The ProSPER.Net 16th General Assembly and 23rd Board Meeting, hosted by UNU-IAS, was held on 19 October, 2022. Over 35 representatives from the network attended the online meetings.
Opening remarks were given by Prof. Shinobu Yume Yamaguchi, (Director, UNU-IAS) followed by a message from Mr. Keisuke Midori (Section Chief, Office of Environmental Education, Ministry of the Environment, Japan), who delivered remarks on behalf of Mr. Leo Kawamura (Director of Office of Environmental Education, Ministry of the Environment, Japan), and welcome remarks by Prof. Deepak Sharma (ProSPER.Net Board Chair).
The review of new membership applications resulted in three new members being acknowledged for 2022: Mariano Marcos State University (the Philippines), Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology (Japan), and University of Toyama (Japan), bringing the total number of members to 55.
The ProSPER.Net Secretariat provided updates on ProSPER.Net activities conducted over the past year, including the report ‘ProSPER.Net: Enabling Higher Education for the Sustainable Development Goals 2015-2021’, the upcoming Leadership Programme, ‘Shifting to Net Zero: Implementation strategies for net-zero transitions’, and an ongoing joint research project, ‘Circular Economy Integration for Sustainable Built Environment Education’, which RMIT University also reported on during the Meeting.
The Meeting also provided an opportunity for updates to be shared by the ProSPER.Net Expert Advisory Panels (EAPs). The network consists of four EAPs: Climate Change; Circular Economy; Equity and Inclusion; and Mobility Programme. Finally, the election of the Board Chair, appointment of the Vice-chair, and election of Board Members for 2022-2024 took place.
The ProSPER.Net Secretariat would like to congratulate the three new members to the network (Mariano Marcos State University, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, and University of Toyama), the newly elected Board Chair and appointed Vice-chair, and Board Members for 2022-2024. In addition, the Secretariat would like to thank the Ministry of the Environment, Japan for their continuous support of ProSPER.Net, and to all attendees for their active contributions and participation in this meeting.