Message from the Global RCE Service Centre:

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

Mark your Calendar for below RCE Events

7th Africa RCE Meeting

9-11 August, 2017, Lusaka, Zambia

RCE Lusaka, Zambia is delighted to host the African RCE Meeting in 2017.

6th Americas RCE Meeting

14-15, September, 2017, Vancouver, Canada

RCE British Columbia (Northern Cascades) will be hosting this year’s regional meeting in the Americas.

More information on these meetings will soon be posted on the RCE Portal.

Open Call for Youth Focal Points – a Global RCE Youth Initiative

At the request of the youth delegates at the 10th Global RCE Meeting and with the endorsement of the Ubuntu Committee of Peers for the RCEs, all RCEs are expected to designate a youth coordinator for each RCE. Anyone active in an RCE aged 16-35 and is interested in coordinating with other RCEs in their country, region, and around the world, can apply to the RCE coordinator of their RCE. The position is set for two years with a possible extension for another two-year term.

The RCE Youth Coordinator serves as a point of contact for youth seeking to network and engage with cross-RCE initiatives and communication. In countries with more than one RCE, one National RCE Youth Coordinator from among individual RCE focal points is to be selected by the Individual RCE Youth Coordinators. This will streamline the communication in different countries, across regions and globally. In countries with only one RCE, the Individual RCE Youth Coordinator will be the National RCE Coordinator by default. Regional RCE networks are asked to select regional coordinators from RCE Youth Coordinators within their given regions. Again this process should be done by the RCEs. Regional coordinators will in turn communicate with national focal points, and act as a bridge between the RCE Global Service Centre and the youth in that region.

Deadline for application is May 15, 2017. For more information on how to apply and details on responsibilities and accreditation of Youth Coordinator visit the RCE Portal.

RCE Denmark Endorses Youth Network Europe

Board Members of RCE Denmark have unanimously agreed to set up and fund the first established RCE Youth Network in Europe. The Youth Network comprises of ten diverse and motivated youth from different parts of Denmark, they include four pupils from primary school, two students from high school, two craft apprentices and two other youth. RCE Denmark will support the Youth Network and would serve as mentor to the Youth with the help of NEXT, one of the largest educational institutions in Denmark and Europe.

One of the 2017 goals of RCE Youth Denmark is to organize a national competition in schools, to produce the best short film on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). Meetings will be held monthly. They are hoping to organize a subpage on RCE Denmark's website. Similarly, the group is currently considering setting up a facebook page. RCE Denmark on facebook can be found here.

Scoping of RCEs' Work on Biodiversity, Ecosystem Services and Traditional Knowledge

The Global RCE Service Centre has prepared a questionnaire for a preliminary documentation of RCEs' work on biodiversity, ecosystem services, and traditional knowledge (terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems). All RCEs working in these fields are encouraged to fill out the survey. Results will be shared with the network! Access the survey here.

Japanese RCEs Gather Momentum in 2017

All seven Japanese RCEs attended the national meeting in 2017. Hosted by RCE Chubu, RCEs reported on their past activities and shared highlights and challenges from 2016. Highlights from the different RCEs and outputs from the Ministry of Environment Japan and UNU-IAS can be found in the summaryhere. Photos have been uploaded on facebook.

National RCE Meetings

The RCE Service Secretariat strongly encourages all RCEs within one country to connect and host national RCE meetings, as is already the case in the German-speaking region, the UK, and Japan.

Below a list of countries where more than one RCE is present:

(1) Africa: Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda, and Zimbabwe

(2) Americas: Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and the US

(3) Europe: France, Greece, Portugal, Russia, and Sweden

(4) Asia Pacific: Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, South Korea, and Thailand

Sincerely,

The Global RCE Service Centre

Upcoming Events

10 years of RCE Graz-Styria: Collaborative Research and Learning from Each Other! A Jubilee Celebration for a Sustainable Future

4 May, 2017, Graz, Austria

RCE Graz-Styria, one of the first RCEs in the network is celebrating their 10-year Anniversary and would like to invite other RCEs and stakeholders to come and join the celebration. During the event their diverse projects over the last ten years will be presented and the challenges ahead discussed. There will be an interactive sustainability fair with local specialties. For more information click here.

Public Engagement for the Global Goals with a Special Focus on Sustainable Oceans

19 April, 2017, UNU HQ, Tokyo, Japan

UNU-IAS, the Global Environment Outreach Centre (GEOC) and the Embassy of Sweden are holding an International Symposium: Public Engagement for the Global Goals with a Special Focus on Sustainable Oceans with Swedish Crown Princess Victoria as the Sustainable Development Goals Advocate. Johan Rockström and Henrik Österblom from the Stockholm Resilience Centre will be panelists. Read more

SDG Dialogue: Global Companies and the 2030 Agenda

20 April, 2017, UNU HQ, Tokyo, Japan

The event will discuss key questions such as: How can global companies integrate social and environmental agendas into corporate management? How can environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investment criteria be linked to the 2030 Agenda? Read more

1st International Conference of European and Asian Researchers and Educators on Lifelong Learning for Sustainable Development

12-14 May, 2017, Boracay, Philippines

This conference will be under the theme “Universities and Communities in Asia and Europe: Creating Meaning for Sustainable Development” hosted by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in cooperation with the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF), the National Association of UNESCO Clubs in the Philippines (NAUCP), UNESCO Philippines, and others. Read more

UN Ocean Conference

5-9 June 2017, New York, US

The high-level United Nations Conference to Support the Implementation of SDG 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development coincides with World Oceans Day. The Governments of Fiji and Sweden are co-hosting the conference. Read more

5th ProSPER.Net Leadership Programme

29 June – 5 July, 2017, Bangkok, Thailand

The 5th ProSPER.Net Leadership Programme “Building transformational leadership towards the Sustainable Development Goals” will be held on 29 June – 5 July, 2017, at Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand. The Programme will provide participants with the necessary inter-disciplinary skills to lead sustainable development initiatives in local, regional or global contexts. The Programme has a special focus on collaborative efforts, leveraging networks and will involve multiple stakeholders. Applications are open to post-doctoral fellows from ProSPER.Net member universities, former Young Researchers’ School (YRS) participants, and young professionals from public and private sectors. Deadline is 20 April, 2017. Read more

International Capacity Building Workshop on Green Growth

19-23 July 2017, Melaka, Malaysia

The World Youth Foundation, together with the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Malaysia, the International Youth Council, IDEAS for US are organizing the event. The workshop will be addressing issues on sustainable cities, and on education and awareness strategies and policies. Read more

For more events visit our ESD calendar.

Open Calls

Sejahtera Fellowship 2017

RCE Tongyeong is launching its 3rd Fellowship Programme for researchers from Asia-Pacific RCEs. Every year, one researcher is invited to stay at the Tongyeong Sejahtera Center for a duration of 3~5 months to conduct research of his/her interest. The theme will be comparative research on ESD. Specific funding is provided. Deadline is 15 April, 2017. Read more

Youth Sustainable Development Camp at Sejahtera Forest, Korea

Bridge to the World (BTW) is a flagship Youth Programme by RCE Tongyeong, Korea for adolescents, who research and study sustainable development abroad. To celebrate BTW’s 10-year anniversary, RCE Tongyeong is hosting ‘The 2nd Bridge to the World International Youth Camp’ from 24 July - 5 August, 2017 at the Sejahtera Forest, Tongyeong, Korea. The programme with the overarching theme ‘Let's join hands to build a coexistent future’ is designed for young people (15 – 25 years of age), that are active leaders in sustainable development in their communities and regions. Read more

UNESCO Prize for Girls’ and Women’s Education

UNESCO Prize for Girls’ and Women’s Education is now open for nominations. The Prize annually awards US $50,000 for two recipients (individuals, institutions and non-governmental organizations) making outstanding contributions to girls’ and women’s education. Deadline is 5 May 2017. Read more

Latest News

Western Sydney University – A Pioneer in Implementing ESD Values Across Faculties and Beyond Campus

Western Sydney University is one of the pioneers in establishing ‘sustainability literacy’ across all levels of the institute. Not only do they make curriculum changes geared towards sustainability education, but they integrate new ways of thinking and learning that enable students to recognise the connections between environmental issues, social patterns and actions. However, ESD at Western Sydney University goes beyond the implementation of individual ESD units into curricula. Read more

Building Educators Capacity in Sustainability – European Project results

RCE Severn, UK, recently completed a unique EU-funded collaboration project “University Educators for Sustainable Development (UE4SD)” with 53 partners across Europe. UE4SD focused on professional development of academics to advance ESD in tertiary education and has mapped policy and best practices, published new resources and piloted a training academy in ESD. Read more

RCE Middle Albania attends the Global Festival of Ideas for Sustainable Development

The Global Festival of Ideas for Sustainable Development is the first in a series of annual forums, hosted by the UN SDG Action Campaign and supported by the Germany’s government. Leading thinkers, policy-makers and civil society, came together with gaming experts and policy simulators, to deliver the world’s first playable policy conference. "This conference was extremely important for us here at RCE Middle Albania, as we are trying to adopt a programme to facilitate SDG-implementation at the local level," said Kalterina Shulla, RCE Coordinator of RCE Middle Albania. Read more

RCE Greater Dhaka connects communities to the SDGs

RCE Greater Dhaka held their Annual Meeting on UN Day, under the theme ‘Initiatives to promote the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)’ at the International University of Business Agriculture and Technology (IUBAT), Dhaka, Bangladesh. Read more

UNU-IAS collaborates in the 8th International Conference on Environmental and Rural Development

Participants heard presentations on infrastructural systems, education for sustainable rural development, environmental management, and agricultural systems. RCE Greater Phnom Penh, RCE Yogyakarta, and RCE Bohol, presented important research papers on biodiversity, irrigation, traditional knowledge in construction, and on sustainable fisheries. RCE Bohol was awarded the Excellent Paper Award for the research entitled “Application of Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) Model to Predict Streamflow and Sediment Yield in Wahig-Inabanga Watershed, Bohol, Philippines”. Read more

UNESCO Week for Peace and Sustainable Development: The Role of Education

The UNESCO Week for Peace and Sustainable Development gathered more than 400 experts, practitioners and policymakers to examine pedagogical approaches and teaching practices to achieve the SDGs through ESD and Global Citizenship Education. Read more

Read more At the same time more than 250 practitioners, policymakers, and experts in ESD gathered in Ottawa, Canada, for the Review Forum for theUNESCO Global Action Programme (GAP) on ESD: Implementation and Innovation. The event was part of the UNESCO Week. The publication ‘Education for Sustainable Development Goals – Learning Objectives’ launched during the event, aims to support policy-makers, curriculum developers and educators in designing strategies, and curricula to promote learning for the SDGs.

ESD Books, Publications and Other

International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education

The International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education (IJSHE) is the first international scholarly publication to address the need for documentation and dissemination of research, studies and projects on sustainability matters at universities. The latest publication from 2017 can be found here.

China's 13th Five-Year Plan: New Plans on ESD

The Plan defines the requirements for implementing ESD at all education levels. Its requirements are, among others, to deepen education in water conservation, energy saving and food saving; in economy and waste reduction practices; and in sustainable development and lifestyles. Read more.