Welcome to the March 2025 edition of the York University UNESCO Chair Newsletter!
In March, the global higher education community celebrates the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with SDG Awareness Week from 3-7 March 2025. In Canada, the entire month of March will be dedicated as SDG Month, highlighting the crucial role of higher education institutions in promoting sustainability through learning, research, and community engagement. As we navigate urgent global and national challenges, Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) remains crucial in equipping all learners with the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values to shape a more just, sustainable future.
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Charles Hopkins & Katrin Kohl
UNESCO Chair in Reorienting Education towards Sustainability
York University Canada

In a national campaign under the title of SDG Month Canada, the higher education community in Canada will come together throughout the month of March and highlight the potential of the SDGs in the Canadian context.
The campaign aims to raise awareness and to support integrating sustainability values within our communities. Amplify your events and participation on social media by using #SDGMonthCanada.
York University celebrates SDG Month on campus and online
Throughout the month of March, York University will contribute to the inaugural SDG Month Canada, showcasing its leadership in advancing the SDGs. Through innovative research, education, and community partnerships, York fosters inclusive, sustainable solutions, empowering future generations to address global challenges and create positive societal change.
International SDG Awareness Week on 3-7 March 2025
Beyond SDG Month in Canada, the SDGs are also at focus globally in March. The next SDG Action and Awareness Week is happening this week! Every year, the University Global Coalition invites university students, staff, faculty, and partners from around the world to plan and host SDG-focused events during SDG Action & Awareness Week. Amplify your events and participation on social media by using #SDGWeek2025.
Gender equality in higher education and research – strategies for empowerment on 5 March 2025
UN Women calls for more Rights. Equality. Empowerment. for the upcoming International Women's Day 2025. On 5 March 2025 at 10am CET, The European Women Rectors Association (EWORA) and the International Association of Universities (IAU) will offer a platform to discuss how higher education institutions can empower staff to take action in favour of gender equality – through teaching and learning, research, campus initiatives, or when engaging with the wider community.
Great work of transformation - anticipating the Symbiocene Era
Join the Canadian Accelerate Community for a webinar on 6 March 2025 at 1pm EST to explore how transformative learning can guide a transition to a Symbiocene era - living in harmony with the Earth.
Keynote speaker Dr. Elisabeth Lange will share new narratives, principles, and practices for sustainability and climate justice through a relational approach.
Teachers for a sustainable future: global education and teacher training in Visegrad countries on 12 March 2025
On 12 March 2025 at 8am EST, in this regionally focused webinar, speakers will present the results of the international project Teachers for a Sustainable Future. The session will include several studies that explore various dimensions of how global learning (inherent in ESD) is incorporated into teacher training. Researchers from Czechia, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia will share their findings on the opportunities and challenges of integrating global learning into teacher education programs in the Visegrad countries.
Building a just, sustainable, and peaceful future: 25 Years of the Earth Charter on 13 March 2025
Join the Earth Charter’s 25th-Anniversary Webinar on 13 March 2025 at 4pm EST to explore its impact on sustainability, ethics, and global governance. Leading experts will discuss how the Earth Charter inspires transforming education and action for a just, peaceful world. They will reflect on the major challenges the world is currently facing, the 25-year journey of the Earth Charter, and the role it can play in addressing these issues.
They will engage in a conversation on the urgent need to reinforce efforts and to collaborate in creating pathways toward a more just, sustainable, and peaceful world. They will also delve into the vision behind the creation of the Earth Charter, reflecting on the historic moment when its drafting was completed during the final meeting of the Earth Charter Commission at UNESCO Headquarters on 13 March 2000.
UNESCO sites as partners for Education for Sustainable Development
Watch for an amazing new publication: UNESCO’s new implementation guide on using UNESCO sites as ESD learning hubs for sustainability promotes a novel approach towards working with, within and among UNESCO sites, and inspiring connection, curiosity, cooperation and a better understanding of our relationship with nature. This guide aims to provide practical suggestions and ideas for teachers, educators and site managers on how to mobilize and collaborate with UNESCO sites to develop practical learning activities and to let learners experience the reality of sustainable development in their local contexts. The Guide will soon be available in English, to be shortly followed by editions in French, Spanish, Russian, Chinese and Arabic.
In case you missed it: International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development (2024-2033)
UNESCO has launched the International Decade of Science for Sustainable Development (2024-2033) to emphasize science as a tool for achieving the SDGs. It aims to mobilize global efforts, enhance collaboration, and strengthen scientific capacity to address challenges such as climate change, biodiversity, and sustainable development. Through the Decade, it is hoped to harness the power of all the sciences – basic, applied, social and human – to advance sustainable change to our societies, economies and environment.
How can universities shape open science?
In 2024, the IAU convened an expert group on Open Science to explore challenges and opportunities for universities in this transition. The resulting report outlines the importance of universities adapting to open science practices while maintaining their commitment to academic integrity, diversity, and social responsibility. Recommendations for universities support taking a transformative leadership role.
Transformation Literacy Conference on 4-7 April 2025
The next Transformation Literacy Conference will take place in-person and online from 4–7 April 2025 with all online session on 7 April. The conference will examine how metrics can enhance transparency, accountability, and progress toward sustainability while exploring narratives that foster collaboration, depolarization, and shared responsibility. Many existing metrics still prioritize resource extraction over regeneration, while dominant narratives often reinforce past achievements rather than future possibilities. Speakers will highlight approaches to measuring sustainable development through responsive and effective indicators.
Human Capability Initiative in Riyadh (KSA) on 13-14 April 2025
The Human Capability Initiative (HCI) is the first global cooperative platform designed to unify international efforts and enrich global dialogue on the challenges and opportunities for developing human capabilities. On 13-14 April 2025, under the theme of #BeyondReadiness, HCI will explore skills, the future of work, education, and technology across two dynamic days in Riyadh (KSA). Over 300 speakers, including global leaders and experts from the policy, corporate, investment, and academic sectors will exchange expertise and explore new strategies to optimize human capability within our rapidly changing modern world. York's UNESCO Chairholder Charles Hopkins is invited to speak on the role of education in societies beyond formal education systems.
Global Sustainable Development Congress in Istanbul (Türkiye) on 16-19 June 2025
Co-hosted by Times Higher Education and Türkiye's Council of Higher Education, the next Global Sustainable Development Congress will take place at the Istanbul Congress Center on 16-19 June 2025.
Over four days, keynote speakers, panellists, and representatives from global content partners will share their insights on health, sustainable cities, clean energy, AI, gender equality, the environment and much more.
York University's UNESCO Co-Chairs Charles Hopkins and Katrin Kohl will be hosting one of the six thematic core tracks, Education, Gender and Inequality: Equitable Higher Education for an Inclusive Future, throughout the four conference days. This track will focus on innovative approaches and partnerships to ensure that education is accessible to all and is adapting to the evolving needs of society, supporting sustainable development, and reducing inequalities within and among countries.
Save the date: 14th Global RCE Conference on 21-23 October 2025
The 14th Global RCE Conference will take place in Okayama (Japan) from 21-23 October 2025. The conference will provide an opportunity to celebrate the collective achievements of RCEs and to shape the future of ESD. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Global RCE Network and the 50th anniversary of the United Nations University. Additionally, the year 2025 aligns with the midpoint of both the RCE Roadmap 2021–2030 and the ESD for 2030 framework.
Save the date: 13th WEEC World Environmental Education Congress 2026
The 13th World Environmental Education Congress (WEEC) will take place from 21-25 September 2026 and be held at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre, Western Australia. The conference will focus on environmental education and sustainability, fostering global collaboration and the exchange of ideas. Delegates will explore solutions to the climate crisis and share best practices for a sustainable future. Abstract submissions opens in March 2025.
We have arrived on Bluesky!
As we continue to expand our social media reach, you can find us on a new channel. We are on Bluesky now! Please follow us @unescochair.bsky.social and stay in touch.
Last but not least: Do you have time to read?
Education and Learning for Sustainable Futures
This open-access book traces the changes in learning for the environment and change over the decades while looking ahead to the challenges and opportunities of the future. Today's wildcard is the notion of artificial intelligence, holding immense potential to bridge digital and green agendas and driving innovation toward a sustainable future.
Education in Dangerous Times
How can education respond swiftly and purposefully to the systemic crises shaping our era? How can it support, rather than hinder, the transformative socio-economic shifts essential for a sustainable future? Drawing on decades of experience in environmental and sustainability education, this book advocates for a paradigmatic shift rooted in ecological and relational thinking.