Message from the Global RCE Service Centre:

Dear colleagues and friends

The 8th Global RCE Conference is just around the corner (26-29 November 2013 in Nairobi, Kenya). The conference will be a significant opportunity for all of us to come together to further develop RCE strategy and crystallize a plan of action to enhance the RCE movement beyond 2014. Pre-conference discussions have already begun online. We invite all of you to log into the portal and join discussants in strategizing towards the conference and beyond. Discussion groups can be viewed on the RCE Portal at here. More information on specific discussion groups are also posted below. While anyone can read the discussions taking place, you must be given special access to post comments of your own. If you do not remember your login information, please contact the Global RCE Service Centre (rceservicecentre@ias.unu.edu) requesting access.

The deadline to receive nominations for the RCE Award has been extended to 31 October 2013. RCEs that had missed out the opportunity to nominate projects for an RCE Award are encouraged to make use of this extension. Following the 7th Global RCE Conference in Tongyeong an RCE Award working group was formed to define criteria and guidelines for the 2013 RCE Award. The group will review nominated projects for the Award in collaboration with the Global RCE Service Centre. The RCE Award working group consists of:

1. Detlev Lindau-bank
2. Kiran Chhokar Banga
3. Marlene Mader
4. Dawn Gaymer Michelle
5. Kenneth Ochoa

In addition to this assessment group, the Award criteria was informed by the overall discussions of the RCE movement (in the spirit of the Tongyeong Declaration), inputs of the Ubuntu Committee of Peers and members of UNU-IAS team.

With much appreciation,

The Global RCE Service Centre

 

Upcoming Events

 

Traditional Knowledge and Biodiversity at the 8th Global RCE Conference

26-29 November 2013

There are more than 90 participants signed up for the Traditional Knowledge and Biodiversity session at the upcoming Global RCE Conference. Preparatory discussions on the RCE Portal have already begun, with a goal of planning how to effectively utilize the 90 minute session at the conference. We invite all scheduled participants and RCE members who are interested in the subject but who may not be able to attend the session to join the discussion group at: here. If you have any problems with joining the discussion, contactrceservicecentre@ias.unu.edu.

This year, African RCEs (Rob O'Donoghue and colleagues) are working on an interesting publication on traditional knowledge. So our deliberations at the global conference will be rich with host continent contributions. We also expect to advance our discussions based on the publication we made last year click here.

Sustainable Consumption and Production at the 8th Global RCE Conference

26-29 November 2013

For the Sustainable Consumption & Production (SCP) Workshop we have chosen for the subject of discussion “Vocational Training”. It is generally acknowledged nowadays that SCP begins with solid education, and especially, of course, with vocational education on all levels and in all disciplines, be it inside regular (formal) institutes or in informal settings. The global RCE-community can play an important role in promoting and supporting local initiatives on how to develop vocational/professional training institutes that serve the needs of individual regions and/or communities. For this purpose a project document has been designed, called Sustainable Vocational Schools. You will find this document by visiting the Portal here. (If you have trouble accessing the portal please contact rceservicecentre@ias.unu.edu.)

If you have subscribed to the workshop on SCP you are kindly invited to read and study this project plan carefully as we plan to ask all workshop-participants for their individual contribution on the following items:

• Do you have knowledge of successful private, non-profit, public, or other initiatives of regionally established vocational schools or training centres that have proven to serve regional needs including advancing regional economic prosperity and other sustainable development goals? If so, would you be available to give a short presentation during the workshop?
• Do you have the ambition to start up a vocational school or training centre in your own home region? If so, could you give a short introduction during the workshop?
• If you do have specific remarks and/or advice as to the project document Sustainable Vocational Schools, could you prepare your input for the workshop?

Where you have specific input in each of the three aforementioned issues, would you please give some reaction eitheron the Portal or by direct mail to Jos Hermans48@gmail.com

The agenda for the workshop is planned to look as follows:

1. Opening and welcome participants (over 80 persons have subscribed already!)
2. Introduction of the project plan Sustainable Vocational Schools and an opportunity for questions of clarification or further background information .
3. Presentation by participants of some successful individual school initiatives.
4. General discussion of the project document and conclusions in small groups with guided discussion questions and opportunity to identify RCE participants
5. Large group summary and discussion of next steps.

We are looking forward to meeting you for this important workshop and hope to receive your reactions and other input prior to the conference and constructive deliberations at the conference.

Youth at the 8th Global RCE Conference

26-29 November 2013

Youth are a key part for driving change and one of their key values is the ability to use effectively, information communication technology. As we know, social media is taking off and we believe that continual engagement with youth and sustainable development can help educate others through these means. This in-turn may help RCEs grow and continue to implement projects and programmes. The discussions and a special session on Youth and RCEs will provide evidence of RCE youth projects and programmes that support UN goals, such as the Millennium Development Goals, the Sustainable Development Goals, and the Education for All Goals. We will explore the possibility of establishing across-RCEs youth structure that will take the lead on sustainable development youth projects.

As a preparation to the 8th Global RCE Conference, we would like to begin a thoughtful and productive discussion through either emails or the RCE Portal Conversation: here. (If you have trouble accessing the portal please contactrceservicecentre@ias.unu.edu)

As a starting point for the discussion, we would like the RCEs to share experiences and knowledge on youth from one or more of the following questions:

1. What can youth (15-35) do that +35s are unable to do in respect to RCE Thematic Themes (climate change, health, teacher education, etc.) and where can they make the most impact if we focus our projects?
2. Can our RCEs collaborate an international project that involves youth and how can RCEs agree on such a project?
3. What is a collaborative and inclusive way to create a cohesive project throughout our Global RCE Network of over 120 RCEs?
4. Can RCEs be used as a tool to provide research and training to our youth regarding sustainable development for specific specialized local needs and issues; and what kind of structure would you recommend about how RCEs share this local training and knowledge to other RCEs and the Public?

Assessment of RCEs at the 8th Global RCE Conference

26-29 November 2013

As part of our unflagging spirit and efforts to take the RCE movement forward effectively post DESD – we consider continuous monitoring, evaluation and devising the relevant feedback loops and mechanism of prime importance. We are glad to invite you to be a part of this engaging and participatory process leading and shaping the discussions on ‘Assessment & Evaluation’ at the 8th Global Conference at Nairobi, Kenya later this year.

We believe that the ideas and thoughts shared over this platform, albeit meant to culminate at the global conference – would also have the potential to push and sustain the RCE global movement effectively post DESD as well. We would therefore like to solicit your thoughts, reflections, comments, feedback, suggestions and inputs so as to:

• Clearly understand and establish the value and importance of the evaluation exercise from varied angles and perspectives upfront; and
• Devise various ways in which the exercise can be undertaken, how it can be supported and built upon in the future.

For a start, we’d like to encourage you to share your experiences and learning from the self-evaluation exercise that you have been conducting at an individual RCE level so as to enrich this whole developmental process. And, to give direction to the discussion, we would request you to think, reflect and share your thoughts on the following questions:

1. Why do you consider evaluation an important exercise for an RCE?
2. How do you think the RCE can benefit from it?
3. What does it entail for the region in which the RCE operates?
4. What are the main elements of the exercise that ensure it to be a valuable Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) tool?
5. How would you like to design, streamline and structure the evaluation exercise? Would you be able to share details about it in terms of its approach, methodology and stakeholders?
6. How can the feedback loop and mechanism be strengthened so as to make it meaningful and impactful? Would you be able to cite examples of successful stories/case studies?

With facilitation of Shabana Kazi (RCE Goa), we look forward to exploring these and many other questions at the RCE Portal: here. (If you have trouble accessing the portal please contactrceservicecentre@ias.unu.edu)

Governance and Coordination at the 8th Global RCE Conference

26-29 November 2013

RCEs operate within well-defined governance and coordination structures to enable the pooling of expertise and sharing of resources towards addressing common sustainable development challenges. Ideally RCE governance structures are designed to capture decision-making processes, which are decentralized and characterized by high levels of reflexivity. Trust, mutuality and common identity are critical for an RCE to produce the maximum possible ESD value, greater than the sum of what each single stakeholder could achieve without collaboration. This session will deliberate various governance and management structures and practices (networked governance strategies) that are suited to taking advantage of ESD capacities and resources distributed within an RCE network. Some of the questions that will be reflected upon during the session include:

• What are the challenges/successes of coordinating an RCE network?
• How is trust, reciprocity, common rules, norms, sanctions and connectedness enhanced and maintained in your RCE network?
• To what extend has the existing governance and coordination structures helped foster your RCE vision towards implementing ESD?

Your reflections on any of these questions are highly welcomed through the portal: here. (If you have trouble accessing the portal please contact rceservicecentre@ias.unu.edu)

Higher Education at the 8th Global RCE Conference

26-29 November 2013

The Higher Education session during the 8th Global RCE Conference will explore the idea of scalability of sustainability initiatives in the science-society interface. Participants will be encouraged to identify the demand, challenges and potentials of scaling local and regional sustainability initiatives at the science-society interface. Emerging insights can provide the basis for further research on framework conditions that support the up-scaling of science-society interface. The role of Higher Education institutions within an RCE network in enabling the scalability of regional sustainability initiatives will be deliberated. Some of the questions that will be addressed through the Higher Education session are:

1. What are the main sustainability challenges in your respective region where scaling can play a role?
2. What opportunities/potentials do universities have to engage with society in order to meet these challenges?
3. What is your experience in science-society collaborations? What worked well, what didn't?
4. Do you know any project or initiative in the science-society interface that has been scaled-up?

Your thoughts on any of these questions are welcomed through the portal: here. (If you have trouble accessing the portal please contact rceservicecentre@ias.unu.edu)

Teacher Education at the 8th Global RCE Conference

26-29 November 2013

One of the core functions of an RCE is to contribute to the reorientation of existing education programmes by working with schools and teachers. RCEs, both individually (local level) and collectively (global level) are providing platforms for information sharing, dialogue and collaboration for reorientation of teacher education and ESD. This session will highlight how RCEs are promoting the integration of principles, values and practices of sustainable development into teacher education programmes in the regions they operate. Participants will share case stories on how their RCEs are contributing to Teacher Education in their contexts. The issue of quality in teacher education will be examined.

You are invited to join online discussions at the RCE Portal (here) to suggest further structuring of the thematic discussion on Teacher Education. Share challenges/successes your RCE has encountered in implementing teacher education.

Capacity Development at the 8th Global RCE Conference

26-29 November 2013

This session will explore the phenomena of capacity and its development not just from the perspective of training, but in a wider context: that of broader processes in which RCEs increase their capabilities to manage and strengthen themselves. Participants will need to examine the nature of capacity, the fact that capacities exist between multiple stakeholders and are embedded in different scales of RCE organisation. The following questions will be used to guide deliberations on capacity development:

1. What is capacity development in your RCE context?
2. What challenges/successes have you experienced in planning, implementing and evaluating capacity-development efforts in your RCE?
3. What core capabilities have been developed in your RCE?
4. How has capacity development contributed to an improved performance of your RCE?

Log in here to share new insights, case stories and additional content on capacity development. Your comments, inputs and suggestions will inform the session on Capacity Development. (If you have trouble accessing the portal please contact rceservicecentre@ias.unu.edu)

ISCUS - International Students Conference on Urban Sustainability

24-25 February 2014

TUNILIVRE-Curitiba and its partners: the RCE-Curitiba-Paraná and the UTFPR-University Tecnological Federal of Paraná-Studio Cities & Biodiversity Project are very pleased to invite the colleagues of all RCEs to the ISCUS - International Students Conference on Urban Sustainability, which will take place in Curitiba - 24 and 25 February 2014. Please check the main information at the site http://www.unilivre.org.br/iscus/ as well as the themes to be focused. Other details will be add to the site soon. The International Students Conference on Urban Sustainability (ISCUS) aims to provide an opportunity for students from different countries to exchange knowledge and promoting research. By gathering presentations from undergraduate and graduate students on case studies, research and practical experiences on subject matters, it will also encourage the strengthening of international networking between students and the institutions.

RCE Annual Reporting

Deadline: 31 October 2013

The registration deadline for RCE Annual Reporting is officially closing at the end of October. However the annual reporting site will remain open throughout the year for RCEs who would like to report late or update their 2013 reporting. We would like to very much thank all those RCEs who completed their RCE reports in a timely manner. You can view all the annual reports from all RCEs on the RCE Portal here. If you need login information for the portal or to view the reports, please contactrceservicecentre@ias.unu.edu and you will be given the necessary information.

3rd UNESCO-APEID Meeting on Entrepreneurship Education

10-12 December 2013

UNESCO Bangkok and the Ministry of Education in Malaysia are co-organizing the 3rd UNESCO-APEID Meeting on Entrepreneurship Education to continue on-going discussions about entrepreneurship education and to strengthen the network of entrepreneurship educators and practitioners. Objectives of the meeting are to: launch the Entrepreneurship Education network (EE-Net); share innovative and educational approaches, projects and practices of entrepreneurship education; identify potential areas of joint activities; and discuss 4th Meeting on Entrepreneurship Education and other follow-up activities for 2014.

About 100 participants including policy makers, educators, entrepreneurs, professionals and youth are expected to attend the meeting. The Malaysian hosts will cover local accommodation and meals of the participants for the duration of the meeting, but participants have to cover their own travel costs and other expenses.To find out more about the event, download this document: hereTo register for the event, please download the registration form (here)and send to UNESCO by 1 November 2013.

Latest News

6th Asia-Pacific RCE Meeting and International Symposium on Sustainable Lifestyles

RCE Kitakyushu hosted the 6th RCE Asia-Pacific Meeting and International Symposium on Sustainable Lifestyles from 20-21 October 2013. Over 70 participants from 14 RCEs and one candidate RCE gathered in Kitakyushu, Japan and discussed various thematic as well as strategic issues including how to further strengthen inter-RCE collaboration and enhance ESD towards 2014 and beyond. The International Symposium on Sustainable Lifestyles was organized in conjunction with the Asia-Pacific RCE Meeting in the afternoon of 21 October. The objectives of the symposium was to share good learning cases on ESD by RCE members; to discuss issues on enhancing ESD in local communities in view of multi-stakeholder partnerships and community empowerment; and to identify the significant role of ESD for creating sustainable societies. To read a short summary of the meeting and to download the presentation materials, click here. Previous AP meeting materials can be found here.

Call for Participation: UNertia

UNertia is a campaign and competition that encourages anyone and everyone,in particular young people, students and schools in the Asia-Pacific region, toengage in Sustainable Actions which will yield positive environmental benefitsin their local communities. UNertia is looking for sustainable actions from interested partners in the Asia-Pacific region in particular. To find out more, downloadhere.

RCE Greater Western Sydney: Youth Eco Summit

Australia’s Youth Eco Summit (YES) is an an award-winning partnership between the University of Western, the Sydney Olympic Park Authority and the NSW Department of Education and communities under the Regional Centre of Expertise in ESD for Greater Western Sydney (RCE-GWS) banner. YES was a unique two-day curriculum-based sustainability event that took place on 23 and 24 October 2013. It was designed to encourage students to adopt sustainable practices in all areas of life, to showcase practical initiatives and promote student leadership. It included hands-on workshops, seminars, displays and active learning projects for over 6,000 students and their teachers from 160 schools. It also provided a unique platform for students to teach students, and for industry and tertiary educators to engage with youth on a wide range of sustainability topics ranging from energy, making money out of waste, sustaining biodiversity to sustainable agriculture, fostering local food security, Aboriginal culture, student activism, green skills at work and careers in the area. Students who were unable to attend in person were connected to the event by video-link.

For those interested in finding out more about the event, please contact Mike Bartlett from Sydney Olympic Park via Mike.Bartlett@sopa.nsw.gov.au.

Website Launched for the World Conference on ESD

The official website of the UNESCO World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development, to be held in November 2014 in Japan, has been launched. You can visit the website here:http://www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco-world-conference-on-esd-2014/.

This is a publication of UNU-IAS RCE Global Service Centre.

Please send your comments, suggestions and materials to rceservicecentre@ias.unu.edu

Visit the ESD Programme's News and Events page regularly for up-to-date news and event information.