ProSPER.Net E-Bulletin Issue 61 (February 2018)

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Message from the ProSPER.Net Secretariat

New Membership Applications Open for 2018

Applications for membership to ProSPER.Net are currently being accepted for 2018. Membership is limited to higher education institutions located in the Asia-Pacific region that offer postgraduate education and research in sustainable development (SD) and in fields related to education for sustainable development (ESD). An affiliate membership category is also open to higher education institutions located outside the Asia-Pacific region who are interested in working together with the network for the benefit of the region. The deadline for applications is 31 May, 2018. More details on applying for membership can be found here.

New Campaign Highlights UNU’s Work on the Sustainable Development Goals

Last month, UNU launched its Sustainable Development Explorer, a new campaign highlighting UNU’s work to support the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Some 400 UNU researchers worldwide are engaged in more than 180 research projects, generating knowledge to develop realistic solutions to achieve the SDGs. The SD Explorer currently features 51 projects, 34 experts, 34 publications, and 50 expert articles, organised by SDG. It offers visitors the opportunity to explore the “who” and “what” of UNU’s work, engage directly with UNU’s experts, and learn about how their ideas are generating knowledge to develop solutions to achieve the SDGs. Read more

Upcoming Events

2018 ProSPER.Net Young Researchers’ School

4-11 March, 2018, Kanagawa, Japan

Photo: Joe deSousa

The Young Researchers’ School (YRS) on Sustainable Urban Development for the World’s Megacities will take place in Kanagawa, Japan next month. Thank you to everyone who applied and to those who promoted the programme within the network. The ProSPER.Net Secretariat received an overwhelming response, with 95 applications coming from 24 ProSPER.Net member universities. Twenty participants have been selected to participate in the School, across 15 countries! Stay tuned for a report and photos from the School on ProSPER.Net.

Latest News

World Urban Forum – UNESCO Demonstrates Multi-pronged Approach to Resilient Cities

At the 9th World Urban Forum, recently held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from 7-13 February, 2018, UNESCO held five events, engaging international and local voices on how cities can forge a sustainable future. Read more about UNESCO’s involvement at the event here.

Open Calls

2018 Call for Nominations: UNESCO-Japan Prize on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)

Nominations are now open for the UNESCO-Japan Prize on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). Within the framework of the Global Action Programme (GAP) on ESD, the prize honours individuals, institutions, organisations or other entities for outstanding projects or programmes in the field of ESD, with three annual awards of US $50,000 for each recipient. Nominations can be made by Governments of UNESCO Member States via their Permanent Delegation to UNESCO, and by Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in official partnership with UNESCO. The deadline for nominations is midnight on 3 May, 2018 (UTC+1, Paris time). Further details including the selection criteria and submission procedure can be found here.

Call for Papers: Special Issue of Sustainability – "The Future of Education for Sustainable Development – Between the Power of Technology and the Need for Responsible Citizenship"

An upcoming special issue of Sustainability, the monthly open access journal for studies related to sustainability and sustainable development, will focus on ESD – in particular on the new ways of learning that enable citizens to actively shape sustainable socio-ecological transformations. The special issue is calling for submissions in the form of cases, reviews, and research articles that discuss technological applications in the transdisciplinary light of responsible citizenship and engagement for sustainable development. The deadline for manuscript submissions is 30 September, 2018. Further details can be found here.

WSSF 2018 Calls for Abstract Submissions and Grant Programmes for Early-career Researchers

The 2018 World Social Science Forum 2018, to be held in Fukuoka, Japan, from 25-28 September, 2018, will explore various dimensions of security under the theme “Security and Equality for Sustainable Futures”. Calls for individual abstracts for participation in Specific Panels or Topical Sessions and posters is now open. The deadline is 17 March, 2018 (24:00 JST). Further details can be found here.

In addition, for early-career researchers attending the event, two grant programmes have been announced: the WSSF Scholarship for Early-Career Social Scientists from Low- or Lower-Middle Income Countries and the WSSF Fukuoka Student Award. The deadline for both scholarships is 17 March, 2018 (24:00 JST). Full details and application forms are available here.

Reminder: Applications for 2018 UNU-IAS Master’s and Doctoral Programmes

UNU-IAS is currently accepting applications for September 2018 admission to its postgraduate degree programmes: the MSc in Sustainability and the PhD in Sustainability Science. The application deadline for the master’s programme closes soon, on 28 February, 2018. The application deadline for the doctoral programme is 27 April, 2018. More information about application requirements and procedures can be found here.

Closing Soon: Applications for 2018 JSPS–UNU Postdoctoral Fellowship Programmes

UNU-IAS is currently accepting applications for the JSPS–UNU Postdoctoral Fellowship programme. The programme provides promising, highly qualified, young researchers with the opportunity to conduct advanced research relevant to the main thematic focus areas of the institute. The application deadline is 28 February, 2018. The start date for the fellowships is 1 September, 2018. Read more

Publications

The Weight of Cities: Resource Requirements of Future Urbanisation

How can we prepare for the doubling of the global urban population by 2050? This report from the International Resource Panel, a group of experts set up by UN Environment in 2007 to examine natural resource use, calls for a new strategy that focuses on low-carbon, resource-efficient, and inclusive cities to meet the needs of 21st century urbanisation. Download the publication here

Education: Still searching for Utopia?

The January-March 2018 edition of the UNESCO Courier, a quarterly publication from UNESCO, evaluates the state of global education and how it responds to the challenges faced, by exploring the question ‘Education: Still searching for Utopia?’. Download the publication here

Local Knowledge, Global Goals

This publication explores the ways that indigenous and local knowledge systems contribute to understanding, mitigating and adapting to climate change, environmental degradation and biodiversity loss. Key concepts or issues are presented, supplemented with case studies from around the world. Download the publication here

Issues and Trends in Education for Sustainable Development

Part of UNESCO’s Education on the Move series, this publication highlights key issues related to ESD policy and practice, including topics such as key ESD competencies and themes, policy, changes in the learning environment, teacher training, youth as lead actors, scaling-up action, and the monitoring of progress towards Target 4.7. Download the publication here

This is a publication of UNU-IAS ProSPER.Net Secretariat. The bulletin is a great way to share your activities, events and news as a ProSPER.Net member with the rest of the network. Feel free to send us any information you may deem relevant for the rest of the community to prospernet@unu.edu. We look forward to your inputs! Visit ProSPER.Net regularly for up-to-date news and event information

ProSPER.Net Secretariat 

United Nations University 
Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability 
5-53-70 Jingumae, 
Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-8925 
Japan