(Report submitted by RCE Salisbury, edits by Global RCE Service Centre)

RCE Salisbury hosted the 10th Americas Regional Meeting from 5-7 October, 2021 (6:00 pm – 8:00 pm EDT), to explore the theme 'Creating an Ongoing Americas Learning Space for Sustainable Development', with the support of the United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability (UNU-IAS). 

There were 526 registrants and 342 participants for the virtual Zoom Meeting. Of the registrants, 515 were from an RCE, with a total of 56 different RCEs at the event. Eighty-one ethnicities were represented from 74 countries, mostly from the Americas. The presence of several indigenous groups were also there such as Alaska Native, Algonquin, Native American, Oglala Lakota, and Quechua.

The President of Salisbury University, Dr. Charles A. Wight, provided the opening remarks for the Meeting. Brett Lee Shelton, Staff Attorney of the Native American Rights Fund and a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, provided the keynote presentation, focusing on indigenous peacemaking and restorative justice. There were also presentations from the newly formed RCE Americas Steering Committee Governance Structure by Diego Adamson, the Planet (SDGs 6, 13, 14, 15) and Education and Well Being (2, 3, 5) Task Forces by Christopher Nytch and Brittany Foutz, the RCE Americas Youth Network representative Oriana Silva, the Communications Support Committee, and a presentation on the 'ESD for 2030 Toolbox' by Kim Smith. Furthermore, RCEs in attendance showcased their ESD projects and initiatives worked on over the past year, whilst the Global RCE Service Centre provided updates since the last regional meeting. Eighteen RCEs in the Americas gave presentations, with a total of 24 presentations from RCE members. The comprehensive programme centered around the themes of the RCE Americas Task Forces but submissions were also welcome, which were thematic in nature around those themes.

The Task Forces are listed below by SDGs:
1, 5, 10, 16 – People
7, 8, 9, 11,12 - Sustainable Cities and Prosperity
6, 13, 14, 15 – Planet
2, 3, 4 - Education and Well Being

Interpreters from RCE Salisbury provided Arabic, French, Hindi, Italian, and Spanish live services for the participants. RCE Salisbury would like to thank Kennesaw State University’s School of Conflict Management, Peacebuilding and Development Graduate Student, Rae Dwyer, for being the Moderator for the event.

View the event page to see the full programme, presentations, and videos from the event.

RCE Salisbury is hosted by the Bosserman Center of Conflict Resolution and by RCE Co-Directors Dr. Brittany Foutz and Dr. Brian Polkinghorn. RCE Salisbury is also coordinated by Rob LaChance, M.A.; Alexandra Ginta-Martin, M.A.; and Catherine Diekmann, M.A. The Bosserman Center of Conflict Resolution, located in Salisbury, Maryland (USA), is a non-profit organisation geared towards conflict resolution on a local and global scale. The mission of the Bosserman Center for Conflict Resolution is to promote a systems-based approach to the effective analysis and practical resolution of social conflict. The center utilizes a teaching hospital model whereby faculty and staff are practitioners. 

RCE Salisbury would like to thank the United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability and the Global RCE Service Centre. Thanks also to President of Salisbury University, Dr. Charles A. Wight, for your support and providing the opening remarks and to the support of our colleague Dr. Thomas Boudreau and his Graduate course for being in attendance.