UNESCO Chair Newsletter March 2024

Welcome to the York UNESCO Chair March 2024 Newsletter!

With the Global SDG Action & Awareness Week as well as the national SDG Week Canada on 4-8 March 2024, many universities and other education institutions will showcase achievements and discuss opportunities for new and renewed SDG action. Check out the calendar for events near you or online if you are interested in what others in your region or particular field of research are doing.

As part of global efforts, UNESCO will offer a UNESCO Chairs Seminar on the discussion underway in the lead up to the 2024 UN Summit of the Future with A Pact for the Future to be adopted during the Summit. We are excited to announce that we will be speaking in the webinar to highlight the cross-cutting role of education, in particular Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), on our shared path of transforming societies towards a sustainable future. We have already been working closely with the International Association of Universities and with the International Islamic University Malaysia to offer perspectives in the consultation processes. Find more about our input.

The month of March is packed with opportunities. We invite you to read this newsletter and share with your networks. Thank you for your interest!

All the best,

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

The 2024 UN Summit of the Future, to be held in September 2024, aims to enhance collaboration to overcome complex challenges and to reaffirm existing commitments to the SDGs, as well as the UN as a global governance system. An action-oriented outcome document, A Pact for the Future, is expected to be adopted by Member States. The upcoming UNESCO Chairs Seminar Series will give an overview on the preparation of the Summit and each chapter of the Pact.

On 5 March 2024, speakers will provide an overview of the zero draft within the broad Summit of the Future process and critically discuss the role of education and research. York´s UNESCO Chair team Charles Hopkins and Katrin Kohl will address the crucial role of ESD in the frameworks of transformative societal changes needed to bring the SDGs back on track.

During Global SDG Action & Awareness Week and SDG Week Canada, SDSN Canada is hosting a meaningful conversation between educators from Canadian education institutions on enhancing and exploring practical solutions for integrating sustainability into teaching and learning to advance the SDGs. Empowering learners with the required skill sets, knowledge, and experiences for a sustainable future can serve as a crucial pathway to address the global challenges as societies.

Celebrating SDG Week Canada, the World Federation of Colleges and Polytechnics, SDG Affinity Group, is hosting an international panel presentation on 5 March 2024. Global experts will speak on the importance of measuring progress on the SDGs on campuses across the globe, including why the SDGs are relevant and timely for institutions offering technical and vocational training.

On 6 March 2024, panelists from higher education institutions and community partners will discuss the impact of a whole-institution approach towards sustainability that goes beyond understanding the community as a responsibility but as an important partner.

On 7 March 2024, this dynamic panel discussion will delve into the crucial topic of youth inclusion in the work on the SDGs. Speakers will explore the progression of youth participation. Has a diluted form of inclusivity resulted in youth complacency, hindering meaningful change?

Contributing to the celebrations of International Women’s Day 2024, the International Association of Universities (IAU) and the European Women Rectors Association (EWORA) will hold a webinar under the theme Tackling the Leaky Pipeline in Academic Leadership. On 5 March 2024, panelists will discuss the challenges that remain for gender equality in academic institutions, including invisible barriers or the notorious ‘glass ceiling’ that prevents women from progressing to senior positions. University leaders have the responsibility to put in place policies that actively encourage and support staff in their career paths and professional development.

How are truth and reconciliation connected to addressing climate change and its impacts? How can reconciliation be integrated with climate action in teacher education? On 7 March 2024, join Indigenous scholars Joshua Hill (Mount Royal University), Kaviq Kaluraq (Nunavut Arctic College), and Sharla Mskokii-Kwe Peltier (Lakehead University) on Indigenous Knowledges and Ways of Knowing and Being in pre-service and in-service teacher education. The dialogue is hosted by the Accelerating Climate Change Education in Teacher Education Project.

The Second SDG Pitch Competition will take place at McMaster University on 13 March 2024. The event is a contribution to the SDG Week Canada. Students from McMaster University have the opportunity to form a team and pitch an idea to solve one of three sustainability challenges and help the university to advance the SDGs. A team of independent judges from the university, the City of Hamilton, and SDG experts from partnering higher education institutions and beyond will evaluate the student contributions and determine the best ideas. UNESCO Chair Charles Hopkins and Coordinator Katrin Kohl are invited to serve as judges for the Second SDG Student Pitch Competition at McMaster University.

Responsible Futures is a whole-institution approach to embed holistic sustainability in student learning at educational institutions, putting sustainability at the heart of education. In partnership with the International Association of Universities, Students Organising for Sustainability will conduct a second iteration of the program. Information sessions for interested higher education institutions will take place on 12 and 14 March 2024.

The Global Engagement & Empowerment Forum on Sustainable Development (GEEF) will be co-hosted by the Institute for Global Engagement & Empowerment (IGEE), Ban Ki-moon Foundation for a Better Future, and Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens for the sixth time on 14-15 March 2024. Every year, global leaders, subject experts, policymakers, and other stakeholders convene to collaborate towards accomplishing the 2030 Agenda with the 17 SDGs. Following the midway point of the SDGs in 2023, urgent and collaborative action is needed to accelerate progress towards 2030. This conference – hosted as a hybrid event – is an opportunity for stocktaking and dialogue towards shared solutions and joint action.

On 20 March 2024 at 9am EST, this webinar on individual, social cohesion, and democratic citizenship in the age of educational capitalism will feature a presentation from Régis Malet (Université de Bordeaux, Institut Universitaire de France). The event aims to be accessible to both English and French speakers and will be held in a mix of languages.

The United Nations University Institute of Advanced Studies will host an SDG-UP Public Symposium on 29 March 2024. Discussions will highlight sustainability initiatives at the SDG-UP member universities and their role in the global and local community for advancing the SDGs.

The dialogue is open to all audiences in person and online.

Exploring perception of faculty engagement in sustainability is an international survey aiming to identify levers of action and best practices. It is hoped to deepen the understanding of how faculty approach education for sustainability and to catalyze the transformative change needed in education systems.

Research objectives are to:

• Examine the various profiles of faculty members,
• Assess the factors influencing faculty engagement in sustainability
• Better understand the resources needed for each group,
• Systematically identify, document, and analyze best practices.

To effectively enable a lasting cultural shift that accelerates education for sustainability, listening is vital. Please share your insights if you work promoting the integration of sustainability into the curriculum.

Join the next Earth Charter Conference on 12-14 April 2024! Our world appears disrupted by many interconnected challenges including climate change, biodiversity loss, increasing inequalities and conflicts between and within countries. Education must play a central role in preparing people to make the transformative change needed to create a more sustainable, just, and peaceful world for all.

Working with the Earth Charter allows incorporating sustainability values and principles into the processes of learning and decision-making. The Earth Charter opens new paths in education for sustainable development, global citizenship education, and makes efforts to connect these with concepts such as planetary well-being and ecological literacy. Hosted by the Earth Charter International Center with the UNESCO Chair on Education for Sustainable Development with the Earth Charter and Rollins College in Winter Park (Florida, USA), this conference is an excellent opportunity to discuss new ideas, programs, and research activities at the intersection of sustainability, ethics and education.

Human activity is exceeding planetary boundaries, the very systems that make life on Earth possible. Food, water, and energy systems are threatened, as well as healthcare, education, social services, democracy, justice, and peace. Efforts to drive sustainability transformations need to connect local, national, and regional efforts. Educated leadership through diverse networks, communities of practice, initiatives, partnerships, and projects is needed for societal transformation. On 22-26 April 2024, the Collective Leadership Institute Transformation Literacy (Online) Conference will highlight how networked transformation efforts can inform and contribute to localizing the SDGs.

The XVIII World Congress of Comparative Education Societies under the theme Fostering Inclusive Ecologies of Knowledge: Education for Equitable and Sustainable Futures will take place as a hybrid event at Cornell University in Ithaca (New York, USA) on 22-26 July 2024. With keynotes from UNESCO Assistant Director-General Education Stefania Giannini and Director Future of Learning and Innovation Sobhi Tawil as well as one of the newest UNESCO Chairs, Professor Miki Sugimura from Sophia University in Japan, the conference aims to rethink models of knowledge, education, and research. A call for proposals is currently open until 20 March 2024.

The University of Padua and the COPERNICUS Alliance will organize the 2024 Higher Education Summit to be held in Padua (Italy) from 8-10 September 2024.

Under the theme Co-Creating Change for Sustainability, educators, researchers, students, and education professionals with an interest or focus on sustainability are invited in order to foster dialogue and collaboration among all stakeholders in higher education. Driven by enhancing the understanding of a whole-institution approach, presentations will address pedagogy, curriculum, community, capacity-building, institutional practices, and leadership. The call for contributions is open now until 30 March 2024.

Critical perspectives at the midpoint of SDG 4

As the crucial midpoint of the SDGs was passed in 2023 with only 15 % on track, better understanding the progress, promises and pitfalls for SDG 4 as a key enabler is crucial in determining the best path ahead.

This special issue in the International Journal of Educational Development explores an array of critiques, best practice, and evaluation topics related to quality education.

Learning on the road to a sustainable university

The second edition of the Earth Charter Magazine was recently published, presenting diverse voices of young voices, educators, and higher education professionals.

A highlight: Professor Gerd Michelsen, former UNESCO Chair at Leuphana University Germany, shares personal reflections from the experience of transforming Leuphana to become a sustainable university.

New publication: Agents of Change towards Sustainability

This new publication is a compilation of reports and stories on transformative learning approaches at the International Islamic University Malaysia. Students, educators, community members and observers share insights on the positive impact for individuals and the role of the university when embracing community-centered learning. York´s UNESCO Chair Charles Hopkins delivered a foreword and Coordinator Katrin Kohl shared reflections on the program.

Read the preview

Unlocking the future: transforming education through ESD

Helping students navigate the uncertainty of the future and play a role in shaping a more sustainable and resilient world starts with education. Resources for Rethinking (R4R) is an online database for quality sustainability teaching resources, reviewed by teachers for teachers. Read this recent interview with Charles Hopkins, UNESCO Chair at York University, sharing insights about the potential of education and how tools like R4R are making a difference for teachers.

Read the interview

The International Association of Universities (IAU) has recently relaunched their Portal on higher education and research for sustainable development (IAU HESD), providing access to university actions from around the world that contribute to the 17 SDGs. The Portal enables searches regarding thematic or SDG-specific searches and offers access to documents, updates on recent research and upcoming events.

York University serves as the global focal point for SDG 4 Quality Education in the cluster of universities informing the IAU HESD Portal. At the focus of York’s activities is the whole-institution approach towards sustainability.