11th Asia-Pacific RCE Meeting 2018

25-27 September, 2018, Parramatta (Sydney), Australia

The 11^th Asia-Pacific RCE Meeting was held in Parramatta, Australia from 25^th September, 2018 in conjunction with the Symposium on ‘Mainstreaming the SDGs: Education and Impact’ on 26^th September, 2018, followed by a field trip on 27^th September, 2018. All events were hosted by RCE Greater Western Sydney (RCE-GWS) and Western Sydney University with the support of the United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability (UNU-IAS), including the first Asia-Pacific Youth Virtual Summit held on 24^th September, 'Youth for the Goals: Climate Action and Life Below Water' as part of the first Youth SDG Asia-Pacific Challenge 2018.

A total of 91 delegates from Regional Centres of Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development (RCEs) across Asia-Pacific gathered in the Greater Western Sydney region, one of the most multicultural locations in Australia, for this meeting under the theme ‘Mainstreaming the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Education and Impact’. The meeting aimed to strengthen inter-RCE collaboration and showcase successful cases in Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in relation to mainstreaming the SDGs for education and impact. Participants in attendance included 10 participants from developing countries such as India, Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia, as well as 43 women from across the region. Other participants came from the Republic of Korea, Japan, China, and New Zealand.

Participants were briefed on the GAP assessment and the need to refocus on SDGs as the overall framework for ESD for future interventions. Attendees also participated actively in the discussion by presenting successful cases on SDG implementation at the local level, with the presentations across sessions demonstrating that RCEs are working towards the implementation of all SDGs.

Breakout group discussions were conducted on the areas of 'Community', 'Schools and Youth', and 'Higher Education', whilst participants also benefitted from capacity building workshops on partnerships and strategies for collaboration. A capacity-building initiative on biodiversity and ecosystem services was also conducted, which provided RCE stakeholders with insights into the IPBES process as well as the exploration of potential collaborative RCE actions for IPBES. 

The last day included field trips led by RCE Greater Western Sydney in collaboration with the Sydney Olympic Park Authority, Climate and Culture Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, and Brewongle Environmental Education Centre. Participants were given the opportunity to explore the existing city hub consisting of education, business events and live and work facilities, a walking tour consisting of sustainable urban development sites and wetlands, as well as an Aboriginal cultural talk.

The Global RCE Service Centre wishes to thank the team at RCE Greater Western Sydney for their wonderful support and efforts in making this event a success.

Outcomes from the meeting are below, and a full recap of the meeting is available here.

The final report can be downloaded here.

View highlights from the meeting here (video by Vinewood Studios).  

The meeting website can be found here: https://www.westernsydney.edu.au/2018_ap_rce_meeting

Photos taken by UNU-IAS (above), Brittany Hardiman and Steve Body (below left), and Josh Newman (Vinewood Studios) (below middle and right).

Programme:

Asia-Pacific RCE Regional Meeting & Symposium Programme

Presentations:

DAY 1: 25 SEPTEMBER, 2018

Lightning Presentations - RCE Flagship Initiative Updates

DAY 2: 26 SEPTEMBER, 2018

Parallel Case Study Sessions - Mainstreaming the SDGs: Education and Impact

Parallel Workshop Sessions 

*These materials have been prepared by the RCE listed beside each item. Its contents and features are the sole responsibility of the authors. For questions and comments please contact the authors.

Photos:

Photos from the meeting have been uploaded on Facebook here.