Year: 2015

We would like to draw your attention to the recently published ProSPER.Net Working Paper “Developing Leaders for Sustainable Development: Networking in Higher Education” by Mario Tabucanon (UNU-IAS) and Aurea Tanaka (UNU-IAS). Integrating the vision of sustainability in higher education means to challenge the status quo, to build a culture of change for reforming higher education institutions and to restructure unsustainable processes and practices to shape the leaders of the 21st century.

We would like to draw your attention to the recently published ProSPER.Net Working Paper “Developing Leaders for Sustainable Development: Networking in Higher Education” by Mario Tabucanon (UNU-IAS) and Aurea Tanaka (UNU-IAS). Integrating the vision of sustainability in higher education means to challenge the status quo, to build a culture of change for reforming higher education institutions and to restructure unsustainable processes and practices to shape the leaders of the 21st century.

UNU-IAS has been implementing the ProSPER.Net Leadership Programme since 2013. The programme aims at creating an inclusive platform for dialogue involving different stakeholders, informed policy-thinking and decision-making, new ways of managing knowledge and implementing research solutions. The idea was also to complement ProSPER.Net Young Researchers’ School (YRS) and the ProSPER.Net-Scopus Young Scientist Award (YSA) in Sustainable Development, whose primary objectives are to build research capacity and to recognize relevant research for sustainable development.

We would like to take this opportunity to introduce you to Philip Vaughter, our new research fellow in the ESD Programme. Philip joined our team at UNU-IAS, beginning of June. A native to Minnesota in the United States, he received an undergraduate degree in biology from Iowa State University, and a post-graduate degree in Environmental Sciences from University of Victoria in New Zealand before returning to Minnesota to complete his PhD in Conservation Biology with a focus on Environmental Policy.

We are pleased to announce the open call for the 2015 ProSPER.Net Young Researchers’ School (YRS). The 2015 YRS will be hosted by TERI University from 5-16 October under the theme of “Sustainable Energy for Transforming Lives: Availability, Accessibility, Affordability”. This year’s school will provide the participants with the opportunity to explore different dimensions of sustainability issues derived from the current situation, specifically how policies, projects and partnerships in sustainable energy, energy efficiency and renewable energy may provide integrative solutions.

We are pleased to introduce you to the newest members of the UNU-IAS ESD team. Ms. Ikuno Suzuki, and Ms. Ryoko Suzuki are joining us as Administrative Programme Associates. Before joining our team, Ikuno worked in various industries in the private sector, ranging from food, finance, information to travel and tourism, as well as in a couple of public institutions. Her interests include children’s education in Africa and she has lived in Ethiopia to do fieldwork for her Master. She joined the team as temporary staff last autumn, and some of you may have met her during the Higher Education Conference held in Nagoya, Japan last November.

We are pleased to announce the 2015 ProSPER.Net-Scopus Young Scientist Award in Sustainable Development (YSA). This award is given annually to young scientists and researchers who have made significant contributions in the area of sustainable development. The categories for this year’s YSA are Energy, Water and Biodiversity.

In Tokyo we are all waiting impatiently for the first cherry blossom sakura which will finally announce the beginning of spring and the change of season.

As with many things in Japan, sakura carries a certain weight for its symbolism and tradition. Salary men gather under cherry and plum trees laden with short-lived white and pink flowers picnicking and drinking sake for the so called hanami (literally translated as flower viewing). It is hugely popular and difficult to get a spot in one of the many parks or cemeteries in Tokyo. People are merry and cheerful that the long winter is over, finally getting a break from the cold, with the excruciating hot and humid summer still far away.

Last November, the UNESCO World Conference on ESD (WCESD) concluded the UN Decade of ESD (DESD) with great success and launched the Global Action Programme (GAP) on ESD. Thanks to your active participation, we made a significant contribution to the success of the WCESD through the International Conference on Higher Education for Sustainable Development held in Nagoya, Japan on 9 November 2014. UNU-IAS is committed to implementing the GAP’s five priority areas in close collaboration with ProSPER.Net, and in this regard, we seek your continued support and cooperation.