Latest ProSPER.Net News!
The latest issue of the ProSPER.Net newsletter is out now. The newsletter features highlights from the ProSPER Network from throughout the year, a feature article on information and communication technologies in Lao PDR, and interviews with some of the brightest young scientists of our time. Read more here.
(posted 2 Dec)

 

International Seminar on Sustainable Health and Traditional Knowledge: an Asian Perspective

7 December 2011 in Yokohama, Japan
In contribution to progress on Education for Sustainable Development, Yokohama National University will organize the International Seminar on “Sustainable Health and Traditional Knowledge: an Asian perspective” with three Regional Centres of Expertise on ESD located in Asia, namely, RCE Penang (Malaysia), RCE Cebu (Philippines) and RCE Yokohama (Japan). During the Seminar, scholars from the three RCEs will discuss the importance of traditional knowledge in sustainable health and the role of higher education based on the experiences in Asia. Download the program here.
(posted 2 Dec)
 
6th Global RCE Conference presentations are now Available Online
21-23 November 2011 in Kerkrade, the Netherlands
Presentations and background papers from the 6th Global RCE Conference held in Kerkrade, the Netherlands are now available online. To access them, please click here.
(posted 28 November)

 

International Conference Highlights the Fundamental Role of Education to Achieve Sustainable Development

21-23 November 2011
(November 21, 2011 – Kerkrade, Netherlands) Leading education and environment experts gathered today in the Netherlands to highlight the fundamental role that education plays in achieving a sustainable future worldwide. The discussion took place at the 6th Global Conference of Regional Centres of Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development, which kicked off today in Kerkrade, the Netherlands. The conference is one of the few international events focused on the need to provide people with more information and higher quality education on sustainability issues, in order to help them create positive social and environmental change in their communities. Read more...
(posted 21 November)

 

RCE Delhi hosts Youth Unite for Voluntary Action (YUVA) Meet 2012

30-31 January 2012 in New Delhi, India
Keeping in line with the commitment to create an informed future citizenry,RCE Delhi is organizing YUVA Meet 2012 from 30-31 January next year. YUVA, which stands for ‘Youth Unite for Voluntary Action’ is a special event of the Delhi Sustainable Development Summit (DSDS) 2012. The objective of the meet is to enable youth to voice their opinion on larger issues of Sustainable Development and Climate Change. Next year’s theme is ‘Conserving Global Commons: Transforming Knowledge into Action’.The organizers are pleased to invite students and institutions across various RCEs to participate in the YUVA Meet 2012. For more details about the meet and registration process, please download the Application Form and the International Registration Form or visit their website at http://youthconnect.climateofconcern.org/
The final date for registration is 30 November 2011
(posted 16 November)

 

From Devastation to Recovery in Earthquake Hit Kashmir: Linking Relief and Rehabilitation to Development

16-17 November 2011
October 8 2011 marked the six year anniversary of the devastating earthquake in the Kashmir Valley. Reconstruction is now nearing its end and the rehabilitation efforts are well on their way.The Centre for Environment Education (CEE) Himalaya has been a part of the rehabilitation process since 2005, through its integrated earthquake response programme ‘Rebuilding Trust’. Implemented in 5 districts in Kashmir valley this programme focused on restoring education and introducing disaster risk reduction strategies in schools.Beginning Wednesday 16 November, CEE and its partner Welthungerhilfe will host a workshop to discuss the links between various initiatives undertaken through the Rebuilding Trust programme with state initiatives. For more information and contact details, click here:
(posted 15 November)

 

Tongyeong wins Gold at UNEP LivCom Awards 2011

Tongyeong won first prize in the Whole City Awards Category of the 2011 LivCom Awards, held in Songpa-gu, Korea. The judges recognized Tongyeong’s efforts to build a sustainable city, including its education initiative as a Regional Centre of Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development. More than 300 cities applied for this year’s award, with 77 cities reaching the finals. It is first time that a Korean city has won a Gold award. 
The LivCom Awards were launched in 1997 and are endorsed by the United Nations Environment Programme, (UNEP), with which it shares a Memorandum of Understanding. The LivCom Awards is the World’s only awards competition focusing on International Best Practice regarding the management of the local environment. The objective of LivCom is to develop and share International Best Practice, with the further objective of improving the quality of life of individual citizens through the creation of ‘liveable communities.’ To read more about the RCE in Tongyeong, click hereor check out their Facebook page.
(posted 10 November)
 
New Resource: Guidebook on Climate Change and Lifestyles
UNESCO/UNEP YouthXchange guidebook on climate change and lifestyles is the first in a series of thematic guidebooks supporting the YouthXchange Initiative. The thematic guidebooks take into account challenges, opportunities, good practices and case studies on global challenges. This new guidebook explores the links between climate change and lifestyles and helps young people consider the actions they might take towards more sustainable lifestyles. Aimed at young people (15-24 year olds) and people working with young people such as educators, teachers, trainers and youth leaders in both developed and developing countries, this guidebook provides scientific, political, economic, social, ethical and cultural perspectives on climate change.  The Guidebook (4.3 Mb) and a short promotional leaflet (1.9 Mb) are now downloadable. 
(posted 9 November)
 
New Resource: Ethical Finance Game
Ethica -The Ethical Finance Game is an educational board and role-play game. It lets players assume the roles of bank customers, investment bankers or co-operative business entrepreneurs with money to save, invest and loan. It explores how well their ethical intentions stand up in the world of international finance. Players visit different banks where they can choose a share investment, cooperative investment or a savings account. Each investment gives the player either a positive or negative financial (Profit), social (People) and environmental (Planet) score. Ethica is designed for between 6 and 27 15+ year old students in schools, colleges and universities as well as youth groups. A promotional leaflet (1.5 Mb), as well as the game components (7 files) are freely downloadable, although the game can also be purchased. The Ethica social networking site also includes teaching ideas, further resources and case studies, video links, teaching plans and follow-up.
(posted 9 November)

 

4th Online Climate Conference deals with Climate Change and Disasters Management

7-12 November 2011
You can now take part in “Climate 2011” the fourth online Climate Conference, which is taking place this week. The Conference topic is "Climate Change and Disasters Management". A set of scientific papers and chats around this important issue will be available online from the 7th to 12th November 2011. Participation in the online event is free of charge and offers a unique opportunity to gain valuable insights into a matter of great concern to both industrialised and developing nations.The Conference is organised by the International Climate Change Information Programme (ICCIP -http://www.iccip.net) in cooperation with key agencies such as UNEP, UNESCO, WMO, GIZ, IDRC, ICIMOD, UNITAR among others.
Take part at the event by clicking http://www.climate2011.net
(posted 9 November)

 

New Book: World Trends in Education for Sustainable Development

Edited by Walter Leal Filho, Peter Lang Scientific Publishers
The latest volume of the world’s longest running book series on Environmental Education, Communication and Sustainability is now out. The book is an attempt to foster the cause of education for sustainable development, by documenting and disseminating experiences from different parts of the world, where learning for, about and through the principles of sustainability is taking place, in various sets and contexts, in both industrialized and developing nations. A special feature of this book is that it not only presents a wide range of philosophies, approaches, methods and analyses with respect to education for sustainable development across the world, but also documents and disseminates concrete case studies, which show how education for sustainable development may be realized in practice.The table of contents and the first chapter on applied sustainable development can be found at this link:here
(posted 8 November)
 
The UNU-IAS Regional Centres of Expertise (RCE) Network and RCE Penang are organizing a five-day workshop and international conference on traditional medicine, in partnership with the Foundation for Revitalization of Local Health Traditions, Bangalore and UNDP-Equator Initiative.The event will kick off with a three day workshop that will address the role of traditional medicine in sustainable healthcare systems. More than 30 traditional health practitioners are expected to be in attendance, from all across Asia and Africa. The workshop, which takes place 26-28 November 2011 in Penang, Malaysia will build the capacity of health practitioners and RCEs in the field of traditional knowledge.Following the workshop, a two-day international conference is expected to draw roughly 200 participants, including academics, researchers, NGO representatives and policy makers, as well as health practitioners. Participants will discuss various themes of traditional medicine in plenary and parallel sessions. For more information visit:http://www.amdi.usm.edu.my/contramed/AbouttheConference.aspx or contactSalfarina Abdul Gapor orUnnikrishnan Payyappalli
(posted 8 November)
 
Check out RCE Tongyeong in South Korea on Facebook!
One of the most vibrant Regional Centres of Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development has just joined Facebook. When you visit the RCE Tongyeong Facebook page you’ll meet a variety of people in the region who are working on sustainability issues. You can post comments, ask questions or just follow the discussion taking place online. RCE Tongyeong was officially launched in March 2006 in a public ceremony organized by Yonsei University, Gyeongsang University and Tongyeong City, with the support of the Presidential Commission on Sustainable Development of Korea, the Korean National Commission for UNESCO, and UNU. Visit their Facebook page and find out more here:https://www.facebook.com/tyrce
(posted 3 November)

 

Workshop on University Appraisal and Assessment for Sustainable Development
24 November 2011 in Kerkrade, the Netherlands
The seminar "University Appraisal and Assessment for Sustainable Development" jointly co-organised by the COPERNICUS Alliance European Network on Higher Education for Sustainable Development and the United Nations University Institute of Advanced Studies (UNU-IAS) will take place November 24, 2011 in Kerkrade, the Netherlands. The meeting is being held back-to-back with the Global RCE Conference (21-23 November) and on the same premises.The meeting will help identify strategies in working with appraisal and quality control systems that could enhance the transformative role of higher education towards sustainable development. The one-day meeting brings together a small group of international experts with knowledge of higher education quality assessment systems well as assessment systems that keep sustainability of higher education as its major goal. If you are interested in attending, please visitwww.copernicus-alliance.net.
(Posted 3 November)
 
Regional Asia-Pacific RCE Meeting kicks off in Thailand
2-4 November 2011 in Cha-am, Phetchaburi, Thailand
The next regional Asia-Pacific RCE meeting is taking place this week in Cha-am, Thailand despite the severe flooding that is affecting many parts of the country. The meeting, which is hosted by RCE Cha-am and co-organised by UNU-IAS, will be followed by the Asia Regional Forum on Biodiversity on 3-4 November.

Forty participants from 17 RCEs in the Asia-Pacific region are expected to attend. This is an invaluable opportunity for participants to discuss how they can work together to develop and strengthen their capacity to build a sustainable future in the region. In addition to discussing the role of Asia-Pacific RCEs in the 6th Global RCE Conference in late November, participants will focus on the follow up actions that RCEs have already taken with respect to the thematic groups formed in previous meetings. For more information click here
(posted 1 November)
 
6th Global RCE Conference
21–23 November 2011 in Kerkrade, the Netherlands
The 6th Global Regional Centres of Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development (RCEs) Conference will be organized in Kerkrade, the Netherlands by UNU-IAS and hosted by RCE Rhine-Meuse, with the close collaboration and joint effort of all European RCEs. Approaching the end of the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005–2014), the aim of the conference is to share a common vision and strategy, enhance collaboration among RCEs as well as related UN agencies and work together towards 2014 and beyond. Register for this event here.
(posted 31 October)
 
Capacity Development and Evaluation Research in ESD: The Case for Regional Centres of Expertise
27 October 2011, 16:00–17:00 at UNU-IAS in Yokohama, Japan
Dr. Abel Barasa Atiti (UNU-IAS) will deliver a lecture on Capacity Development and Evaluation Research in ESD on 27 October.  The United Nations designated 2005-2014 as the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD). DESD envisions a world where all people have the opportunity to benefit from quality education required for social change and sustainability. Following DESD, the United Nations University created the Regional Centres of Expertise (RCEs) initiative as a platform for transformative education and learning. RCEs are networks of existing local/regional institutions and consist of communities of practice whose capacities can be developed to enable sustainability. This presentation shares ongoing work of the UNU-IAS Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) Initiative on capacity development and evaluation research within the global RCE community. Preliminary findings from the African RCE capacity development programme will be shared. The presentation also outlines ongoing and future evaluation research activities within the framework of Global Monitoring and Evaluation of DESD. Realistic evaluation, a research methodology adapted from critical realism, is offered as a suitable framework undertaking evaluation research in ESD.  View video of the event here.
(posted 25 October)
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