The 15th Asia-Pacific Regional Meeting was held in a hybrid format from 14-16 September 2023 at the Sejahtera Forest in Tongyeong City, Gyeongnam Province, Republic of Korea, hosted by RCE Tongyeong.

Under the theme 'Empowering Sustainable Community through Education for Sustainable Development', close to 60 people attended the Meeting in person (including members across 15 RCEs), while more than 30 people participated virtually.

The event emphasised the importance of engaging local stakeholders to promote sustainability in the Asia-Pacific region. Throughout the three days, the programme included field visits, keynote speeches, presentations from RCEs and candidate RCEs on their projects, and discussions to facilitate experiential learning and collaboration. Cultural activities, such as painting and a welcome concert by local elementary school students, ignited inspiration among participants.

During the site visits, participants learned about the ecological and sustainable practices conducted with students during a visit to Byeokbang Elementary School, the zero waste efforts implemented by the Women’s Association in Seonchon Village, and the initiatives to implement lifelong literacy education on Golli Island.

Discussions and presentations reflected on each of the ESD-Net 2030 Priority Action Areas, which also provided inputs to the upcoming 13th Global RCE Conference to be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. These also served to enhance collaboration among RCEs and broadened the horizon for future partnerships, with cooperative efforts such as joint capacity-building courses discussed.

A full report of the event prepared by RCE Tongyeong can be accessed here, including materials of the keynote speeches, lightning session presentations, and reports of the workshops and site visits.

The Global RCE Service Centre would like to thank the team at RCE Tongyeong for their wonderful contributions and efforts organising a successful 15th Asia-Pacific Regional Meeting, and to all participants for their active participation and contributions.

(Photo credit: Seol, Hyeon Jung)