Photo: RCE Greater Dhaka

RCE Greater Dhaka held their Annual Meeting for 2017 at the International University of Business Agriculture and Technology (IUBAT) campus on 27 November, 2017.

Among the participants were Mr. Md. Monjur Hossain, Secretary, Bangladesh National Commission for UNESCO (BNCU), as the Chief Guest and Mrs. Sun Lei, Education Programme Specialist of UNESCO, Dhaka as the Guest of Honour.

RCE Greater Dhaka introduced their activities and initiatives, including IUBAT’s Green Campus policy and its mandatory Environmental Science and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) education programme for all undergraduates, producing 7,500 ESD-skilled undergraduates to date. Furthermore, it runs a greywater recycling plant, is involved with youth mobilisation initiatives and is also a member of World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) which links volunteers to work with organic farmers.

‘Green Savers’, a nationally awarded organisation partnering with RCE Greater Dhaka to promote greenery in Dhaka city highlighted their activities, including the establishment of rooftop gardens in urban areas, their management of an oxygen bank programme in schools and the development of green apps.

Mrs. Sun Lei emphasised the role of the Global Action Programme (GAP) in promoting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and how attitudes and behaviour can be changed via quality education, an area UNESCO is working on.

The Chief Guest, Mr. Monjur Hossain, described the present activities of the Ministry of Education on SDGs, highlighting the 97% enrolment rate in primary education along with the urgent needs to address gender equality and quality education. Commitment was given to support RCE Greater Dhaka in its ESD activities for working towards the SDG goals.

The meeting concluded with an address from Prof Dr. Abdur Rab, Vice Chancellor of IUBAT, who spoke on the role of education and emphasised the importance of affecting attitude change towards students in terms of ESD. Dr. Rab also acknowledged the RCE Youth Forum for their youth leadership, encouraging them to set specific goals and continue their work on sustainable projects.