Higher education institutions have a central role in enabling scalability of regional sustainability initiatives within an RCE and global sustainability initiatives frameworks. RCEs can play a key role in the transformation of higher education institutions as well as in the up-scaling of ESD initiatives for the benefit of society.

RCEs gathered in Nairobi during the 8th Global RCE Conference (26-29 November 2013) deliberated the idea of scalability of sustainability initiatives in the science-society interface and identified challenges and potentials of scaling sustainability initiatives. The deliberation took place during the Higher Education thematic discussion that was attended by 43 participants from over 26 RCEs.

The participants discussed how to institutionalise successful initiatives between higher education and society. The discussions illuminated conditions necessary for institutionalising ESD initiatives in higher education–community interface. It was pointed out that UNEP is scaling up local university projects through the Global University Partnership for Environment and Sustainability (GUPES) network.

As a build up to the 9th Global RCE Conference in Okayama this November, you are encouraged to contribute to the implementation of the following key action points that emerged from the Nairobi discussion from the Higher Education discussion:

1. Analyse workshop data and share findings through a workshop report on how higher education institutions within an RCE network can enable the institutionalisation of sustainability initiatives.
2. Draw upon workshop findings for further research on framework conditions that can support the scaling of collaboration between higher education institutions and community
3. Further identify how higher education institutions in the RCE network can enable the institutionalisation of sustainability initiatives.
4. Undertake joint activities aimed at enhancing strong collaboration within higher education institutions (e.g. doing joint publications in the newly established open access journal ’Eco-thinking’ by RCE British Columbia/Simon Fraser University).

In the meantime, to build on the RCE contributions to the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD) you are also invited to:

• Share your RCE achievements and challenges in promoting whole-institution approaches to ESD in higher education and beyond.
• Deliberate RCE possibilities for scale up actions on promoting whole-institution approaches to other levels of education beyond 2014.
• Share your reflections on how the existing RCEs can be mobilized and enhanced to increase the visibility of the whole-institution approach as a model for wider adaptation.

Your deliberations will inform discussions at the 9th Global RCE Conference in Okayama.
WELCOME!