Message from the ProSPER.Net Secretariat

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

Greetings from the ProSPER.Net Secretariat! We hope you are all continuing to stay safe and healthy.

As we move towards ESD for 2030, UNESCO is planning a series of webinars on the key reflections from the COVID-19 crisis and on the way forward with the new ESD for 2030 framework, in the lead up to the UNESCO World Conference on ESD to be held in Berlin next year. The first webinar kicks off in September 2020 – please see below for further details.

Should you have any news, open calls, upcoming events, or publications to share via this bulletin, we would love to hear from you! Please complete this form and email your submission to the ProSPER.Net Secretariat at ProSPERNet@unu.edu (submissions close on the 15th of each month). 

Sincerely,
ProSPER.Net Secretariat

Upcoming Events

UNESCO World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development - Pre-conference Workshops

Join UNESCO for a global series of online workshops on how to transform society through learning with ESD, launching in September 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a tragic impact on human life around the world: killing hundreds of thousands of people, causing global economic decline and school closures in over 180 countries. It has challenged the structures of our societies and our ways of life. This disruption also presents a historic chance to redesign our societies and reroute from the current path.

In the lead-up to the UNESCO World Conference on ESD in May 2021, UNESCO invite you to a series of ESD online workshops in cooperation with the Federal Ministry of Education and Research of Germany, and with the German Commission for UNESCO as advisory partner. The discussions and results from the series of online workshops will be used to further develop the conference program and help shape the agenda in Berlin next year. The first of seven workshops, 'The Big Conversation: Education for Sustainable Development and the World Beyond Covid-19' will be held on 9 September, 2020 (12:30pm GMT+2). View the event page for more information on the workshop series.

Symposium to Launch SDG–UP (SDG – Universities Platform)

UNU-IAS is establishing a new academic platform to enhance cooperation between Japanese universities for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDG – Universities Platform (SDG–UP) will increase Japanese universities' presence in international academic communities and contribute towards achieving the SDGs both locally and internationally.

To launch the platform, UNU-IAS will organise an online symposium on 28 August 2020, with the support of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan (MEXT). The event will be organised in cooperation with Toyo Keizai Inc. and Wave LTD GROUP. With panellists from the private sector, local government and academia, it will focus on enhancing collaboration between Japanese universities and strengthening partnerships with other stakeholders.

Registration is free and open to all. Further details and the programme are available here.

Latest News

UN Secretary-General's Policy Brief on COVID-19 and Education

The UN Secretary-General has launched a policy brief on 'Education during COVID-19 and Beyond', which includes input from 14 organisations, providing top-level advocacy for education. It stresses that urgent action must be taken by all in order to mitigate the potentially devastating consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. The document gives recommendations for governments and stakeholders, emphasising the need for bold steps now to create inclusive, quality education systems fit for the future. Read more or download the policy brief.

ESD for 2030: What's Next for Education for Sustainable Development?

In November 2019, the 40th session of UNESCO General Conference adopted a new global framework on ESD called 'Education for Sustainable Development: Towards achieving the SDGs' or 'ESD for 2030'. The new framework will be officially launched at the UNESCO World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development in Berlin, postponed to 17-19 May, 2021.

UNESCO will shortly publish A Roadmap for ESD for 2030 which will be discussed at regional online launch events to take place during the second half of 2020, to engage Member States and other stakeholders and invite country commitments on ESD. UNESCO is planning a series of webinars on the key reflections from the COVID-19 crisis and on the way forward with the new ESD for 2030 framework. These will start in September 2020 until April 2021, as a lead up to the World Conference in Berlin in May (see details above under 'Upcoming Events'). Read more

UNFCCC & UNESCO Launch Action for Climate Empowerment Dialogue

The secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), in collaboration with UNESCO, recently launched the 8th Dialogue on Action for Climate Empowerment – a round of discussions that will feed into COP 26, the next major conference of the parties to the Convention scheduled for 2021. Read more

Publications

UNESCO's Global Skills Academy

UNESCO has launched the Global Skills Academy offering free and high-quality online trainings from members of the Global Education Coalition. Under the project 'Skills for a Resilient Youth in the Era of COVID-19 and Beyond', the Academy aims to equip one million young persons with employability and resilience skills to help them find jobs during the looming recession due to COVID-19. The Academy will operate through a matching process facilitated by UNEVOC, UNESCO's global network for institutions specialised in Technical and Vocational Education and Training. Detailed information about available trainings will be shared with the 250 UNEVOC Centres in more than 160 Member States. The Centres will identify interested participants and connect them to the Coalition members' training platforms. Visit the website or read the press release.

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 by completing this form and emailing it to prospernet@unu.edu. We look forward to your inputs! Visit ProSPER.Net regularly for up-to-date news and event information.