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RCE Bulletin

Issue 136: December 2022
MESSAGE FROM THE GLOBAL RCE SERVICE CENTRE:

Dear Colleagues and Friends, 

Greetings from the Global RCE Service Centre! We start off by announcing the awardees of the RCE Youth Biodiversity Art Challenge which was held earlier this year. The creativity on display from entrants was very impressive, as were the ideas for actions that can be taken on biodiversity conservation. Thank you to all participants and please join us in congratulating the awardees! See the full details below.

This month the 12th African Regional Meeting was held - the last of the Regional Meetings for the year - thank you all who attended for their active participation! See below for a report of the event. As planning gets underway for 2023, we have announced the open call for hosting either an RCE Regional Meeting or the Global RCE Conference during 2023 - if your RCE is interested, take a look at the details below (applications close 15 February, 2023, 11:59 pm JST). We look forward to receiving your proposals!

If you would like to share any news, upcoming events, open calls, or publications for an upcoming bulletin, please complete this form and email your submission to the Global RCE Service Centre at rceservicecentre@unu.edu (submissions close on the 15th of each month).

From all at the Global RCE Service Centre, we would like to wish you a Happy Holidays!
 
Please note that the Global RCE Service Centre will be closed during the UNU's official vacation period (26 December, 2022 - 2 January, 2023). We will process your requests and emails when we return in the New Year.

Sincerely,
The Global RCE Service Centre

RCE Youth Biodiversity Art Challenge Awardees Announced

The Global RCE Service Centre at the United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability (UNU-IAS) is pleased to announce the awardees for the RCE Youth Biodiversity Art Challenge! Held earlier this year in partnership with UNESCO, the challenge was open to anyone aged 35 or younger worldwide.

This year, the challenge sought to put a spotlight on the species, habitats, and ecosystems that we need to work to protect, and asked participants to create works of art with a focus on SDG 14 (life below water) or SDG 15 (life on land). Submissions were received across two categories (Animals & Plants and Habitats & Ecosystems), with 39 entries coming from 15 countries, from participants aged under 15 through to 35 years of age. Artworks were expressed through a range of mediums, including drawings, paintings, craft work, digital art, and photographs.
 
Please join us in congratulating the awardees for the 2022 RCE Youth Biodiversity Art Challenge:

Animals & Plants category

Outstanding Artwork

  • Elmi Imellya Yakil (RCE Penang)

Acknowledged Artwork

  • Karina Sayo Uotani

Honourable Mention

  • Aiden Chew
  • Ian Chew
  • Chihiro Arakawa
  • Siti Nursaharah Binti Sabarudin (RCE Penang)

Habitats & Ecosystems category

Outstanding Artwork

  • Maxine Bryant Fratta

Acknowledged

  • Bukunmi Oyewole
  • Emily Dolan

Honourable Mention

  • Gungun Chauhan (RCE Lucknow)
  • Asif Ahmad Siddiqui (RCE Lucknow)
  • Chidchanoke Kasetpibal

See the awarded artworks here, and watch the video celebrating the Challenge.

Open Call to Host RCE Events in 2023

The Global RCE Service Centre is excited to announce an open call to host RCE events in 2023.
 
The Regional RCE Meetings in Africa, the Americas, Asia-Pacific and Europe, and the Global RCE Conference continue to be important mechanisms to create synergies within the network and specifically within and across regions. These events provide a platform for discussion, networking, the sharing of knowledge, and learning.
 
RCEs interested in hosting either a regional meeting or the Global RCE Conference are encouraged to apply. Applications are currently being accepted to host the following events:

  • 15th Asia-Pacific Regional Meeting
  • 13th African Regional Meeting
  • 12th Americas Regional Meeting
  • Europe Regional Meeting 2023
  • 13th Global RCE Conference

To find out more about the process, view the open call here. The deadline for applications is Wednesday 15 February, 2023 (11:59pm JST).

Upcoming Events

5th National Youth Conference on ESD - Sustainability Ambassadors' Program
29-31 December, 2022, Bayero University Kano, Nigeria

Organised by RCE Kano, Centre for Gender Studies Bayero University Kano and Centre for Renewable Energy and Action on Climate Change, the 5th Youth Conference will be held from 29-31 December, 2022, part of the Sustainability Ambassadors' Program. The three-day event will be focused on leadership, and is designed to complement the 4th Conference held in November 2021. Learn more and view the concept note here.

Open Calls

Young Advocates 4 ESD Challenge

Young people are a critical population who are leading ESD-related projects but often do not have the means to access institutional visibility that organisations often can. For this reason, UNESCO officially launched the Young Advocates 4 ESD Challenge.
 
UNESCO are calling upon all young people under 25 years old to share their voices and stories about how they are promoting ESD-related projects and activities. Young advocates for ESD are encouraged to participate in the challenge in order to have the opportunity to be featured in a UNESCO web story and participate in future ESD events. Participate in the challenge here.

Call for Applications: International Training Program LoCoFoRest

The Swedish Forest Agency (SFA), in partnership with Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) and The Eco-Innovation Foundation (EIF), financed by the Swedish International Agency for Development Cooperation (Sida), are conducting an international training program, 'Locally Controlled Forest Restoration - a governance and market oriented approach for resilient landscapes' (LoCoFoRest in short). Applications are open to young professionals in Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Lao PDR, Nepal, Thailand and Vietnam, from government, private sector, civil society and academia sectors and who have an interest in forest and landscape restoration broadly for social, economic and ecological safe-guard and development. Learn more about the program here. Applications are open until 6 January, 2023.

Localizing the UN SDGs through Education, Training and Regional Collaboration

In this cohort-based course starting in February 2023, 'Localizing the UN SDGs through Education, Training and Regional Collaboration', leaders from RCE Americas Networks from the U.S. and Canada will share experiences, case studies, and lessons learned on how universities and colleges can help lead multi-stakeholder collaborations that localise and advance the SDGs in their regions.

Universities and colleges around the world are making commitments to advance the UN SDGs through their teaching, research, operations, and partnerships. One proven model for making good on this commitment is to establish an RCE - regional multi-stakeholder networks, many grounded in higher education, that advance the SDGs through education and training. There are currently over 170 RCEs across the world, including 27 in the Americas. To learn more, a free webinar 'Introduction to the Regional Center of Expertise as a Model for ESD Integration' will be held on 18 January, 2023 - see further details here. The course flyer can also be viewed here.

Latest News

African RCEs Gather to Discuss Their Roles in Climate Action at Regional Meeting

Under the theme 'Role of African RCEs in Climate Action', the 12th African RCE Regional Meeting was held from 28-30 November, 2022 at Kenyatta University Conference Centre (KUCC) Nairobi, Kenya, hosted by RCE Greater Nairobi. Over 400 delegates across the world attended the meeting, either in-person or virtually, with representatives from 10 RCEs in Africa attending in-person.

Presentations from a range of speakers emphasised the need to collaborate with various stakeholders from the government, industries, civil society organisations, local governments and media to address the climate crisis, while parallel sessions covered various aspects of addressing climate change by sub themes: Environmental Education Sustainability for Climate Change; Improved Livelihood for Communities through Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation; Engaging and Empowering Youth and Children as Champions for Climate Change Action; and Skills-driven Education, Science and Technology and Innovation (STI) for Climate Action. Read more

(Photo credit: Lincoln Mwangi)

UNU-IAS Joins Partnership for Reducing Emissions through Carbon Markets under Paris Agreement

UNU-IAS has joined the Paris Agreement Article 6 Implementation Partnership, which aims to support global emission reductions through implementation of markets for trading carbon credits. The partnership, initiated by Japan, was established on 16 November 2022 during the Sharm el-Sheikh Climate Change Conference (COP27). Read more

ESD BOOKS, PUBLICATIONS AND OTHER

Policy Brief Provides Guidance for Cities to Manage the Financial Impact of COVID-19

A new UNU-IAS policy brief provides recommendations for managing the impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on city finances, detailing how municipalities can improve fiscal policy and financial management systems to accelerate recovery and build resilience. The brief, 'Managing the Impact of COVID-19 on City Finances', identifies strategies such as fiscal optimisation, participatory budgeting, and public-private partnerships to avoid financial collapse and deliver sustainable development actions. Read more