Higher Education and IAU at the UNESCO World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development

17 to 19 May 2021- IAU and UNESCO organized a session on the role of Higher Education for the SDGs

The UNESCO World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development was held as a virtual conference from 17 to 19 May 2021.
Official Conference website with full programme here: https://en.unesco.org/events/ESDfor2030

[update] Over 70 ministers and vice ministers and 2,800 education and environment stakeholders committed to taking concrete steps to transform learning for the survival of our planet by adopting the Berlin Declaration on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) at the end of a three-day virtual World Conference held from 17 to 19 May.
The Conference, followed online by over 10,000 viewers, was organized by UNESCO in cooperation with and generously supported by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research of Germany, and with the German Commission for UNESCO as advisory partner.

IAU was invited by UNESCO to moderate and suggest speakers for the session concentrating on higher education's role for ESD and the link to the UN SDGs. "Session 12. Concurrent sessions: Putting ESD into action (part B)" is planned to take place on Wednesday, 19 May 2021 (10.45 am – 12 pm, 75 minutes CEST Berlin time).
Find the recording here (HigherEd starts at 2:18h) https://youtu.be/9AP71iTLlJg?t=8320

[ESD in higher education] University representatives presented their whole of institution approaches to sustainable development and the role of associations and alliances in technical support, mutual learning, and knowledge sharing. Building on the discussion in previous sessions, this session focused on concrete ESD actions that can be undertaken by specific stakeholder groups around the five Priority Action Areas of ESD for 2030 and provides best practices and tools that can help the work of the stakeholders.

Moderator
• Ms Hilligje Van t Land, Secretary-General, International Association of Universities (IAU)

Part 1:
• Ms Katja Brundiers, Assistant Clinical Professor, School of Sustainability, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States (recorded video)
• Mr Pornchai Mongkhonvanit, President, Siam University, Thailand
• Mr Bruno Nkoumakali, Director-General, National School of Water and Forestry, Gabon
• Mr Philip McGowan, Chair, SDG Committee, Newcastle University, and Co-Chair, the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) and the SDGs Network, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Part 2:
• Mr Sam Barratt, Chief, the Youth, Education and Advocacy Unit ans Co-Chair, UN Higher Education Sustainability Initiative (HESI)
• Ms Jonghwi Park, Head of Academic Programme Innovation and Education, United Nations University
• Ms Joanna Newman, Chief Executive and Secretary General, Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU)
• Mr Slim Khalbous, Rector, the Francophone University Agency (AUF)

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In preparation of the UNESCO World Conference on ESD, UNESCO held a series of online workshops on the transformative power of Education for sustainable development for redesigning a more sustainable and just world beyond Covid-19. Find out more about Pre-conference workshops (September 2020 to April 2021): https://en.unesco.org/themes/education-sustainable-development/ESDfor203...

In May, many events were taking place related to ESD, including an IAU Webinar on 4 May. Find events/recordings here: https://en.unesco.org/news/get-involved-global-events-education-sustaina...

Sustainable Development Goals