UNESCO Chair Newsletter November 2024

Welcome to the November 2024 edition of the York University UNESCO Chair Newsletter!

With many events taking place in these last weeks of the year, opportunities coming your way to engage in sharing and publishing activities, and the 2024 Global Education Monitoring Report just released, this newsletter offers another deep dive into the world of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) – determined as a key enabler of all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Please see the curated list of articles below and feel free to share this newsletter with your network. We always welcome your feedback and your input for future editions of the newsletter. Thank you for your interest!

Warmly,

Charles Hopkins & Katrin Kohl, UNESCO Chair in Reorienting Education towards Sustainability, York University Canada

York’s 2024 President’s Report: Creating a Sustainable Future

York University launches new Well-being Strategy

The 2024 President’s Report: Creating a Sustainable Future, captures the outstanding success in driving positive change for our local and global communities. It is in line with York’s vision to provide students with access to a high-quality education at a research-intensive university, committed to the well-being of the community.

York has launched its first Well-being Strategy and signed on to the Okanagan Charter. The Well-being Strategy aims to deliver a safe, healthy, inclusive and supportive environment. Well-being and ESD are intertwined, as ESD equips individuals with the knowledge, values, and skills to foster healthy communities that support collective well-being.

In this interdependent world, tackling global challenges demands informed engagement. However, many young people lack the essential knowledge, skills, and opportunities. For 20 years, the Global Citizenship Alliance has been at the forefront of global citizenship education, helping colleges and universities graduate students who grasp their role in a globalizing society and are empowered to create change. Explore the transformative week-long seminars that are facilitated by thought leaders from across the globe at our historic Salzburg (Austria) campus.

On 6 November 2024, as part of their Core-to-Core Final Joint Seminar, Okayama University will host a public event and seminar under the title Innovating Teacher Education for Sustainable Development: Collaborative Approach to the Sustainable Development Goals. Teachers play a crucial role in the global pursuit of sustainable development and the SDGs through education. Recognizing their critical importance, Okayama University’s UNESCO Chair collaboratively developed the Asia-Pacific Teacher Competency Framework for advancing ESD teacher education in the Asia-Pacific region.

Among UNESCO Chairs from Germany, Kenya, Norway, and Slovenia, York’s UNESCO Chairholder Charles Hopkins is invited to join the seminar to develop a comprehensive recommendation document on teacher education for sustainable development. During the public event, Charles will give a keynote on the Past, Present, and Future of Teacher Education for Sustainable Development.

The RCE Tongyeong will host the 15^th Tongyeong ESD Forum under the title Bridging All Education to Explore New Directions for a Sustainable Future in the Sejahtera Forest, Tongyeong, Gyeongnam Province (Republic of Korea) on 8-9 November 2024. The forum aims to promote the integration of ESD, Environmental Education (EE), and lifelong learning to create a comprehensive educational approach. The dialogue seeks to empower individuals with the essential knowledge, skills, and values needed to address urgent issues like climate change, inequality, and social unrest. The forum will identify and share best practices and innovative strategies to merge ESD, EE, and lifelong learning, shaping policies and educational practices globally. Fellow UNESCO Chair and Executive Director of Earth Charter International, Mirian Vilela, will contribute the keynote. Registration is still open!

Join the upcoming webinar on Youth Engagement & Women’s Role in Sustainable Land Management for COP16 Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). Hear from global experts in sustainability, sociology, business, and education who will discuss challenges and strategies to empower youth and women in sustainable land practices. In his contribution, York’s UNESCO Chairholder Charles Hopkins will focus on the role of public awareness and training to address the urgent issues of land degradation, desertification, and drought. Join the conversation on 20 November 2024.

On 21-22 November 2024, the 11^th International Conference on Innovating Education for Sustainable Futures: Leveraging AI Pedagogies for Quality Education is set to be held at the University of Education in Lahore (Pakistan). In the context of ESD, this conversation recognizes not only the possibilities but also the responsibilities of integrating AI in ways that uphold education’s core purpose: to foster resilient, inclusive, and ethically sound learning environments. With diverse groups from academia and practice coming together, speakers aim to lay out the role of AI in addressing sustainability – not simply as a tool for efficiency but as a means to inspire, adapt, and support learners across a variety of contexts. York’s UNESCO Co-Chairs Charles Hopkins and Katrin Kohl will deliver greetings during the opening ceremony.

On 22-24 November 2024, the International Association of Universities (IAU) will hold the International Conference under the theme University Values in a Changing World in partnership with Sophia University in Tokyo, Japan. What are the values, perceived as the very essence of universities? Join the conversation!

On 3-5 December 2024, the UN Office of the Special Adviser on Africa is convening the 2024 Academic Conference on Africa under the theme Power, Justice, and the People: Human Rights and the Rule of Law for Africa’s Transformation. This second edition of the conference aims to elevate African scholars and policymakers to the forefront of discussions, fostering collaboration and generating African-led solutions to critical issues.

The Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens, together with the Foreign Ministry of the Republic of Korea and the Salzburg Global Seminar will host the International Forum on Education and Climate on 13 December 2024. The forum will again bring together key decision-makers and knowledge experts to exchange opinions and share best-practice examples on the role of global citizenship education and ESD in addressing the climate crisis. The event will allow a timely exchange on current successes and challenges and the role of education in an age of climate change.

York’s UNESCO Co-Chairs Charles Hopkins and Katrin Kohl are invited to share their perspectives on the role of education in the fight against climate change and towards a more sustainable world. A livestream will be available for those who will not be able to join in person.

Hosted by the Centre for Environment Education (CEE) India and their partners, the International Conference Educating for Sustainability Action, scheduled for 9-11 January 2025, will bring together academics, practitioners, teachers, and youth to address the triple planetary crises requiring urgent action. One of the most promising pathways towards societal change is promoting education including public awareness. Speakers and participants aim to highlight the power of ESD and to identify strategic education interventions, resources and proven practices.

Leadership is at the heart of quality education. There is a growing belief that educational leadership is the second most important factor explaining learning outcomes. The new 2024/5 UNESCO GEM Report on leadership in education: Lead for learning, looks at the importance of leadership in education for building stronger education systems, ranging from the political to the school and community levels. The report questions what prerequisites are needed to advance educational leadership to contribute to better education outcomes. Accompanied by a review of legislation and policies on the selection, preparation and working conditions of school leaders from 211 education systems, it also addresses the policy levers that can help to attract and develop leadership talent.

Publication: Education and Climate Change

Videos: Quality Climate Communication and Education

Website: Sustainable Development Solutions Network Resource Hub

A 2024 UNESCO publication Education and Climate Change advances the discussion on education’s role for the SDGs.

Watch the video to learn about diverse, innovative approaches to climate change education around the world that are fostering climate literacy and helping learners engage in meaningful climate action. There are many ways yet some shared characteristics in addressing climate change.

With three COP events happening in 2024, SDSN has created a COP Resource Hub, guiding everyone through the meetings:

These are the three Conference of the Parties (COP) events:

• COP16 Biological Diversity (CBD) in Cali (Colombia)
• COP29 Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Baku (Azerbaijan)
• COP16 Desertification (UNCCD) in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia).

Since COP 26 in Glasgow in 2021, the Office for Climate Education (OCE) has been holding an annual TeachersCOP to highlight to global politicians and decision-makers the work of teachers, the challenges they face and the key role they play in the global climate response. Register to attend the TeachersCOP virtual dialogue on 16 November 2024.

COP29 will be held in Baku (Azerbaijan) from 11-22 November 2024 with a press conference for the next iteration of the Youth Climate Report to come. Led by UNESCO Chair Associate Mark Terry, the Youth Climate Report is a multilinear, interactive, database documentary film project. Simply put, it’s a digital map containing more than 1,000 videos of climate research produced by the global community of young voices. It is presented on a Geographic Information System (GIS) map of the world. Stay tuned on our social media channels for the exact date!

In the lead up to COP29, UNESCO is inviting students, teachers, schools, universities and local communities to participate in a #GreeningEducation campaign. The campaign is calling on all those working to ‘green’ their learning environments to post videos or photos of their actions on social media and tag UNESCO, to inspire others.

The open-access journal Current Issues in Comparative Education has announced a call for papers for a Special Issue on Climate Change, Migration, and Conflict: Lessons in Education, addressing questions on the relationship between education and climate change, links between internal or international conflicts with environmental damage, and how these intersections relate to education. Submit your paper by 15 December 2024.

The Learning Planet Institute is driving an intergenerational and global movement to build a new form of planetary university, supported by UNESCO, adapted to transitions across the world. Their Youth Design Challenge is an annual global initiative encouraging young individuals between 15-26 to pitch their ideas for innovative learning programmes for their dream university. Now and until 1 December 2024, participants can pitch programmes on one of the following themes: Engagement – Flourishing – Sustainability. This is a chance to make a real impact on the future of learning!

The Ages of Globalization, an innovative new online course hosted by SDSN with their partners in contribution to SDG 4.7, tells the story of humanity across the world and over time. Human history is one of interdependence – globalization – as well as change, driven by geography, technology, and institutions. By understanding shared history, learners can understand how to meet the great challenges of our time. The course aims to advance ESD competencies in high school learners and is in line with UNESCO’s Education for Sustainable Development Goals: Learning Objectives.

Net Zero 101: What, Why and How is a free and self-paced e-learning course designed for everyone hoping to develop a foundational level of understanding on basic sciences behind climate change, the environmental, social and economic impacts of climate change and actions we can take as a responsible citizen to prevent further climate change and achieve a net-zero society.

York University’s SDGs-in-the-Classroom toolkit, a finalist in this year’s International Green Gown Awards, enables educators to explore using the SDGs as a pedagogical framework. For a transformative student experience, the toolkit links learning, purpose, and impact, and encourages all learners to take the first step to right the future.

Check out this year’s report on IAU’s Higher Education for Sustainable Development (HESD) Cluster. Led by 16 institutions championing specific SDGs, the cluster advances holistic research and practical solutions. York University leads the global activities for SDG 4 Quality Education.

The Summit of the Future side event, Leaders in Higher Education Alliance and Programme – For Accelerating Sustainability Transformations (LEAP-FAST), highlighted the urgent need for inclusive collaborations to address global challenges. Speakers emphasized higher education’s role in empowering communities through education and training to accelerate progress on the SDGs.

Find more education perspectives on the Summit of the Future.

During the 79^th UN General Assembly in September 2024, world leaders gathered to reshape global cooperation and advance collective action through the Pact for the Future. The UN ActNow campaign invites everyone to join the challenge, take action and speak up for our common future through their new mobile app.