ProSPER.Net E-bulletin Issue 121 (February 2023)

Established in 2017 as a platform to advocate the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, the annual EQUINOX: UN SDGs is dedicated to socio-economic-ecological impacts of sustainability within the local-global framework. The multi-sponsored EQUINOX programs seek to catalyze and advance pathways of multidisciplinary scholarship and partnership on UN SDGs among institutions of higher education, professionals, policymakers, stakeholders, community members, and advocates. Learn more about the initiative here, and register for the event here.

UNU-IAS will organise a special online session at the 14th International Conference on Environmental and Rural Development (ICERD), titled 'Sharing RCE Experiences'. Under the theme 'Circular Economy Education for Sustainable Development in Local Communities', this event will explore the role of education, multistakeholder partnerships, and community engagement in addressing local problems particularly in the promotion and practice of the circular economy model.

It will share experiences, and discuss lessons learnt, on how Regional Centres of Expertise on Educaion for Sustainable Development (RCEs) have responded and contributed to mitigating the adverse impacts of irresponsible consumption and production.

Participation is open to all and no registration is required. Read more

The event will be organised by the Sirindhorn International Environmental Park (SIEP) in collaboration with Silpakorn University (Phetchaburi IT Campus), Kasetsart University (Kamphaeng Saen Campus), Phetchaburi Rajabhat University, RCE Cha-am, Thailand Institute of Scientific and Technological Research (TISTR), Department of Environmental Quality Promotion (DEQP), Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, and Blue Renaissance Co., Ltd.

The Transforming Education Summit was an important milestone for education across the world, now and into the future but its true impact will be determined by the effectiveness of the Summit follow-up at national, regional, and global levels. Download the full report here.

In total, 464 valid responses from higher education institutions in 120 countries were collected. The findings show that higher education and partnerships are essential to address the global challenges identified in the UN Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and to build a more sustainable future together. Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are in a unique position to foster the engagement with sustainable development (SD) taking a whole-institution approach to Teaching and Learning, Research and Community Engagement.

Furthermore, the survey looks closer at partnerships, leadership and strategy for SD and the relatively new concept of Climate Change Education (CCE). This report provides data and thus shows the global commitment and responsibilities of many HEIs towards the 2030 Agenda and SD more generally. The survey was conducted in collaboration with ASEF (Asia-Europe Foundation), Crue (Conferencia de Rectores de Universidades Españolas), and MECCE (The Monitoring and Evaluating Climate Communication and Education Project). Download the report here.

The virtual launch event on 31 January, 2023 presented the report and experts from different countries were invited to discuss the results and its implications for universities working with sustainable development, in particular the SDGs. A recording is available here on the IAU YouTube channel.

This five-week course is designed for and open to anyone with an interest in, or remit for, sustainability, to learn more. Participants will explore a range of global, community and school-based contexts and develop an informed personal response to major challenges, such as climate change and gender equality. Engagement and time commitment are both flexible. Full details, including how to register, are available here.