8th Tongyeong ESD International Forum, 21-22 October, 2016

Sejartera Forest is the outcome of Tongyeong RCE’s Decade of Education for SD, 2005-2015. The 8th Tongyeong ESD International Forum 2016, 21-22 October, 2016 under the theme of “Sejahtera Forest for All” will bring ESD friends of the Asia-Pacific region together to share and discuss about RCE Tongyeong's programmes, and facilities. This Forum will be held at the Sejartera Forest.

Concept Note

Since 2009, RCEs in Asia-Pacific region discussed the need for an overarching joint initiative of the region. During the 5th Global RCEs Conference 2010 in Curitiba, Brazil, Asia-Pacific RCEs agreed on the following vision statement of the continental platform. “The Asia-Pacific Continental Platform is a way to build good collaboration among RCEs in our endeavors towards protecting the Asia-Pacific culture and the way of life in order to promote sustainability. The Asia-Pacific Continental Platform promotes Asia-Pacific perspectives on sustainable development and ESD, based on the traditional wisdom of coexistence.”

Under this vision, it was discussed that the overarching initiative for interested RCEs in Asia-Pacific would be called ‘Sejahtera Project.’ Sejahtera means sustainability in ten aspects used in South Eastern Asia and symbolizes the philosophy and wisdom of the Asia-Pacific region that will shed light upon the path to sustainability.

As a part of the Sejahtera Project, it was proposed by RCE Tongyeong, Korea that it would dedicate the establishment of the Sejahtera Centre, a three-story education centre within a 200,000m² RCE Eco-Park, consequently named “Sejahtera Forest,” to serve the promotion of ESD and the RCE network in Asia-Pacific as a common platform. Since the opening of “Sejahtera Forest and the Sejahtera Centre for RCEs in Asia Pacific” on May 23, 2015, over 70,000 people visited the Sejahtera Forest, including visitors from 23 RCEs. As a member of the Key Partner Network of UNESCO Global Action Program on ESD, the Sejahtera Centre aims to contribute to strengthening partnership among RCEs in Asia-Pacific and to promote ESD in the region.

Join this year’s Forum to share experiences at the Sejahtera Forest, to review its role as an ESD platform after one and a half years’ service, and share thoughts on how to make a better use of it as a new window of opportunities it creates for all as a platform for ESD in the Asia Pacific region. 

The programme and registration form can be found here.

General information on location and transport can be downloaded here.

Dates: 
Friday, October 21, 2016 - 07:30 to Saturday, October 22, 2016 - 23:00