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RCE Bulletin

Issue 115: March 2021
MESSAGE FROM THE GLOBAL RCE SERVICE CENTRE:

Dear Colleagues and Friends, 

Greetings from the Global RCE Service Centre, we hope you are all remaining well! 

This month we are pleased to announce details of the 2nd Global RCE Webinar, which will provide opportunities for us to further connect and share ideas. Additionally, the new RCE Roadmap for the RCE Community will also be launched at this event. See below for further information and how to register - we hope to see many of you there in June! 

Speaking of the roadmap, all RCEs will be sent an invitation later this month to provide comments on the roadmap - we look forward to receiving your thoughts on this important document which will be central to how the RCE community continues its efforts in expanding, accelerating and scaling up its actions towards 2030. 

If you would like to share any news, upcoming events, open calls, or publications for an upcoming bulletin, please complete this form and email your submission to the Global RCE Service Centre at rceservicecentre@unu.edu (submissions close on the 15th of each month).

Sincerely,
The Global RCE Service Centre 

Registrations Open: 2nd RCE Global Webinar

(Photo credit: The University of Edinburgh)

In the lead-up to the 12th Global RCE Conference, the Global RCE Service Centre and RCE Scotland are delighted to invite the global RCE community to the 2nd RCE Global Webinar, 'Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals: action through learning in a time of global crises' which will be held on 8 June, 2021 from 8:00-10:00am GMT. 

Please see the event page which contains the agenda, link to register, key documents and updates.

Registrations are currently open here. We look forward to seeing you and further sharing and collaborating at this event!

Upcoming Events

vCIES 2021: Social Responsibility within Changing Contexts
25 April - 2 May, 2021, online

The 2021 CIES conference will take place virtually from 25 April - May 2, 2021, featuring a session 'ESD Beyond Schools: Translating global goals to local actions through lifelong learning' (27 April, 2021, 7:15-8:45pm PDT), in which a panel will share four research perspectives on this topic. These include education initiatives from RCEs working on climate action projects, as well as how ESD activities throughout the RCE network have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on the findings from the survey carried out with RCEs last year. Find out more about the event here.

Open Calls

Survey: Teachers' Readiness to Integrate ESD and GCED into their Teaching

UNESCO, together with Education International, is conducting a global survey of teachers' readiness to integrate Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and Global Citizenship Education (GCED) into their teaching. The study will gather information on teachers' readiness to teach ESD and GCED, the training and support available to them, approaches taken to teaching ESD and GCED across the curriculum and in assessing learning outcomes as well as other ESD- and GCED-related activities in school and with local communities. 

The survey can be accessed here and is open until 25 April, 2021. Read more

Survey: Research on the Extinction of Diospyros Mespiliformis Trees (Itacen Kanya) in Northern Nigeria

According to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, the loss of biodiversity in Northern Nigeria is escalating alarmingly due to the adverse effect of desertification and human activities, posing a threat to food security and water resources. RCE Kano and the Centre for Renewable Energy and Action on Climate Change (CREACC-NG) are conducting research on the 'Extinction of Diospyros Mespiliformis Trees (Itacen Kanya) in Northern Nigeria: Its Impact on Food Security and Improving Nutrition'.

The questionnaire can be downloaded here, and should be sent to usmanmareri@gmail.com or abjahmad@gmail.com by 30 May, 2021. 

Call for Papers: 2nd International Symposium on Disaster Resilience and Sustainable Development

The '2nd International Symposium on Disaster Resilience and Sustainable Development' will be held from 24-25 June, 2021 at the Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand (in-person and virtual). Organised by the Asian Institute of Technology, the event will bring together discussion on various dimensions of higher education systems in the Asia-Pacific region with a focus on Disaster Risk Reduction and Sustainable Development. The International Symposium will focus on various dimensions of existing and future risk scenarios and concerted efforts of the scientific communities to find new adaptation methods.

Delivered in hybrid mode, the program will include keynote speeches, panel discussions, technical sessions, poster presentations, and academic exhibitions. The Symposium is one of the initiatives of the ProSPER.Net project 'Disaster Education for Integrating SFDRR and SDG in Asia' led by the Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand along with partner universities in the Asia-Pacific Region.

The symposium will also provide an opportunity to develop a Higher Educational Institution Platform on DRR to address the cross-cutting issues on Disaster Resilience and Sustainable Development and also understanding regional challenges that result from complex problems generated by natural hazards and human-induced threats. 

Abstracts are currently being accepted until 31 March, 2021. Further information is available in the conference brochure or the event website.

Applications Closing Soon: 2021 UNU-IAS Doctoral Degree Programme

(Photo credit: Kenichi Tanaka)

UNU-IAS is still accepting applications for September 2021 admission to its doctoral degree programme - PhD in Sustainability Science. Applications close soon however, on 9 April, 2021. Read more

Get Involved: Anatomy of Action

The Anatomy of Action activates people to contribute to SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), providing core actions people can take in the domains of Food, Mobility, Leisure (consumer goods and tourism) and Housing. Coordinated by UNEP, a social media challenge is currently taking place from 19 March - 2 April, 2021. Find out more and how to get involved here.

Latest News

RCE Youth in Japan Discuss & Network on Education for Sustainable Development

Forty youth members from Japanese RCEs gathered online for the 3rd Japan RCE Youth Meeting held on 18 February, 2021, co-organised by RCE Okayama and UNU-IAS, to discuss youth activities on education for sustainable development (ESD) and to share relevant ideas among members. The meeting was held jointly with the Working Level Meeting of Japanese RCEs, and was divided into two parts: (i) the sharing of RCE youth activities, and (ii) a group discussion. While many youth members experienced difficulties in carrying out their planned activities due to the pandemic, great amounts of effort seemed to be extended in order to further promote their ESD activities towards contributing to their local communities, or to reach out to other regions to collectively solve ESD-related challenges. Read more

RCE Greater Dhaka Celebrates International Mother Language Day

RCE Greater Dhaka celebrated International Mother Language Day on 21 February, 2021 at the International University of Business Agriculture & Technology (IUBAT) campus in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Selective representatives from different colleges, institutes, partner organisations, and RCE Greater Dhaka Youth Forum and students honoured the day with flowers at the Shaheed Minar monument. International Mother Language Day promotes linguistic and cultural diversity, which is important for achieving sustainable societies. In addition, languages also serve in the attainment of quality education for all. Professor Dr Mohammed Ataur Rahman, Coordinator of RCE Greater Dhaka and the Director of IUBAT Institute of SDG Studies (IISS) paid tribute to the Mother Language Day Martyrs on behalf of RCE Greater Dhaka, followed by a meeting to commemorate those who sacrificed their lives on the same day in 1952 to establish Bangla as a State language.

RCE Ogun's 2020 Report and Visit with New Vice Chancellor of Covenant University

Members of RCE Ogun paid a courtesy visit to meet with the New Vice Chancellor of Covenant University Prof. Humphrey Adebayo to present their 2020 report and overview of the activities of the Centre. The Vice Chancellor acknowledged the efforts of RCE Ogun in facilitating the attainment of the SDGs in the region and pledged continued support of the University towards the activities of the Centre. RCE Ogun's report of activities for 2020 can be accessed here

ESD BOOKS, PUBLICATIONS AND OTHER