The Global RCE Service Centre is excited to announce an open call to host RCE Regional Meetings in 2024.

Applications are being accepted to host the following events:

• 16th Asia-Pacific Regional Meeting
• 14th African Regional Meeting
• 13th Americas Regional Meeting
• Europe Regional Meeting 2024

The Global RCE Network is guided by principles of open communication, fair play, the sharing of ideas and support of each other. The opportunity to meet and connect, either face-to-face or virtually, provides benefits to grow together as a whole RCE community. 

Cross-cultural, interdisciplinary and multi-stakeholder networking creates opportunities for brainstorming, piloting and up-scaling policies for integrating sustainability thinking into all aspects of society. Our ideas, projects and collaborations are what is needed, as is our capacity as a network. It strengthens the interface between science, policy and society, thereby linking education and development.

The Regional RCE Meetings in Asia-Pacific, Africa, the Americas, and Europe continue to be important mechanisms to create synergies within the network and to monitor and evaluate RCEs' progress at the regional level. These events provide a platform for discussion, networking, the sharing of knowledge, and learning.

Please note that the Global RCE Conference is held biannually. The next call for hosting the 14th Global RCE Conference (scheduled for 2025) is planned to be announced in late 2024.

WHO CAN APPLY TO HOST?

RCEs in the Global RCE Network that are interested in hosting a Regional Meeting are encouraged to apply. RCEs may host the Meeting as individual RCEs or work with other RCEs as joint hosts. Because RCEs are multi-stakeholder networks, participation from different actors (organisations and individuals) within the RCE is critical in hosting duties.

Applicants are encouraged to research any global, regional, or local ESD/SD conferences or other activities that are within their geographic area which may be synergistic with RCE activities when proposing a date and venue. The Global RCE Service Centre will gladly work with the selected RCE(s) on designing a conference programme and coordinating a timeline, as well as promoting events via the UNU-IAS channels. Please note, however, the meeting host is requested to cover the organisational costs.

DATES:
The suggested timeframes for holding the Regional Meetings in 2024 are the following:

Regional Meetings: 1 June 2024 – 31 October 2024

TO APPLY:
Please complete the Proposal to Host RCE Event 2024 Form, to be submitted with an official letter of interest, a tentative programme, budget sheet, and any other supporting documents (optional), to the Global RCE Service Centre at RCEServiceCentre@unu.edu by Monday 4 March  2024 (12:00pm noon JST).

For reference, the following information is requested in the proposal form:

• Proposed dates (usually 2-3 days)
• Proposed modality (in-person, hybrid or online)
• Proposed theme or thematic areas for the meeting
• Relevance of the theme to the region
• Objectives  
• Expected outputs
• Location and capacity of proposed venue
• Accessibility of the proposed venue and accommodation
• Timeline showing preparation of the proposed meeting
• Tentative sources of funding and proposed budget outline
• Contact person(s) with relevant assigned tasks and/or responsibilities
• Any events that will be held back-to-back with the meeting
• Visa requirement reference (for meeting participants) e.g. URL for a website of your country's department of immigration

Please note that following the submission deadline, the Global RCE Service Centre will conduct interviews with host candidates to aid in the selection process.

For any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the Global RCE Service Centre at RCEServiceCentre@unu.edu.