Tomorrow today; 2010 - unesdoc - Unesco

Image: UNU-ISPSymposium and Workshop on Education for Sustainable Development in Africa (ESDA), Nairobi, Kenya, 1-2 March 2010brings together students and regional actors from different professions,including retirees; and cooperation with the national focal point of theUN Global Compact Network to intensify the connection between theuniversity and business partners around topics such as human rights,ESD and supply chain management.Seeking synergies and establishing platforms for ESD dialogueBuilding on its capability for international collaboration, UNU,together with its close partners and champions of ESD, have broughttogether universities in different continents for collaborative alliances.These differ from more conventional academic partnershipsin that they are formed with an understanding that in order tocontribute meaningfully to societal challenges, they have to addressthe challenge of transforming the whole (higher) educationalsystem. A complex work of contributing to change while changingthemselves is unfolding among universities that are ESD champions.European higher education networking for sustainabilityIn the past several years, a group of European universities, most ofwhich are involved in the UNU’s RCE initiative, have made an effort toreactivate COPERNICUS, the European Network on Higher Educationfor Sustainable Development. 3 In the course of a founding workshoporganized by the University of Lüneburg and the University of Graz,university representatives from across Europe were invited to worktogether on further development of the European Network on HESD.Outcomes of this workshop included the establishment of sevenworking groups, each aiming at different aspects of moving Europeanhigher education towards sustainable development. Groups that organizeworkshops such as this one provide meeting points and platformsto share experiences. For example, participants in the‘innovative teaching and learning’ group exchange toolsand teaching materials. The ‘student involvement’ grouphighlights the importance of students in the implementationof sustainability in relevant institutions and providesa Europe-wide platform for students.The vision of the COPERNICUS Alliance is based on theaims of the COPERNICUS Charter that was developed in1993 by the European Rectors Conference. To ensure thecontinuity of European progress in this field, the Allianceis managed as an NGO, with a secretariat serving themembers. One of the services provided by the secretariat isthe funding of working groups so that they can carry out,among other work, studies focusing on the sustainabilityprogress of European higher education.University members of the RCEs engage in collectiveefforts to create platforms to support university collaborationin interdisciplinary research and teaching, policymaking,capacity-building and technology transfer. Universities thatplay major roles in RCE Rhine-Meuse and RCE Graz-Styria,together with other European universities, have developedan EU-funded project called 3-Lensus (Lifelong LearningNetwork for Sustainable Development), which is developinga database of innovative projects promoting ESD. 4The 3-Lensus project focuses on the knowledge triangle ofeducation, research and innovation for regional sustainabledevelopment. One of the important aims of the project is tofacilitate collaboration between higher education institutionsand regional partners.[ 136 ]