RCE Bulletin
Dear Colleagues and Friends,
Greetings from the Global RCE Service Centre! This month we are excited to announce a new RCE joining the network, RCE Davao! Please join us in welcoming them to the RCE family.
Thank you to all who submitted their projects for the RCE Awards, it is great to see all of the inspiring work the network has been working on! Award recipients will be announced and featured on the RCE Portal later this year.
Next month, we will hold the Europe and Americas Regional Meetings. Registrations for the European Regional Meeting are closing soon - don't miss out if you are planning to attend. Details for the African Regional Meeting (to be held 28-30 November) will be sent to RCEs in the region, with registrations to open very soon - stay tuned!
Finally, at the end of this month, applications will close for the 2022 RCE Youth Biodiversity Art Challenge, so get those entries in - we look forward to seeing the creative submissions from youth all around the world!
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
The Global RCE Service Centre at UNU-IAS, in partnership with UNESCO, is currently accepting submissions for the RCE Youth Biodiversity Art Challenge! The challenge is open to anyone aged 35 or younger worldwide.
We're looking for creative works of art that put a spotlight on the species, habitats, and ecosystems that we need to work to protect.
Submissions can be made for any of the following categories, with a focus on SDG 14 (Life Below Water) or SDG 15 (Life on Land). Choose from:
- Is your favourite animal or plant species under threat?
- Show us one of your favourite animal or plant species which is currently under threat (e.g. Is its population/survival at risk? Are its habitats being endangered?)
- Tell us how we can ensure we protect and restore this species - what actions can we take today in our communities?
- How can we protect the habitats and ecosystems within our regions?
- Show us one of your favourite places which is being impacted by biodiversity loss (e.g. a local national park, forest, beach, river).
- Tell us why it needs to be protected, and what actions communities can take to conserve this place?
Further information, including submission guidelines and eligibility are available here. Entries close on 30 September, 2022 (11:59pm JST).
Here's your chance to provide your feedback on the RCE Portal, the website for the Global RCE Network. As one of our key communication channels, we would like to understand your thoughts on the content, structure, and design of the website, so that we can continually improve the website experience for users of the portal. The survey should take no longer than 20 minutes to complete. We thank you in advance for your participation - access the survey here.
We are delighted to introduce a new RCE to the network this month; RCE Davao in the Philippines has been acknowledged recently as the newest RCE member - please join us in welcoming them to the RCE family! The full list of RCEs can be viewed here.
Upcoming Events
4 October, 2022, 14:30 - 17:30 CET, online
To support and accelerate the ESD for 2030 framework and Roadmap, UNESCO, with the generous support of the Government of Japan through its Japanese Funds-in-Trust (JFIT), is launching a new global network of education stakeholders - the ESD for 2030 Global Network (ESD-Net 2030). The network aims to become a platform for knowledge sharing, collaboration, mutual learning, advocacy and monitoring and evaluation among a wide range of stakeholders, including governmental agencies, civil society organisations, educators, youth, research institutions, UN partners, international development communities, among others.
To launch ESD-Net 2030 and its activities, UNESCO is organising an online webinar and workshop. The webinar will showcase several Member States' efforts in developing and implementing ESD for 2030 Country Initiatives, followed by the first in a series of interactive workshops on ESD pedagogy. This first workshop will focus on the role of culture in promoting ESD at the community level. Register for the webinar here.
Open Calls
The Europe Regional Meeting 2022 (Part II) will be hosted by RCE Fryslan, to be held in Leeuwarden, The Netherlands from 10 - 13 October, 2022, under the theme 'Greater than the Sum of the Parts; Strengthening the European RCE Network for ESD'.
Registrations are still open, with a deadline of 1 October, 2022 (please note that spaces for in-person participation are limited to 85 places, so early registration is recommended). See the event page for further details.
(Photo credit: Frank van der Velde)
We are pleased to announce that the 2022 ProSPER.Net Leadership Programme will be held from 5th - 8th and 16th December, 2022, in a virtual format, hosted by UNU-IAS. The theme of this year's Leadership Programme is 'Shifting to Net Zero: Implementation strategies for net-zero transitions'.
The ProSPER.Net Leadership Programme (LP) is an opportunity to bring young professionals and emerging leaders in academia, the public sector, the business community, and civil society together to explore how education and training can be used across sectors to foster more sustainable societies in the Asia-Pacific region.
Selected participants will attend a 5-day online training programme that will consist of lectures and workshops on a variety of topics related to strategies and policies for net zero implementation, and proven success factors and existing gaps towards achieving a decarbonised economy. Strategies to be discussed include energy efficiency, urban design, mass transit planning, and nature-based solutions such as reforestation and biodiversity conservation.
Details:
Dates: 5th - 8th December (inclusive) and 16th December, 2022 (5 days in total)
Location: Online, using the Zoom platform (participants are requested to ensure they have access to Zoom and a stable internet connection during the event dates)
Participation fee: Free
Selection criteria:
Participants will be selected on the basis of a written application, according to the following criteria:
- Young professionals and emerging leaders from academic, public, private, and civil society sectors working in the Asia-Pacific region. All ages are eligible to apply but priority will be given to those aged 35 or under as of the application deadline (14 October, 2022)
- High proficiency in written and spoken English language
- An advanced understanding of sustainability, net zero emissions approaches or climate action, and its relevance to his/her own work
- Demonstrated leadership skills and ability to work in a team environment
For more details including how to apply, view the open call here.
The deadline for applications is Friday 14 October, 2022, 11:59pm (Japan Standard Time).
The Scottish Graduate School for Arts and Humanities (SGSAH) EARTH Scholarships is a programme run by SGSAH with funding from the British Council, to enable international research collaborations between PhD and Early Career Researchers and Scottish HEIs and Scotland-based academic mentors, and external organisations. The programme will provide scholarships for PhD and Early Career Researchers based outside the UK to come to Scotland to undertake in-person and hybrid exchanges for up to 3 months in 2023, in the area of environmental arts and humanities. Read more
Latest News
On 17 September 2022, UNU-IAS organised a session at the Transforming Education Summit (TES) during the high-level week of the UN General Assembly in New York. Focusing on the role of universities in climate education and lifelong learning, the session explored how to bridge diverse sectors and stakeholders for a whole-society approach to mainstream climate education towards achieving net zero emissions by 2050. It was co-organised by UNU, the Ministry of Universities of Spain, the Ministry of Education of Bhutan, UNESCO, and the UNFCCC Secretariat. Read more
The 'Australia-India Land and Water Conservation Virtual Program' was an 8-week online program that was co-led, co-designed and co-taught by staff from Western Sydney University's Sustainability Education (RCE Greater Western Sydney) with academics from the School of Science, in partnership with the Centre for Environmental Education (RCE Lucknow) and the Australia-India Water Centre.
The program, which concluded in August, focused on farming practices, water challenges and conservation systems, through a sustainability lens and the SDGs, and supported 30 STEM university students with the opportunity to work together to explore transdisciplinary approaches to farming systems. Read more
(Photo source: RCE Greater Western Sydney)
On 20 August 2022, UNU-IAS launched the Youth Ambassadors' Forum, a series of workshops on the topic of 'Building Community-centered Innovations to Promote Sustainable Development and Safeguard Intangible Cultural Heritage'. The workshops are part of a UNU-IAS project aiming to enhance the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) in Luang Prabang, Lao People's Democratic Republic, using information and communications technology (ICT). They are being held from August to October 2022.
The first workshop (20 - 21 August 2022) engaged 27 youth ambassadors in training sessions on Luang Prabang cultural heritage, the importance of community-level ICH, and ICH safeguarding approaches and their linkages with the SDGs. Read more
(Photo credit: Lar Bounmy)
RCE Dobong-gu has signed a business agreement on the 'Development and Operation of a Joint Certification ESD Course' together with the Korean Commission for UNESCO (Secretary-General Han Kyung-gu) and Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (President Park Jeong-un) on 12 August, 2022 - a first for the country - which will foster education for sustainable development (ESD) at the higher education level. Through this agreement, the three organisations will focus on promoting mutual understanding, cooperation and exchanging information, mutual cooperation for the support system, the participation of experts and instructors from each institution, and ESD project support and cooperation for the 'Development and Operation of a Joint Certification ESD Course'. The course will be newly established as a liberal arts course at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in 2023, where students will learn theories through lectures and visits to companies and related organisations, combining theory and the field.
(Photo credit: Dobong District Office)
ESD BOOKS, PUBLICATIONS AND OTHER
The 2022 Sustainability Research and Innovation Congress (SRI2022) is now open access. Watch over 200 transdisciplinary sessions tackling some of the greatest sustainability challenges and highlighting new knowledge from all over the world, including a session from UNU-IAS on innovative solutions developed by RCEs to protect biodiversity. Sign up to watch all SRI2022 sessions here.
Prof. Walter Leal, Chair of the RCE Hamburg has published the book 'Handbook of Best Practices in Sustainable Development at University Level', which presents interdisciplinary outputs on best practices on sustainable development. Produced by the European School of Sustainability Science and Research (ESSSR), through the Inter-University Sustainable Development Research Programme (IUSDRP), the book provides documentation of projects, institutional policies, innovative methods and tools, and research outputs, covering a wide range of disciplines. Read more
Join a personal and professional global learning journey towards a sustainable future. This massive open online course (MOOC) developed by the University of Edinburgh, RCE Scotland and the British Council, supports you to reflect, investigate, discuss and develop an informed response to the global challenges that matter to you. The 5-week course will start on 3 October, 2022. Learn more and sign up here.
Explore global issues during COP27 and be part of the call for collective action with this 2-week massive open online course (MOOC) developed by the University of Edinburgh, RCE Scotland and the British Council. The course, which will run in parallel with the COP27 conference, offers an opportunity to examine what COP27 is, why it's important, and reflect on how you can add your voice to the call for collective action for a sustainable future. Learn more and sign up here.
This is a publication of the UNU-IAS Global RCE 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 email 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.
SUPPORTED BY:
