Upcoming Events

7th Africa RCE Meeting

9-11 August 2017, Lusaka, Zambia

RCE Lusaka, Zambia is delighted to host the African RCE Meeting in 2017. More information will soon be posted on the RCE Portal.

European RCE Meeting

8 - 9 September 2017, Dortmund, Germany

The European RCE Meeting will be held back to back with the Conference Fair Friends, a trade fair for Sustainable Lifestyles, Fair Trade and Social Responsibility, in Dortmund. RCE Ruhr and RCE Oldenburg-Muensterland will organize the meeting. Feedback from European RCEs is requested for possible themes for the conference. More information will soon be posted on the RCE Portal.

6th Americas RCE Meeting

14-15, September 2017, Vancouver, Canada

RCE British Columbia (Northern Cascades) will be hosting this year’s regional meeting in the Americas. The conference will be held back to back with the World Environment Education Congress WEEC2017, featuring the theme of Culture/Environment: Weaving New Connections. More information on these meetings will soon be posted on the RCE Portal.

Adult Learning and Education (CONFINTEA-VI)

25-27 October 2017, Suwon/Osan, South Korea

Join the Mid-Term Review of the Sixth International Conference on Adult Learning and Education (CONFINTEA-VI) held in South Korea in October. Read more

3rd International Conference of Low Carbon Asia and Beyond (ICLCA)

1-3 November 2017, Bangkok, Thailand

ProSPER.Net members Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) and King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi (KUMTT) serve as the secretariat of the conference. The conference will be hosted by KUMTT. Deadline for asbstract submission has been extended to 31st May. Read more

For more events visit our ESD calendar.

Open Calls

London South Bank University Offers Scholarships for Caribbean, East and South Africa

RCE London's stakeholder London South Bank University is offering Commonwealth scholarships for distance learning applicants from the Caribbean, East & Southern African Commonwealth countries. Deadline is 12 May 2017. This programme is one of the courses mentioned in the new UNESCO Booklet of UK Best Practice Case Studies. To apply click here.

TERI University offers MSc Environmental Studies and Resource Management

Admissions are open for 2017-18 session of the M.Sc. Environmental Studies and Resource Management programme offered by ProSPER.Net Member TERI University. Deadline to apply for the Masters is 5th May 2017 and for the distance learning programme 30th June 2017. Read more

ESD Okayama Award 2017

RCE Okayama, Japan has launched the ‘ESD Okayama Award 2017’. The Award rewards outstanding ESD practices in local communities around the world to showcase ESD and to support organizations carrying out ESD activities. Deadline is 30 June 2017. Read more

10 YFP Call on Sustainable Lifestyles and Education Programme: Reduction of CO2 Emissions

Call for proposal for the Sustainable Lifestyles and Education Programme: Reduction of CO2 emission arising from household consumption of energy, food, or mobility through innovative multi-stakeholder partnerships. Funded by the Ministry of the Environment of Japan, and jointly administered by the UNEP, the 10YFP Secretariat and IGES, projects will receive USD 300,000 – 350,000, and they will run for up to two years. MAC members, Programme Partners, and others who commit to becoming the partners can apply. Deadline is 8th May. Read more

MOFCOM-sponsored International MSc in Environment Management and Sustainable Development

The International Masters Programme in Environment Management and Sustainable Development, sponsored by the Ministry of Commerce of People’s Republic of China, and coordinated by the UN Environment-Tongji Institute of Environment for Sustainable Development, targets governmental officials, research fellows, and senior managerial personnel on their master and doctor education in China. Deadline is 30th June, 2017. Read more

Postdoctoral Fellowship Programme IPBES/UNAM

The National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) in collaboration with the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) offers one Postdoctoral position in international environmental policy and the multiple values of ecosystems and biodiversity. Deadline is 15 May 2017. Deadline is 15 May 2017.Read more

Transformative Action Award Open for Submissions

Cities, regions and civil society organisations are invited to submit their applications for the first Transformative Action Award. The Award recognises ongoing or concluded innovative local and regional initiatives that achieve a socio-cultural, socio-economic and technological transformation of societies by using the pathways identified in the Basque Declaration. Deadline is 19 June 2017. Read more

The Asia-Pacific 3-Minutes-Thesis Competition

The Asia-Pacific 3MT Competition held since 2016 has now expanded to include new regions. Winners of the competition will receive research grants. Read more

NEFCO: Apply for the Programme for Environment and Climate Co-operation Grant

The Nordic Environment Finance Corporation (NEFCO) is currently accepting applications for its Programme for Environment and Climate Co-operation (PECC) grant to finance co-operation projects between Nordic and North-West Russian non-commercial partners. Read more

UNESCO-Hamdan bin Rashid Al-Maktoum Prize for Outstanding Practice and Performance of Teachers

The UNESCO-Hamdan bin Rashid Al-Maktoum Prize for Outstanding Practice and Performance in Enhancing the Effectiveness of Teachers is open for nominations. It amounts to USD $300,000 shared equally by three winners. Deadline for nominations is 31 October 2017. Read more

Latest News

Informal Sector and Inclusive Growth: RCE Kano and International Partners Propose Informal Sector Agenda

The “Conference on Informality and Inclusive Green Growth: Achieving Sustainable Development through Inclusive Growth” was the first gathering of this kind. The Center for Renewable Energy and Action on Climate Change (CREACC), RCE Kano through the ELLA Programme on Informality and with the support from Practical Action UK, met on 27 February, 2017 in Kano, Nigeria, to renew their commitment to sustainable development and inclusive growth in Nigeria. Read more

UNESCO and TERI Organize ESD Young Leadership Programme

UNESCO and TERI's ESD Young Leadership Training programme is designed for young people who are leaders in sustainable development. The purpose of the training is to empower youth who can inspire and mobilize others to take action towards more sustainable, just and resilient communities. Read more

UN Alliance Meeting on Climate Change Education: More Synergies And Action

During the UN Alliance Meeting on Education, Training, and Public Awareness on Climate Change, on 3-7 April 2017, participants from over a dozen UN agencies discussed the status of education and training programmes on climate change within the UN system. UNU-IAS researcher Philip Vaughter joined the meeting. Read his report Read more

ICLEI Calls on Governments to Achieve Access to Water and Sanitation for All

On the occasion of World Water Day 2017, ICLEI, UCLG, GWOPA and the World Water Council released a statement declaring that "the responsibility for SDG 6 on access to water and sanitation for all falls principally to local authorities and cannot be achieved without good local governance, the sustainable management of natural resources and effective urbanisation." The statement is available in English, Spanish, and French.

IPBES External Reviews

IPBES announced that the period for external review of the second order drafts of the thematic assessments on land degradation and restoration and of the four regional assessments (Africa, Asia-Pacific, Americas, and Europe and Central Asia) on biodiversity and ecosystem services is approaching. This is also the case for the first order drafts of their summaries for policymakers. Read more

New UN CC:Learn e-tutorial on Climate Information and Services

The tutorial is based on the WISER toolkit “Mainstreaming/Integrating Climate Information and Services into Legislation, Development Policies, Plans and Practices”, and has been tailored to professionals in national, regional, and local governments and other relevant stakeholders. The e-tutorial is structured around answering three questions: What are climate information and services? What is their role in development planning and policy? How can decision-makers strengthen their application? Read more

European Commission Reveals Sustainable Mobility City Champions

The European Commission has revealed the finalists of the European Mobility Week Award 2016 and the 5th Sustainable Urban Mobility Planning (SUMP) Award on urban freight. The finalists for the former are Lisbon (Portugal), Malmö (Sweden) and Skopje (former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia). Lisbon scored well for making its public space available to pedestrians, while Malmö’s focus was on bicycles as a sustainable means of transport. Read more

New EU Research Tool Makes Energy Planning for Governments Easier

The Pan-European Thermal Atlas (Peta4) is an interactive online map of the heating and cooling demand, efficiency and supply in Europe. It allows European governments, businesses, consultants, and academics to assess thermal resources and thermal demand in any given region.

Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy Alliance (GCoM) Launched With Over 7,000 Cities

The GCoM is the largest, global coalition of mayors and local officials with 7,436 committed cities and towns from 121 countries, representing more than 677,738,000 people – 9% of the world population. Cities and towns engaged in the GCoM are raising climate ambitions, advancing climate justice and paving the way for a better quality of life and economic development in their communities. Read more

Water and Sanitation for Cities in the Spotlight at LOCS4Africa

A key outcome of the congress LoCS4Africa 2017 was mayors unanimously endorsing the Ekurhuleni Declaration on Water and Sanitation for Cities. The Declaration sets out collective principles and a course of action for the future of water and sanitation governance in African cities. Read more

UNESCO Institute for Statistics Blog

Read the latest entry: Why do we need a paradigm shift in education data to build the learning generation? Read more

ESD Books, Publications and Other

UNU-IAS Policy Brief “Mainstreaming Socio-Ecological Production Landscape Management Approaches”

A new policy brief “Mainstreaming Socio-Ecological Production Landscape Management Approaches” written by UNU-IAS researchers investigates how sustainable landscape-management techniques can be better integrated into common practice, and provides a series of recommendations for related policy and decision-making processes. Read more.

UNESCO Policy Brief on Community Based Learning

To stress to policymakers the wide and far-reaching benefits of community-based learning, the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) has published a new policy brief with four main policy recommendations: 1. provide resources for community-based learning; 2. create mechanisms for partnerships and networking; 3. capacity building; 4. support learning content development. Read more.

The Resource Guide for Green Economy Learning Institutions

The Resource Guide serves as a connector between individuals and institutions in the green economy space. The goal is to expand this Guide to build up knowledge on green economy. Read more.

National Footprint Accounts of over 200 Countries

Global Footprint Network publishes the annual National Footprint Accounts, including the Ecological Footprint and biocapacity for over 200 countries and regions. Read more.

2017 Atlas of Sustainable Development Goals: a new visual guide to data and development

With over 150 maps and data visualizations, the new publication charts the progress societies are making towards the 17 SDGs. Read more.