The Education for Sustainable Development Project at UNU-IAS has today launched a new publication, 'RCE Contributions to a More Sustainable World: Celebrating Five Years of Innovative Projects on Education for Sustainable Development (2015-2019)'. 

The publication highlights and celebrates some of the outstanding contributions that Regional Centres of Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development (RCEs) have made to implement the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through education at local and regional levels, during the first five years of the SDGs as well as the Global Action Programme (GAP) on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) from 2015-2019.  

Featuring 12 education projects which have all been recipients of the RCE Awards over the last five years, the collection of case studies demonstrate how RCEs have addressed local sustainable development challenges with innovative solutions, and provide diverse examples of how the SDGs can be implemented at the local level through quality education, training and public awareness. Furthermore, the projects highlight how distinct sustainable development capacities, expertise and resources within the global RCE network have been drawn upon to implement transformative learning to foster sustainable development.  

Spanning multiple SDGs across the themes of People, Planet, and Prosperity, and across all regions of the globe (Africa & Middle East, the Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe), the inspiring projects display the diversity of approaches taken, which can be seen via the introduction of various methods (such as role play simulations and experiential learning), different models of implementation, and platforms (such as geoportals).  

Projects range from focusing on sustainable agricultural practices, curriculum development, how cities can respond to climate change, green infrastructure, public transportation, food security, teacher training, the development of pedagogic frameworks, and much more – all underpinned by education. As a result, the impacts of the projects featured have served to educate communities around areas such as water conservation, nutrition, climate action, protecting marine environments, sea level rise and flooding, and sustainable consumption and production. 

Not only do the projects touch on many of the SDGs, but many have interwoven themes, multiple audiences, and were conducted across a range of ecosystems, which emphasises the multi-dimensional nature of these innovative projects, many of which also have linkages to education and sustainable development policies. 

Through their projects, RCEs have, and continue to, transform education and learning via concrete actions within their communities, to create a more sustainable future for all.  

The detailed activities and practices developed and employed by RCEs within the publication provide examples whereby local knowledge, expertise and best practices can be adapted and applied to other regions. As Dr. Philip Vaughter, Research Fellow, UNU-IAS notes, “It is hoped that these projects can inspire other educators and education policy makers to take a serious look at the need for partnership and action within their own communities as they address any number of sustainable development challenges that they are facing.” 

The publication can be viewed online here.

A copy of the publication can be downloaded here.

To find out more about the RCE Network, please visit the RCE Portal: https://www.rcenetwork.org/portal/