6^th African RCE Conference
24-25 August, Nairobi, Kenya

The 6th African RCE Conference, held in Kenyatta University, Nairobi, was hosted by RCE Greater Nairobi and the National Environment Management Authority of Kenya (NEMA) in collaboration with other Kenyan RCEs on 24-25 August 2016. The theme of the conference was “Developing Capacities of African RCEs for the implementation of the Global Action Programme on ESD and the achievement of the SDGs”, thereby focussing on capacity building within African RCEs in relation to these international frameworks. Featuring a youth conference, the event particularly promoted the participation of younger generations.

The theme was addressed with reference to GAP priority action area 5 on accelerating sustainable solutions at the local level and SDG4 on ensuring provision of inclusive and equitable quality education. The theme hinged on the need to enhance the capacities of African RCEs to initiate, implement and report collaborative ESD activities at the global RCE portal. RCEs in Africa have been implementing activities related to priority action area 5 of the GAP but have not put in place clear mechanisms for assessing and reporting the impact of these activities.

Held back to back with 6th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD VI) on 27-28 August. The Global RCE Service Centre will organize a side event just before on 26 August “Strengthening the role of African RCEs to deliver the SDGs” . Delegates from UN agencies and ESD experts from Africa came together in a panel discussion to explore ways of strengthening African RCEs as multi-stakeholder partnerships for scaling up innovation, resources and action to deliver the SDGs in local and regional contexts. 

The 6^th African RCEs conference hoped to further increase the visibility and relevance of RCEs across Africa through an open conference with a wider global stakeholder participation. It aimed at building a common agenda for African RCEs and to chart a common vision on implementing the Global Action Programme on ESD and SDG4. The conference provided a platform for African RCEs to develop concrete and achievable joint action plans and opportunities for sharing ESD experiences as part of social learning.

Concept Note can be downloaded here.

Tentative Programme can be downloaded here.

​The outcomes and reports of the conference can be downloaded here.