UNU-IAS Continues to Forge Partnership with ASEAN on ESD

In an effort to continue engaging with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Member States in the area of Environmental Education (EE) and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), UNU-IAS participated in the 9^th Meeting of the ASEAN Working Group on Environmental Education (AWGEE) held in Bangkok on 23-24 May 2017. The AWGEE, within the framework of the ASEAN Senior Officials on Environment, oversees the implementation of the ASEAN Environmental Education Action Plan (AEEAP) 2014-2018.

As a contribution to the implementation of the AEEAP, UNU-IAS leads the annual offering of the ASEAN+3 Leadership Programme (LP) on Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP), in collaboration with other UN agencies (UNEP and UNIDO)[1] as well as the ASEAN Secretariat, the Hanns Seidel Foundation and the host country’s Ministry or Department of Environment.  Indonesia offered to host this year’s programme – the 10^th ASEAN+3 LP – in October 2017.  The programme will focus on SCP (SDG 12) and the interconnections with other development goals and targets.

UNU-IAS’ networks, through the acknowledged Regional Centres of Expertise on ESD (RCEs) and the academic alliance known as the Promotion of Sustainability in Postgraduate Education and Research Network (ProSPER.Net), particularly those network members located in the ASEAN region, could be involved in various relevant ASEAN programmes and initiatives on EE/ESD.  These activities include assessment on EE/ESD content in national curricula of ASEAN countries, development of learning/teaching modules or manuals, promotion of eco-schools, participation in ASEAN green higher education programme, and participation in ASEAN+3 youth environment forum.

Aside from UNU-IAS, other ASEAN partners represented at the 9^th Meeting of AWGEE include representatives from the Ministry of the Environment of Japan, Hanns Seidel Foundation, and the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity and the European Union.  AWGEE, which is coordinated by the ASEAN Secretariat, comprised representatives from the ten ASEAN Member States.