The document summarizes progress of the Global RCE network from March 2015 to October 2016. It discusses the development of the RCE Network including the acknowledgment of new RCEs. It also provides an overview of RCE-related activities implemented during this period such as meetings, conferences, and publications. Finally, it outlines strategic directions and a strategy roadmap for the RCE community through 2020 to strengthen governance, enhance capacity development, and link local efforts with international platforms and processes.

1. Progress of the Global RCE network
March 2015- October 2016
United Nations University
Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability
(UNU-IAS)

2. 1.) Development of the RCE Network
2.) Overview of RCE-related activities implemented since
April 2015

3. 2005
7 99 120
2009
74
Mid-Decade Year
Framework for the
UNDESD International
Implementation
Scheme
Number in Red: Number of RCEs Acknowledged by UNU
2013 20142007 2011
47
DESD Launch
2003 Establishment of ESD Programme at UNU-IAS
2004 Development of the RCE Concept
UNESCO World
Conference on ESD
(Bonn, Germany)
8th
International
RCE Conference
(Nairobi, Kenya)
Annual Global
RCE Conference
since 2006
9th
International
RCE Conference
(Okayama, Japan)
End of the DESD
UNESCO World
Conference on ESD
(Aichi-Nagoya)
Global Action
Programme on
ESD (GAP)
2008 Emergence of thematic &
strategic networks
2007 Emergence of continental
networks
135
Development of the RCE Network
146
2015
Sustainable
Development
Goals (SDGs)
3
RCE
Network
2016 and
beyond
149

4. Newly acknowledged RCEs
Global Network:
 149 RCEs worldwide
Asia-Pacific: 56
Europe: 40
Africa and Middle East: 32
Americas: 21
New RCEs:
12 RCEs were acknowledged since April 2015 until now.
Asia-Pacific: Tasmania (Australia), Chennai (India), Hokkaido
Central (Japan), Maha Sarakham (Thailand), Tianjin (China),
Thiruvananthapuram (India)
Africa and Middle East: South Rift (Kenya), Greater Kampala
(Uganda), Greater Masaka (Uganda), Port Harcourt (Nigeria)
Americas: Cuenca del Plata (Argentina)
Europe: Vojvodina (Serbia)
RCE
Network

5. The Global RCE Network
149 RCEs as of August 2016
RCE
Network

6. 6
RCE Recognition Award 2015
Activities
 17 projects from 16 RCEs were submitted
 6 projects including RCE Greater Portland and RCE
Saskatchewan received awards under “Outstanding Flagship
Projects”.
8 projects received awards under “Acknowledged Flagship
Project”
Contents of each project can be checked on the RCE Portal:
http://www.rce-network.org/portal/awards

7. Overview of RCE-related activities
March 2015 • The 8th
Asia-Pacific RCE Meeting
• Japanese RCE Meeting
• Cebu & Bohol, Philippines
• Miyagi, Japan
May 2015 • Launch of Sejahtera Center for Asia-
Pacific RCEs
• Global GAP Partner Meeting
• Tongyeong, South Korea
• Paris, France
July 2015 • World Environmental Education
Congress
• Gothenburg, Sweden
August 2015 • The 4th
Americas RCE Meeting • Grand Rapids, United
States
Activities
<The 8th
Asia-Pacific RCE Meeting> <The 4th
Americas RCE Meeting>

8. Overview of RCE-related activities
September 2015 • German RCE Meeting • Munich, Germany
October 2015 • The 5th
African RCE Meeting
• Traditional Knowledge Workshop
• Entebbe, Uganda
• Bangalore, India
November 2015 • The 10th
Ubuntu Committee of Peers
for the RCEs
• Tokyo, Japan
Jan 2016 • Education as a Driver for SDGs • Ahmedabad, India
Feb 2016 • Japanese RCE Meeting • Yokohama, Japan
May 2016 • United Nations Environment
Assembly
• Nairobi, Kenya
Activities
<The 5th
African RCE Meeting> <Education as a Driver for SDGs>

9. Overview of RCE-related activities
June 2016 • European RCE Meeting
• The 9th
AP RCE Meeting
• London, United Kingdom
• Cha-am, Thailand
July 2016 • Global GAP Partner Meeting • Paris, France
August 2016 • African RCE Meeting
• Tokyo International on African
Development (TICAD) VI
• Nairobi, Kenya
October 2016 • Americas RCE Meeting • Curitiba, Brazil
November 2016 • The 11th
Ubuntu Committee of Peers
for the RCEs (21-22 November)
• The 10th
Global RCE Conference (23-
25 November)
• Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Activities

10. RCE Portal- RenewalRCE Portal- Renewal
http://www.rce-network.org/portal/homehttp://www.rce-network.org/portal/home
Activities

11. Activities
Facebook Page for RCEs!Facebook Page for RCEs!

12. Activities
How to access FB for RCEsHow to access FB for RCEs
 Access Top page
of the RCE Portal
 Click FB Icon at
the bottom

13. RCE E-Bulletin
13
 Issued monthly
 Upcoming ESD-related
Events
 Latest News
 Invitations for
collaboration
 New Publications and
Resources
 Created a template for
RCEs to submit an
article to the bulletin
Activities

14. 14
Activities
Submitting an article to the Bulletin
1. RCE Portal- Click News
2. Click “Submit RCE Bulletin”
3. Fill out the submission form
4. Send it to the Global RCE Service Centre by
15th
of every month.

15. 15
Activities
Submitting an annual report
1. RCE Portal- Click Community ->
Annual Report -> Create Reports
2. Follow the tutorial to submit an
annual report.
Annual Report is due on 15 November
2016.

16. RCE-related Publications
Activities
 Policy Briefs on Climate
Change Education and
Disaster Risk Reduction
Education (Dr. Philip
Vaughter)
 Published in February 2016
and July 2016
 How to access our Policy
Briefs:
1. RCE Portal- Click
Publications

17. SDGs Blog Series at UNU
Posted on the UNU Website
Goal 4 (Education): Dr.
Zinaida Fadeeva
Goal 13 (Climate Change):
Dr. Philip Vaughter
17
Activities

18. Strategic Directions and Strategy
Roadmap for the RCE Community and the progress on GAP on ESD
United Nations University
Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability
(UNU-IAS)

19. 1.) ESD beyond 2014 (GAP and SDGs)
2.) Strategic Directions of the UNU-IAS ESD Programme

20.  Launched at the UNESCO World Conference on ESD (Nov 2014)
 Adopted at the 69th
Session of the UN General Assembly as the
Follow-up to the UN Decade of ESD (Dec 2014)
Overall goal:
To generate and scale-up action in all levels and areas of education
and learning in order to accelerate progress towards sustainable
development
Objectives:
1) To reorient education and learning (integrate ESD into the
education agenda)
2) To strengthen education and learning in all agendas, programmes
and activities that promote sustainable development (integrate
ESD into the development agenda)
20
ESD Beyond 2014
Global Action Programme (GAP) on ESD

21. GAP Priority Action Areas

22. ESD Beyond 2014
Global Action Programme (GAP) on ESD
Strategies:
1. Building New Momentum
Through Launch Commitments
2. Harnessing Partnerships
Through Partner Networks
2. Fostering a New Global Community of
Practice
Through a Global Forum and an Online
Clearinghouse
4. Showcasing Good Practice
Through a UNESCO ESD Prize
GAP Implementation mechanisms:
Global monitoring framework
78 Partner Networks identified by UNESCO
UNU-IAS is a Partner Network for the Priority
Action Area 522

23. GAP Flagship Project – Partner Network 5 – ESD
Policy & Action Pact
• 1) We recognize ESD as a driving force and vital tool to implement
sustainable development in our community and for sharing a common
vision of the SDGs.
• 2) We will seek coherence between our own policies and programmes for
ESD and relevant subnational, national, regional and international
activities.
• 3) We will implement the Global Action Programme on ESD by decision
of the local council, in line with existing local policies, plans and
regulations.
• 4) We commit to anchor ESD at the decision level by naming a focal
point for the Global Action Programme (GAP) on ESD to enhance
cross-sector cooperation and participation for a more sustainable
development.

24. GAP Flagship Project – Partner Network 5 – ESD
Policy & Action Pact
• 5) We will make ESD more visible by collecting and promoting
examples of good practice in ESD and encourage all educational
stakeholders and their partners to develop their own activities especially at
cross-sectoral levels.
• 6) We will support further trainings for all people, institutions,
stakeholders and members of our administration to acquire personal
competencies and skills for a sustainable future.
• 7) We will share our experience with other local communities, -
encouraging them to also sign the “ESD Policy & Action Pact”- and with
the UNESCO GAP Partner Networks, and will provide a report about our
actions for the 2019 GAP Global Review.
• 8) By signing this Pact, the city or local government becomes the right to
use the GAP ESD visual and access to all available information and will
be part of an international community of practice to further ESD actions,
programmes and plans at local level.

25. 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), adopted at the UN
Summit in September 2015, came into force on 1 Jan 2016
Goal 4 - Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote life-long
learning opportunities for all
4.7 - By 2030 ensure all learners acquire knowledge and skills needed to promote
sustainable development, including among others through education for
sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality,
promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship, and
appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable
development
 ESD has great potential to contribute to other SDGs through building
interdisciplinary and multi-stakeholder partnerships.
ESD Beyond 2014
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

26. UNU-IAS ESD Programme beyond DESD
Goal and Objectives of Programme:
 To bridge the gap between learning and sustainable development through
research and actions that advance knowledge across geographic,
knowledge, and sectoral boundaries
To actualize this goal by meeting the following objectives:
 Accelerating local and regional solutions to sustainability issues
 Re-orienting higher education for societal transformation into SD
 Developing SD and ESD competencies and capabilities as well as a science-policy
interface

27. UNU-IAS ESD Programme beyond DESD
Strategic Direction:
Further advance ESD and address sustainability issues through the
multi-stakeholder network (RCEs) and the higher education
network (ProSPER.Net)
 Multi-stakeholder networks are ideally positioned to translate global
sustainable development policy and vision into local realities
 Because RCEs develop innovative modalities for action, education,
and research, they can:
Create thematic networks in diverse research areas
Engage policymakers as key partners at local, national, and regional level
Undertake joint projects, capacity development, monitoring, and evaluation
Identify and share outstanding ESD practices (via RCE Communications Portal)

28. UNU-IAS ESD Programme beyond DESD
Strategic Direction:
Contribute to international sustainability processes and UN debates
through policy-relevant research and capacity development
Multi-stakeholder networks link local and regional initiatives to international SD and ESD
platforms and processes, including:
 The Global Action Programme (GAP) on ESD
 Sustainable Consumption and Production through the 10 Year Framework
Programme on Sustainable Consumption and Production (10YFP on SCP)
 Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services through the International Platform on
Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) and the Convention on Biological
Diversity (CBD)
 Climate Change through Article 6 of the United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change (UNFCCC)
 Disaster Risk Reduction through the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction
2015-2030

29. UNU-IAS ESD Programme beyond DESD
Focus on synergy and coordination of partner networks and
international platforms
Priority focus on areas such as:
 Sustainable consumption and production
 Biodiversity, ecosystem services, and traditional knowledge
 Climate change and disaster risk reduction
 Higher education driven initiatives
 Youth

31. Roadmap for RCEsRoadmap for RCEs
RCE Portal: http://www.rce-network.org/portal/unu-ias-roadmap-rce-community-2016-2020 31

32. Roadmap for RCEsRoadmap for RCEs
32
3 Strategies:
1. Strengthening governance to better coordinate ESD/SD
learning and actions within the RCE Community
2. Enhancing the capacity development of local and regional
stakeholders to contribute to both local and global
sustainable development initiatives
3. Strengthening the impact of actions related to SD/ESD by
linking local and regional SD and ESD debates and
processes with international platforms

33. Roadmap for RCEsRoadmap for RCEs
Strategy 1:
Strengthening
governance to
better coordinate
ESD/SD learning
and actions within
the RCE
Community

34. Roadmap for RCEsRoadmap for RCEs
Strategy 2:
Enhancing the
capacity
development of
local and
regional
stakeholders to
contribute to
both local and
global SD
initiatives

35. Roadmap for RCEsRoadmap for RCEs
Strategy 3:
Strengthening the
impact of actions
related to SD/ESD
by linking local
and regional SD
and ESD debates
& processes with
international
platforms

36. Thank you very much!
For more information, please visit:
UNU-IAS Website (http://ias.unu.edu/en/) and
RCE Online Portal (http://www.rce-network.org/portal/)