Issue 31: May 2015

Message from the ProSPER.Net Secretariat:

Dear colleagues and friends, 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. Applications are accepted until 30 June 2015. Please encourage your PhD students to apply for the YRS! Further details on the programme can be found on our website. The joint meeting of the 9th ProSPER.Net General Assembly and the 15th Board meeting will be held on 3-4 June at Tongji University. We look forward to meeting many of you soon in Shanghai! Sincerely, ProSPER.Net Secretariat

Latest News

New article on the 2014 ProSPER.Net Leadership Programme

Sustainable Development in Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya: A Case Study of Leadership Initiatives within the Education Sector by Devon Ronald Dublin, Emmanuel P. Crucio, Richard Phillips, Suruchi Singh and Jaranporn Lertsahakal The ProSPER.Net Leadership Programme (LP) provides opportunities for participants to develop inter-disciplinary skills to lead sustainable development initiatives appropriate to local, regional or global contexts. The 2014 LP was held in Putrajaya, Malaysia, from 16 to 24 August 2014. The programme included lectures on leadership, biodiversity, conservation and ecosystem services, as well as urban issues and industrial development from the perspective of multi-stakeholder partnerships to support local development. Field visits were also organized and provided different examples of community engagement and insights on the types of required leadership that enable sustainable actions to thrive. “The 2014 ProSPER.Net Leadership Programme brought together participants from different countries and backgrounds to discuss sustainability issues and how to implement programmes to support sustainable practices. The programme included visiting development initiatives in urban localities of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya…. participants identified how Malaysian authorities addressed the need to promote cities that are environmentally sustainable, socially inclusive, economically productive and resilient….” Click here to read the full article produced by the 2014 LP participants.

Upcoming Events

Events organized by UNU-IAS

Joint meeting of the 9th ProSPER.Net General Assembly and the 15th Board Meeting

3-4 June 2015 Shanghai, China ProSPER.Net members and partners will gather at Tongji University for the ProSPER.Net General Assembly and Board meeting. Members will discuss the ProSPER.Net Strategy and Roadmap, linkages with other networks and international initiatives and will also report on the joint research projects. The outcomes of the meeting will be posted on the ProSPER.Net website. For more information, please contact the ProSPER.Net Secretariat at ProSPERNet@unu.edu.

The 3rd ProSPER.Net Forum on Sustainability in Higher Education “Higher Education for Sustainable Development- Advancing the Nagoya Declaration”

4 June 2015 Shanghai, China Tongji University will be hosting the 3rd ProSPER.Net Forum on Sustainability in Higher Education. The Forum will discuss the transformative role of higher education and institutions of higher learning towards sustainable development by sharing experiences and examples of good practices. The Forum will also discuss policy implications in the context of the Nagoya Declaration, which was adopted by the participants of the International Conference on Higher Education for Sustainable Development in Nagoya, Japan, on 9 November 2014.

ProSPER.Net-Scopus Young Scientist Award in Sustainable Development Symposium

27 July 2015 Yokohama, Japan The Young Scientist Award (YSA) 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. ProSPER.Net and Elsevier will co-organize a Symposium on 27 July 2015 in partnership with the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. Panelists of each category will engage in a lively discussion and will also judge the work of the top three finalists. For further details of the YSA, please visit the ProSPER.Net website.

The 7th International Forum for Sustainable Asia and the Pacific (ISAP2015)

28-29 July 2015 Yokohama, Japan UNU-IAS and the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) will co-organize the Seventh International Forum for Sustainable Asia and the Pacific (ISAP2015) on 28-29 July 2015 in Yokohama, Japan. ISAP aims to promote information sharing and facilitate diverse discussions on sustainable development in Asia and the Pacific, with the participation of frontline experts and stakeholders from international organizations, governments, businesses and NGOs. For further details on the programme and speakers, please visit the ISAP2015 website.

Open Calls

Apply now for the ProSPER.Net Young Researchers’ School (YRS) "Sustainable Energy for Transforming Lives: Availability, Accessibility, Affordability”

The 2015 YRS will be hosted by TERI University from 5 to 16 October. The YRS provides graduate students with an opportunity to better understand the spectrum of challenges that underpin sustainable development. Along with a series of lectures, field trips and group work, participants will be introduced to sustainability challenges faced by local communities and the innovative approaches that can be used to address them. Applications are open for PhD students from ProSPER.Net member universities. For further details of the programme and application form, please visit the website. Applications will be accepted until30 June 2015.

Apply now for the 2015 ProSPER.Net Leadership Programme “Transformational Leadership in Implementing and Assessing Sustainability Projects”

The third ProSPER.Net Leadership Programme will be held in Sabah, Malaysia from 23 to 29 August 2015. This year’s programme will be jointly organized by ProSPER.Net and the Higher Education Leadership Academy of the Ministry of Higher Education of Malaysia in collaboration with Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) and University College of Technology Sarawak (UCTS). The Leadership Programme provides opportunities for participants to develop inter-disciplinary skills to lead sustainable development initiatives appropriate to local, regional or global contexts. Participants will go through a unique experience that will assist them in leading efforts towards developing work with a clearer vision and understanding regarding diverse perspectives, focusing on collaborative efforts, leveraging networks and involving multiple stakeholders. Applications are being accepted until 14 June 2015. Application form and tentative programme are available on ProSPER.Net website.

2015 International Master’s Program in Environmental Management and Sustainable Development

United Nations Environmental Programme - Tongji Institute of Environment for Sustainable Development (UNEP-IESD) has implemented the International Master’s Program in Environmental Management and Sustainable Development since 2006. Application is now opened for the 2015 program. The programme provides students with the opportunity to broaden their academic and research experience. IESD offers courses on fundamentals of environmental science and technology, and courses on planning, management and development as well. The academic programme is flexible to a large extent, tailored to the educational goals of the individual student and emphasizes problem-oriented learning, field-based learning, and systems approach to sustainability and interdisciplinary study. Senior officers working in the government sectors, universities and institutions of environment-related fields in the developing countries are highly encouraged to apply. Scholarships will be provided by the Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China to cover tuition and local expenses. For further details, please visit the programme website and check the programme announcement. If you are interested in applying, please send your resume to Mrs. SHEN Jiaqi atshenjiaqi@tongji.edu.cn. This is a publication of UNU-IAS ProSPER.Net Secretariat. Please send your comments, suggestions and materials to prospernet@unu.edu . Visit the ProSPER.Net website regularly for up-to-date news and event information To unsubscribe click here. United Nations University 5–53–70 Jingumae Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-8925 Japan To opt-out of all United Nations University contact system messages: Opt-out