Message from the Global RCE Service Centre:

Dear colleagues and friends

The global RCE movement has contributed to the implementation of DESD by facilitating multi-stakeholder learning and networking in ESD. We are in the process of compiling RCEs achievements into a publication for launch at the 9th Global RCE Conference in Okayama this November. We invite you to join us in reflecting and taking stock of RCE achievements over the past years. You are encouraged to share with us your reflections as part of RCE self-assessment on success stories and challenges in realising DESD goals through multi-stakeholder learning processes. Please contact us (IAS.RCEServiceCentre@unu.edu or rceservicecentre@ias.unu.edu) by 10 April 2014 if you would like to contribute to the RCE publication.

To further expand the RCE movement and move ahead the global ESD agenda we are encouraging established RCEs to mentor new RCEs in the ongoing application process. We are expecting expressions of interests from potential RCE candidates by 7 April 2014.

With much appreciation,

The Global RCE Service Centre

Upcoming Events

Youth workshop on Vocational Training and Networking

13–18 April 2014

RCE Kakamega-Western will hold a workshop for the youth from 13–18 April 2014. The RCE will implement the workshop in collaboration with the Kenya Youth Network for Sustainable Development and the BUMA Fish and Integrated Farm among other partners. The theme of the workshop is ‘Empowering youth to explore their potential in accelerating education for Sustainability beyond 2014’. The workshop aims to provide a forum for the youth to learn and share practical best practices on sustainable local livelihoods (agriculture). For more information contact: Zippy Shiyoya (zippy.shiyoya@buma.co.ke) and Haron Oichoe (Haron.oichoe@gmail.com).

RCE West Sweden 2014 Ed Summer Seminar

24–26 June 2014

This annual event by RCE West Sweden is dedicated to open learning environments that explore matters of social sustainability and individual and collective action. The Summer Seminar is a social learning laboratory in which you are invited to co-create new futures for yourself, your communities and our world. For more information click here or contact Johan Boman (johan.boman@chem.gu.se).

7th RCE Asia-Pacific Meeting

26–28 August 2014

The 7th RCE Asia-Pacific Meeting will be hosted by RCE Penang in Malaysia from 26–28 August 2014, in conjunction with the International Symposium on Sejahtera Living, Sustainable Community. Further details will be shared with RCEs in due course.

RCE Greater Western Sydney 2014 Youth Eco Summit (YES)

22–23 October 2014

RCE Greater Western Sydney will hold its 2014 Youth Eco Summit (YES) in Sydney, Australia on 22–23 October. YES is an annual award-winning global education event that seeks to build the capacity of students and schools to take action and have a voice on sustainability, through targeted workshop training and project development. For more information click here.

8th World Environmental Education Congress

30 June–2 July 2015

The Centre for Environment and Sustainability (GMV) at the University of Gothenburg (a stakeholder of RCE West Sweden) will host the 8th World Environmental Education Congress (WEEC) on June 30–July 2 2015. The theme of the Congress is ‘Planet and people – how can they develop together?’ For more information click here, and also visit: http://weec2015.org/.

Call for Applications/Papers

Call for Applications for new Regional Centres of Expertise on ESD (RCEs)

The United Nations University has opened for applications for new RCEs. Those organizations interested in becoming an RCE are requested to send expressions of interest to UNU-IAS by Monday, 7 April 2014. RCE candidates are then requested to submit an application and an application summary by Friday, 30 May 2014. The Global RCE Service Centre will communicate with the applicants in July and August, so that applications can be developed in time for the 9th Ubuntu Committee Meeting in the first week of November this year.

For more information regarding guidelines for applications and for further information, visit the Call for Applications page on the UNU-IAS website.

Call for Papers for the SEAMEO Congress

The Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) Secretariat in collaboration with the British Council and the Institute for the Promotion of Teaching Science and Technology (IPST) Thailand will jointly organize the SEAMEO Congress with the theme ‘Southeast Asia in Transition: Re-Thinking Education, Science and Culture for Regional Integration’ on 21–22 October 2014, at the Imperial Queen's Park Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand. The Congress aims to explore new avenues for managing the diverse changes in education, science and culture and enhance regional understanding and cooperation among educators and different stakeholders in Southeast Asia and beyond.

The organizers would like to invite educators, researchers, scholars, university professors, practitioners, teachers to submit the papers on the themes of (1) Re-shaping Education to Bridge Skills Gap; (2) Prospects and Possibilities for Enhancing Science and Technology Education; and (3) Cultural Knowledge and Education for Regional Integration and Development (submission deadline: 31 May).

For more information about the SEAMEO Congress and Abstract Submission Guidelines, please visit www.seameocongress.org.

Call for Applications for the ProSPER.Net-Scopus Young Scientist Award in Sustainable Development

The Prosper.Net-Scopus Young Scientist Award is given annually to young scientists or researchers who have made significant contributions in the area of sustainable development. This year the award is open to those engaged in graduate education and research activities that emphasize sustainable development in three areas: disaster risk reduction, sustainable agriculture, and waste. The deadline for submissions is midnight GMT on 20 May 2014.

Candidates must be employed at institutions of higher education in the Asia–Pacific region (excluding the USA and Canada), and should have completed their PhD degree between 1 June 2009 and 1 June 2014.

As part of the judging process, the top three finalists in each category will be sponsored to present their work in a public symposium that is to be held on 10 July 2014 in Tokyo. Winners will receive a cash award of US$1,000 and a fellowship from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation to spend up to 18 months collaborating with any research group of the recipient’s choosing in Germany.

For further details please visit the ProSPER.Net website.

Call for partnerships on USAID Development Innovation Ventures

A call for proposals on Development Innovation Ventures has been launched by USAID (attach PDF #4). The call requests applications for innovative solutions in all sectors provided they are clearly linked to solving a development challenge. USAID is interested in innovations that are expected to lead to transformative (as opposed to incremental) improvements to development outcomes that could ultimately scale across multiple developing countries and, ideally, multiple sectors in these countries.

RCE Dhaka through Dr. Alimullah Miyan (Chair of RCE Dhaka and Vice Chancellor of IUBAT) would like to take lead in writing a proposal within the framework of Sustainable Vocational School activities as a response to the USAID call. If you are keen to partner with RCE Dhaka please contact Dr. Alimullah Miyan (miyan@iubat.edu) as soon as possible given the tight timelines.

Latest News

Launch Highlights from RCE Murray-Darling

Since its acknowledgement in December 2012 RCE Murray-Darling has been working hard to contribute to research into community action, to sponsor community action that enhances natural environments, and also to coordinate a group of environmental and natural resource managers from across the Murray Basin. RCE Murray-Darling celebrated its official launch in October 2013.

For the launch highlight, view the video here.

For other videos from the RCE members, visit the following links:

Waste Transfer Station

Wodonga Middle Years College

Birallee Neighbourhood Park

Banjora Children's Centre

Participation in Environment and Wildlife Film Festival

From 30th January to 3rd February 2014, RCE Chandigarh participated in an environment and wildlife film festival on mainstreaming biodiversity conservation to promote living in harmony with nature. The event was organized by Centre for Media Studies, New Delhi, and was also attended Environment Information System Centre, Punjab State Council for Science & Technology and Punjab Biodiversity Board. For more information click here.

Kenyan RCEs Hold Meeting in Nairobi

The annual meeting of Kenyan RCE coordinators took place at Multimedia University in Nairobi on 21 February 2014. Through the meeting coordinators reflected on RCE activities and achievements in 2013 and jointly planned for 2014 activities. The annual forum is used to enhance information exchange and sharing of experiences amongst RCE coordinators. Click here for a report on the meeting.

Self- Assessments in RCE Cha-am and RCE Greater Phnom Penh

RCE Cha-am (Thailand) and RCE Greater Phnom Penh (Cambodia) conducted assessment workshops on 27–28 February and 10 March 2014, respectively, using the RCE Assessment and Evaluation framework developed through the coordination of the Global RCE Service Centre. Both workshops identified RCE successes and challenges and served as learning opportunities for improving quality of actions. For more information contact: Ms. Areeporn Sittiyanpaiboon (areeporn_at_siep@yahoo.com) for RCE Cha-am; and Ms. Saruom Ran (cam-erecon@hotmail.com) for RCE Greater Phnom Penh.

Six Japanese RCEs Meet in Okayama

On 18 March 2014, the annual Japanese RCE meeting was held in Okayama where six Japanese RCEs (RCE Greater Sendai, RCE Yokohama, RCE Chubu, RCE Hyogo-Kobe, RCE Okayama and RCE Kitakyushu) gathered to report their activities implemented in 2013 and activities planned for 2014. Representatives from the Ministry of the Environment Japan and UNU-IAS also attended the meeting and shared updates on ESD implementation in Japan and the progress of the global RCE network.

RCE Okayama and UNU-IAS presented the status of preparations for the 9th Global RCE Conference (4–7 November 2014) as well as for other ESD-related conferences including the UNESCO World Conference on ESD. This offered a great opportunity for the participants to discuss their possible contributions to the Conference.

Publications

Learning from Yolanda

The role of education is crucial in building a resilient society and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) is thus one of the key thematic issues for many RCE members. During the 8th Global RCE Conference in Nairobi last November, active discussion led to some concrete action points, one of which was to create a knowledge base for DRR by developing learning case studies that would be classified into preparedness, response and rehabilitation.

The article by RCE Northern Mindanao coordinator Fr. Eric G. Velandria shares his reflections and lessons learned from his experience with Typhoon Haiyan, known as Typhoon Yolanda in the Philippines. It was one of the most powerful storms that devastated large parts of Southeast Asia, particularly the central Philippines on 8 November 2013. His full article is available here. To share your comments and reflections, please contact Eric at (evelandria@gmail.com).

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