Professors Without Borders, UCSI University, and the Malaysian Society for Molecular Biology and Biotechnology will present a 2.5-day workshop on the theme of Science & Sustainable Development: Rebooting a Decade of Action with STEM Education on 1-3 June 2022 at UCSI University, Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia). This highly-interactive event with an exciting line-up of guest speakers – including Katrin Kohl, Executive Coordinator to the UNESCO Chair at York University, will unite academics, researchers, policymakers, and university students, in order to reflect a rich variety of perspectives and increase fruitful cross-collaboration. Attendees will gain advanced knowledge and understanding of the SDGs; understand the roles of education and research stakeholders in achieving them; learn to select and embed SDG targets and practices in the teaching of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) courses and in scientific research; and implement these strategies in action plans for sustainable development. The outcomes of this workshop will be a roadmap for the collective local and global advancement of SDGs, paricularly in a context of STEM.
Every year on June 5, the world celebrates World Environment Day to encourage awareness and action for the protection of the environment. The 2022 World Environment Day campaign #OnlyOneEarth calls for collective, transformative action on a global scale to celebrate, protect and restore our planet.
Honouring this year´s World Environment Day and following the success of the Earth Day event in April 2022, York’s UNESCO Chair in partnership with Toronto-based painter and poet Gail Williams will hold the 2nd #Arts2030 Dialogue on Sunday, 5 June 2022 at 11 am.
Charles Hopkins and Gail Williams will discuss the unique role of the arts and culture in humanity´s hope for a sustainable future and on how the arts and culture can model sustainability in their practice. They will also explore the place of culture and the arts for the SDGs.
If you wish to attend the 2nd #Arts2030 Dialogue at Bunker Lane Press in Toronto in person, please RSVP at your earliest convenience to unescochair@edu.yorku.ca. The event will be limited to 25 attendees. All attendees must produce proof of vaccination upon arrival (three vaccinations required). Masks are to be worn at all times.
If you would like to see the paintings that are inspired by a love for the environment, the art show at Bunker Lane Press, 1001 Rear Bloor St W, Toronto, ON M6H 1M1, Canada will be open daily from 3 – 6 June 2022, 11 am – 2 pm.
With more than 1,800 delegates from 130 countries and 8,000 participants online, the UNESCO World Higher Education Conference (WHEC2022) created momentum for the road ahead for the global higher education community towards 2030 and in light of a broader time frame towards 2050.
Beyond providing his perspectives on the recent report of UNESCO´s Independent Expert Group on the Universities and the 2030 Agenda and meetings with the Sustainable on the Go Partners and colleagues from around the world, UNESCO Chairholder Charles Hopkins also participated in a joint IAU–SDSN session titled Higher Education’s role in securing the future – a more equitable, peaceful and sustainable society. Are universities ready to assume their full responsibility? Watch the recording here.
For the futures of higher education, UNESCO released a new Roadmap for the next decade to come as a living document to co-create more equitable, inclusive and collaborative systems in higher education.
UNESCO´s Assistant Director-General for Education Stefania Giannini states her vision: “It’s an invitation to continue exchanging and shaping ideas, adapting them to different contexts, guided by shared ethical principles. It sets signposts for co-creating more open, inclusive, equitable and collaborative higher education systems. Such a transformation takes a shift in mindset: privileges cooperation over competition; diversity over uniformity; flexible learning pathways over traditionally structured ones; openness over more elitist viewpoints.”
Read the UNESCO Higher Education Roadmap towards 2030/32 Beyond Limits. New Ways to Reinvent Higher Education.
Have your voice heard for the second Sustainable on the Go Conference SOTG 2022: We are looking for you to make a difference! Join the discussion with higher education institutions around the world to emerge stronger from the pandemic. What is done well? What should change? Who gets to participate and who is missing? Make internationalization more responsible, inclusive – make it better! This pre-conference Youth Engagement Program is facilitated by our conference partner, Crossing Borders Education (CBE). It will provide you with the international group experience of building trust across cultural differences and establishing a dialogue culture to actively engage with each other, collaborate, and creatively contribute to the themes of the SOTG 2022 Conference. Apply today!
Hosted by the International Association of Universities (IAU) to enhance action for the SDGs, the IAU Global Cluster on Higher Education and Research for Sustainable Development (HESD) promotes the role of higher education institutions in building more sustainable societies and informs IAU and other UN bodies with research-based evidence.
York University holds the Global Lead for SDG 4 Quality Education and contributes through many activities, e.g. the Sustainable on the Go Initiative.
Read the full 2022 Cluster Report that will be submitted to the UN High-Level Political Forum to be held in July 2022.
In their recent global meeting in March 2022, the IAU HESD Cluster members also agreed on a shared vision for their collaboration in the Cluster and renewed their commitment to sustainable development as a core purpose of higher education.
We are in ‘a battle for our lives’, as we struggle to transform our societies to reach the 1.5-degree path recommended by the Paris Agreement. The time to learn and act for our planet is now! Have you missed the initial sessions of the UNESCO-UNFCCC’s joint webinar series On the Road to COP27, dedicated to the goal of greening every education policy and curriculum to be climate ready? No problem, you can join now!
The third webinar with a focus on Education for post-carbon green economies will take place on 28 June 2022. Every month throughout 2022, the webinar will explore a new perspective on the critical role of climate change education, and how to harness its transformative power, leading up to COP27. Register here to participate in the webinar series.
One year after the Berlin Declaration on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) was adopted by 2,800 education and environment stakeholders from 161 countries at the 2021 UNESCO World Conference, UNESCO has published an Explanatory Note to be used in educational settings for teachers, educators, learners and all other interested parties. An additional Brochure on the Berlin Declaration has also been published, with the aim of being disseminated to policy-makers in order to spread the message.
The 5th edition of the #SDGsWorkshop will focus on how studies conducted in academia are helping to advance the SDGs by narrowing the gap between research and practice. The webinar welcomes speakers from universities in the Asia-Pacific region, along with a representative from the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. Speakers will highlight how research conducted in academia is helping to advance the SDGs using the expertise and knowledge of scholars and scientists while reducing the gap between research and policy, enforcing at the same time the nexus between them. Register to attend.
This new roadmap encourages higher education to build bridges and to unlock the talent and creativity for sustainability at the core. The document is the results of global research efforts and wide consultations in the higher education community, guided by the 17 SDGs as a framework. Higher education needs to address current and future global challenges and rise up to the challenge in adapting its own expansion in conjunction with decreased funding, and humanize the role of technology. Download the roadmap here.
The Global Independent Expert Group on Universities and the 2030 Agenda (EGU2030) was launched in October 2020 by UNESCO in collaboration with the University of Bergen. The 14 experts reflected on the knowledge and transformations required for higher education to contribute to the achievement of the SDGs. Their recommendations include addressing sustainability as a core practice and purpose of higher education. Download the report here.
The special issue of Higher Education in the World Report 8 analyzes the state of higher education in the world and seeks to respond to the need to transform HEIs based on the experience accumulated by GUNi in the production of knowledge for institutional action and the formulation of public policies. With contributions from more than 90 experts from around the world, the report covers a wide range of topics, e. g. the digital-human future, addressing sustainability, work, and citizenship. Download the full report here.
Universities and other higher education institutions play a critical role in helping society achieve the SDGs through research, teaching and learning, partnerships, and campus operations. Canadian universities are responding to this challenge and advancing the SDGs. This toolkit includes information and links on existing frameworks, networks, and tools to provide a repository of relevant resources for an engagement with the SDGs. Download the toolkit here.
The prestigious Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) Okayama Award is now open for the 2022 round of applications! The world is facing severe challenges due to the ongoing global pandemic of COVID-19 and wars and conflicts. The City of Okayama (Japan) encourages eligible organizations to apply for the award and share their activities and experiences with the world. For the application guideline and the form, visit the official website or find information about past awards and winners. Deadline for application: 15 July 2022.