Issue 69: May 2017

 

RCE Logo

Issue 69: May 2017

 

Message from the Global RCE Service Centre:

 

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

RCE Webinar Series now Online!

Please visit our new section under capacity development 'RCE Webinars'. Here you will find anything you need related to RCEs specifically from how to submit your report, how to use the Search function or the popular RCE Mentoring webinar. We look forward to your feedback. Watch this space as more webinars are coming soon!

NEW: RCE Portal Search

Always wanted to know what other RCEs do? Need to connect to other RCEs and their projects? The new Search function on the RCE Portal will help you with that. Simple and Advanced Search allows you to type either simple keywords or refine your search by RCEs, region, project, ESD topic and more. Watch this simple 30 seconds tutorial, if you are unsure how to use it or just try it out. It is quite self-explanatory. Read more

Mark Your Calendar: 2017 Annual Reports can be submitted from 1st June 2017.

Please submit your report and activities. As of June 1st, activities for 2017 can also be reported. RCE Award applications will open 1 September 2017 - 31 October 2017. Projects receiving the Outstanding Flagship Award Category will receive one travel grant for each project to join one of the upcoming RCE meetings / conferences in 2018. Read more

DEADLINE EXTENDED: Open Call for Youth Focal Points – a Global RCE Youth Initiative

Anyone active in an RCE, aged 16-35 and interested in coordinating with other RCEs in their country, region, and around the world, can apply. Deadline for application is June 30, 2017. More information can be found on the RCE Portal

Obituary: Alimullah Miyan

It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing away of Prof Dr M Alimullah Miyan. Prof. Miyan was not only a highly respected academic who founded and ran a prestigious university, but he was also an active and passionate member of the RCE community. He spearheaded the founding of RCE Greater Dhaka, and over the years since the RCE acknowledgement, he made time to attend global and regional RCE meetings and contributed to the discussions and inter-RCE networking. He was a pioneer of non-government universities in Bangladesh and Founder and Vice-Chancellor of the International University of Business Agriculture and Technology (IUBAT).

Two new RCEs join the network - RCE Czechia, Czech Republic and RCE Kozhikode, India

RCE Czechia is the first RCE in the Czech Republic with only a modest four RCEs in Central and Eastern Europe (Albania, Russia and Serbia). RCE Czechia’s stakeholders are a community of 22 partners - Czech universities, schools, NGOs, representatives of local government and small-scale entrepreneurs, who together aim to build a culture of sustainability and involve citizens in democratic processes. Responding to local and regional development issues RCE Czechia will promote economic practices based on the sustainable use of local natural and cultural assets for the benefit of the communities and the environment. RCE Czechia aims to cover the entire Czech Republic through its activities.

Kozhikode is located at the South West coast of Peninsular India. To the East it is bordered with the majestic Western Ghat Mountains, which are considered one of the 24 biodiversity hotspots of the world. RCE Kozhikode aims to create an environment free from pollution and without injudicious, irrational developmental programmes destroying the subtle equilibrium of the ecosystem, specifically in the aquatic and wetland ecosystems of the district. RCE Kozhikode aims to develop an Institute for Sustainability Development to meet the ecological challenges, and educate people on sustainable development. More information on RCE Kozhikode will soon be available on the RCE Portal.

Sincerely,

The Global RCE Service Centre

 

Upcoming Events

RCE Lagos Symposium on ESD in the Future of Youths

July 26, 2017, Lagos, Nigeria

Youth in the region of Lagos are still not sufficiently aware on sustainability issues. RCE Lagos is organizing the event “The place of ESD in the Future of Youths in the Region”. Read more

7th Africa RCE Meeting

NEW DATE: 2-4 August 2017, Lusaka, Zambia

RCE Lusaka, Zambia is delighted to host the African RCE Meeting in 2017. This year’s theme of the meeting is “RCE Initiatives: Milestones for Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals”. The concept note, fund support application form and other related materials are available here. Application deadline is 25 June 2017 midnight at Central African Time.*Please note that the schedule has been changed from the previously announced schedule.

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 (WEEC 2017), featuring the theme of Culture/Environment: Weaving New Connections. More information and the tentative programme can be found here.

Youth Leadership Program: Community Resilience for Promoting SDGs in a Changing Climate

12-21 September 2017, Yogyakarta, Indonesia at Universitas Gajah Mada.

Postgraduate students and young professionals with the motivation to be an agent of change and participate in creating innovative solutions that will sustainably improve quality of life. Read more

For more events visit our ESD calendar.

 

Open Calls

New Course on ESD in Higher Education, SWEDESD

SWEDESD, together with Åbo Akademi University and the Baltic University Programme (BUP), have developed a new course for university teachers in ESD that will run from September 2017 to February 2018. Deadline is 20 June 2017. Read more

ASEAN Data Science Explorers

ASEAN youths in Southeast Asia are invited to help shape the future by harnessing the power of data to highlight key issues in the region. Join the competition today if you're an ASEAN national above 16 years old and studying at a tertiary institution in Southeast Asia! Deadline is 16 June 2017. Read more

Wenhui Award 2017: Innovations in the Professional Development of Teachers

The Award will go to two individuals or institutions from the Asia and Pacific region. The winners will each receive a Certificate of Excellence and prize money of US$ 20,000. Read more

Lights, Camera, Action - Win Your Way to COP 23 in Bonn

Make an engaging maximum 3-minute video about your activities and submit in online. Win a round trip to COP23 in Bonn, Germany this November 2017 and a position as a youth reporter at COP23, where you will assist the UNFCCC Newsroom team. Submit between 10 May 2017 - 18 August 2017. Read more

#WhosAccountable? Survey for the Upcoming GEM Report 2017 on Accountability in Education

The Global Education Monitoring Report (GEM Report), which monitors progress towards the education targets in the SDGs framework, launched a survey to feed information into the next annual GEM report, which focuses on Accountability in Education. Read more

GOI Peace Foundation International Essay Contest for Young People

Applicants (pupils up to 14 years old, and youth (15 – 25)) can submit their essays on “Learning from Nature” in English, French, Spanish, German or Japanese until 15 June 2017. Read more

Youth Citizen Entrepreneur Competition

Young entrepreneurs (age 15-35) are invited to submit their ideas and projects with a societal impact, which champion and implement one or more of the 17 SDGs. Deadline is 31st July. Read more

MOFCOM-sponsored International MSc in Environment Management and Sustainable Development

The International MSc in Environment Management and Sustainable Development coordinated by the UN Environment-Tongji Institute of Environment for Sustainable Development, targets governmental officials, research fellows, and senior management on their master and doctor education in China. Deadline is 30th June, 2017. Read more

 

Latest News

RCE Graz-Styria Celebrates Ten Year Anniversary

Ten years ago, RCE Graz-Styria was officially established. Since 2007 and closely linked with the idea of sustainability at the University of Graz, the RCE has repeatedly shown strong research expertise in internationally oriented projects. During the ten year ceremony at the same university, this first “big” birthday was given due applause. A sustainability fair and World Cafe ‘Treading Alternative Paths Together’, organized by RCE Graz-Styria and its partners, followed the RCE celebration. Read more

RCE Trang Reorganized to Tackle Current Challenges

After a decade of existence, since its official acknowledgement by UNU in 2007, RCE Trang, Thailand had been admirably active in carrying out ESD/SD activities and its collaborations with other RCEs in the Asia-Pacific region. Recently the RCE’s stakeholders moved to reorganize and strengthen RCE Trang, to broaden the network, and make it more inclusive and responsive to the needs of the communities. Read more

Sixteen Cities Receive UNESCO Learning City Award 2017

Sixteen cities in total have been selected to receive a UNESCO Learning City Award 2017 in recognition of their outstanding progress in promoting education and lifelong learning within their communities. Read more

UNU-IAS Continues to Forge Partnership with ASEAN on ESD

In order to strengthen its engagement with the ASEAN Member States in the area of Environmental Education (EE) and ESD, UNU-IAS participated in the 9th Meeting of the ASEAN Working Group on Environmental Education (AWGEE) in Bangkok, on 23-24 May 2017. As a contribution to the implementation of the ASEAN Environmental Education Action Plan (AEEAP), UNU-IAS leads the annual offering of the ASEAN+3 Leadership Programme on Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP), in collaboration with other UN agencies and the ASEAN Secretariat, the Hanns Seidel Foundation and the host country’s Ministry or Department of Environment. Indonesia offered to host the 2017 Programme in October with a focus on SCP (SDG 12) and the interconnections with other SDGs. Read more

Turning Passion into a Career

Brittany Hardiman (RCE Greater Western Sydney) explains how she translated her passion for sustainability into a career. Brittany works as a Sustainability Officer at Western Sydney University. Here she discusses the varied opportunities she had professionally since graduating from the School of Science and Health. Watch the video Read more

Dzulkifli Abdul Razak Receives Universitas 21 2017 Gilbert Medal

The International Association of Universities immediate past President Prof Tan Sri Dzulkifli Abdul Razak and long-standing Ubuntu Committee member has been awarded the Universitas 21 2017 Gilbert Medal. Read more

Finalist Teams Announced in Wege Prize 2017

Five teams made it to the finals with interesting and innovative projects on how to change economies and make them more sustainable. Read more

Philippines and India Win the Youth Photo Competition on SDG Target 4.7

The three winners of the youth photo competition on the themes of Target 4.7 in the SDG 4 on education, organized by the Global Education Monitoring Report Team, were announced. Read more

 

ESD Books, Publications and Other

Impact Evaluation Practice, 2nd Edition, Gertler, P., et al., World Bank Group

The book provides practical guidelines for designing impact evaluations, along with a nontechnical overview of impact evaluation methods. It has plenty of examples, especially in schools. Book and accompanying website which has some more education materials.

UNU-WIDER: Research Brief: Demographics, employment and wage trends in South Africa

To set itself up for long-term economic growth and development, and maximize the poverty reducing power of its economic growth, South Africa needs to not only create jobs but also address trends in the structure of its workforce. Read more

Education and Sustainability: Paradigms, Policies and Practices in Asia, ed. M.Y. Merrill, et al.

This book is an introduction to the state of sustainability education in Asia. It covers national policies, institutional policies and practices within universities, sustainability considerations for teacher training at schools of education, and pedagogical practices for sustainability in higher education. Read more.

Finnish Curriculum for Sustainability

The 8th issue of the IBE In-Progress Reflections series on Current and Critical Issues in Curriculum, Learning and Assessment, entitled ‘The conceptualisation of competencies related to sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles’, describes the role of sustainable development and the importance of learning a sustainable lifestyle in Finnish basic education. Read more.

This is a publication of UNU-IAS RCE Global Service Centre.

If you wish to contribute to the monthly bulletin or have news, upcoming events, or publications, you would like to share, please use this form. You can mail it to the Global RCE Service Centre: rceservicecentre@unu.edu. Submissions must be made by the 15th of every month. In addition, we encourage you to continue using the RCE Portal to exchange ideas, share expertise and resources and deliberate emerging sustainability issues towards ESD implementation at a global level.

Please send your comments, suggestions and materials to rceservicecentre@unu.edu.

To unsubscribe click here.

United Nations University

5–53–70 Jingumae
Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-8925
Japan

To opt-out of all United Nations University contact system messages: Opt-out