Education for Sustainable Development research and capacity development for ESD RCE Community: Progress, challenges and aspirations

Evolution of Global RCE Community Development of the RCE concept Establishment of the first 7 RCEs Beginning of cross-RCE geographical collaboration Emergence of thematic and operational groups Discussion of how to assess RCEs begun Mid- Decade Year 2003 UNU/UNESCO Conference on Globalization and ESD (Nagoya, Japan) 1 st International RCE Conference (Yokohama, Japan) 2 nd International RCE Conference (Penang, Malaysia) 3 rd International RCE Conference (Barcelona, Spain) 4 th International RCE Conference (Montreal, Canada) DESD Launched Showcasing RCEs at the World Conference on ESD (Bonn, Germany) Establishment of ESD Programme at UNU-IAS Number of RCEs Acknowledged by UNU

Evolution of Global RCE Community (cont.) Stronger emphasis on capacity development Engagement with international processes End- Decade Year 5 th International RCE conference (Curitiba, Brazil) 6 th International RCE Conference (Kerkrade, the Netherlands) Number of RCEs Acknowledged by UNU

89 RCEs today and coming close to 100! Expansion & strengthening of Global RCE Network

Promoting expansion of RCE Network in Australia 1 st RCE (named Western Australia) in Australia was acknowledged by UNU in 2010.

Developing capacities of RCE community  Facilitating regional (continental) networks as well as tactical/strategic networks for capacity development  Generating thematic capacity development materials & a long-term global RCE strategic vision Climate change Teacher education and better schools Sustainable consumption and production Health Traditional knowledge and biodiversity Higher education Well-being, livelihood and poverty reduction

Developing capacities of RCE community  Plan for development of the RCE community with a goal to upscale action research and transformative learning projects.  Among the capacity development modules are  Revisiting RCE vision  Governance  ESD competences and capabilities  Principles of transformative learning  Action research  Thematic actions  Marketing, fundraising and communication

Highlights form the regions 8

Highlights from the Asia-Pacific RCE Community  Development of sub-regional networks and collaboration of RCEs in a country - Japanese RCEs set up a taskforce (in August 2011) - RCEs in Korea, India, Thailand, and Indonesia are engaging with other networks  A-P RCEs developed the 2011 Yogyakarta Action Plan on Community-based ESD  Contributed to the side events on Biodiversity at the CBD COP10 in Nagoya, Japan, October 2010  Best practices for the “Asia Regional Forum on Biodiversity – Encouraging Partnership between Businesses and Communities”, Cha-am, Thailand, November 2011  Four continental priority themes – Biodiversity, Community, Schools and Youth

Highlights from the European RCEs  From December 2010 work towards all European bid reflecting Strategy 2020 (many individual bids)  RCE Graz Styria - basis for the new Copernicus Alliance Network  Strategic meeting of European RCEs in Newcastle (July 2011) – transformative education is at the core 10

Capacity development of African RCE community Participants at the First African RCE Continental Meeting held at Rhodes University, South Africa on August 2011.

Highlights from American RCEs Growth of RCEs in South and Central America Experimentation with communication mediums Some project accomplishments within specific RCEs: creating formal organizational partnerships with structural commitments to ESD within regions emphasis on important role of youth and community participation in projects emphasis on culture and indigenous knowledge and participation in RCE projects Aspirations to exchange resource people, students and translate ESD and RCE material 12

13 Contribution to the international ESD-related actions Strategies: Increasing visibility of ESD projects Collaboration with UN Agencies Contribution to international ESD processes Synergies with other ESD-related networks

Collaboration with international processes and organisations  RCEs as strategic partners with UN agencies (UNDP, UNESCO, UNICEF) Contribution of UN agencies into the RCE Global Conference  Exploring collaboration with  UNICEF and UNDP around issue of climate change  CBD Secretariat around issues of biodiversity  Eqator Initiative around issues of traditional knowledge  IAU around higher education  UNEP around issues of sustainable production and consumption and sustainable livelihood  UNECE on the issue of ESD assessment  Copernicus Alliance - network of European universities on the issue of higher education appraisal 14

Contribution to international ESD processes  Collaboration towards Rio+20 process  Input into the UN DESD Global Monitoring and Evaluation process  The 2014 end-of-decade World ESD Conference in Nagoya, Japan Organisation of back-to-back Global RCE Conference 15

Learning in “Liquid times”  uncertainties and risks are the most prominent feature  The learning processes have to be grounded on the requirements of a long-term perspectives (scenarios), flexibility, innovativeness, diversity and cross-sector engagement  ESD answers the call

How RCE community answers the call? Our vision 20

RCEs charting innovations  “RCE networks takes a lead role in developing policies and practices related to ESD and sustainability innovations. RCEs are hubs of enhanced knowledge networks and collective decision-making beyond the constraints of bureaucratic oraganisations.”  Linking knowledge with action/innovation  A diversity of development solutions

RCEs as partners in reflexive implementation of global sustainability agenda  “The RCE community is becoming a testing ground for the international, regional and national sustainable development processes. They critically reflect on the contextual issues, envision sustainable futures, offer policy directions and action plans, develop capacities, thereby engaging in processes of global change.”

Education for Sustainable Development research and capacity development for ESD Thank you very much

RCE online reporting portal  Updates of reporting protal in 2011 (by Nov. 17th) Form 1: General Information: 26 RCEs Form 2: RCE Coordination and Development 24 RCEs Form 3: RCE Project Database 42 Projects by 20 RCEs Form 4: Self assessment (optional) 9 Self assessment reports 24

Abb.: Mader C.,

RCE Assessment – Outcomes of students seminar (RCE Graz) 26 The following RCEs have been assessed according to available data and interview opportunities: Reporting form (yellow) RCE Nizhny Novgorod RCE Greater Sudbury Reporting form and story (red) RCE Oldenburger Münsterland RCE Saskatchewan Story (blue) Advisor to European RCEs RCE Tongyeong RCE Denmark RCE Acores RCE Makana and Rural Eastern Cape RCE Rhine Meuse RCE Graz-Styria RCE Samara RCE Bogotá

RCE Assessment – Outcomes - GMID Individual RCE level Analysis of reporting forms. Providing an overview on actions and stakeholder/citizen involvement Global RCE network (not done yet) Providing progress report of global initiative (projects, actors, active/passive RCEs,…) 27 Mader, 2011

RCE Assessment – Outcomes Storytelling approach Story telling Stories easy to read Sufficient information Facts and figures People behind RCE Learnings communicated 28 Mader, 2011