RCE Community: Progress, challenges and aspirations

1. RCE Community:Progress, challenges and aspirations

2. Evolution of Global RCE Community Mid-Decade Year DESD Launched Establishment of ESD Programme at UNU-IAS Development of the RCE concept Establishment of the first 7 RCEs Beginning of cross-RCE geographical collaboration Emergence of thematic and operational groups Discussion of how to assess RCEs begun Showcasing RCEs at the World Conference on ESD (Bonn, Germany) UNU/UNESCO Conference on Globalization and ESD (Nagoya, Japan) 1st International RCE Conference (Yokohama, Japan) 4th International RCE Conference (Montreal, Canada) 3rd International RCE Conference (Barcelona, Spain) 2nd International RCE Conference (Penang, Malaysia) Number of RCEs Acknowledged by UNU 10 28 47 61 74 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

3. Evolution of Global RCE Community (cont.) End-Decade Year Stronger emphasis on capacity development Engagement with international processes 5th International RCE conference (Curitiba, Brazil) 6th International RCE Conference (Kerkrade, the Netherlands) Number of RCEs Acknowledged by UNU 74 89 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

4. 89 RCEs today and coming close to 100! Expansion & strengthening of Global RCE Network

5. Promoting expansion of RCE Network in Australia • 1st RCE (named Western Australia) in Australia was acknowledged by UNU in 2010.

6. Developing capacities of RCE community • Facilitating regional (continental) networks as well as tactical/strategic networks for capacity development • Generating thematic  capacity development materials & a long-term global RCE strategic vision • Climate change • Teacher education and better schools • Sustainable consumption and production • Health • Traditional knowledge and biodiversity • Higher education • Well-being, livelihood and poverty reduction

7. Developing capacities of RCE community • Plan for development of the RCE community with a goal to upscale action research and transformative learning projects. • Among the capacity development modules are • Revisiting RCE vision • Governance • ESD competences and capabilities • Principles of transformative learning • Action research • Thematic actions • Marketing, fundraising and communication

8. Highlights form the regions

9. Highlights from the Asia-Pacific RCE Community • Development of sub-regional networks and collaboration of RCEs in a country - Japanese RCEs set up a taskforce (in August 2011) - RCEs in Korea, India, Thailand, and Indonesia are engaging with other networks • A-P RCEs developed the 2011 Yogyakarta Action Plan on Community-based ESD • Contributed to the side events on Biodiversity at the CBD COP10 in Nagoya, Japan, October 2010 • Best practices for the “Asia Regional Forum on Biodiversity – Encouraging Partnership between Businesses and Communities”, Cha-am, Thailand, November 2011 • Four continental priority themes – Biodiversity, Community, Schools and Youth

10. Highlights from the European RCEs • From December 2010 work towards all European bid reflecting Strategy 2020 (many individual bids) • RCE Graz Styria - basis for the new Copernicus Alliance Network • Strategic meeting of European RCEs in Newcastle (July 2011) – transformative education is at the core

11. Capacity development of African RCE community Participants at the First African RCE Continental Meeting held at Rhodes University, South Africa on 29-31 August 2011.

12. Highlights from American RCEs • Growth of RCEs in South and Central America • Experimentation with communication mediums • Some project accomplishments within specific RCEs: • creating formal organizational partnerships with structural commitments to ESD within regions • emphasis on important role of youth and community participation in projects • emphasis on culture and indigenous knowledge and participation in RCE projects Aspirations to exchange resource people, students and translate ESD and RCE material

13. Contribution to the international ESD-related actions Strategies: Increasing visibility of ESD projects Collaboration with UN Agencies Contribution to international ESD processes Synergies with other ESD-related networks

14. Collaboration with international processes and organisations • RCEs as strategic partners with UN agencies (UNDP, UNESCO, UNICEF) • Contribution of UN agencies into the RCE Global Conference • Exploring collaboration with • UNICEF and UNDP around issue of climate change • CBD Secretariat around issues of biodiversity • Eqator Initiative around issues of traditional knowledge • IAU around higher education • UNEP around issues of sustainable production and consumption and sustainable livelihood • UNECE on the issue of ESD assessment • Copernicus Alliance - network of European universities on the issue of higher education appraisal

15. Contribution to international ESD processes • Collaboration towards Rio+20 process • Input into the UN DESD Global Monitoring and Evaluation process • The 2014 end-of-decade World ESD Conference in Nagoya, Japan • Organisation of back-to-back Global RCE Conference

19. Learning in “Liquid times” • uncertainties and risks are the most prominent feature • The learning processes have to be grounded on the requirements of a long-term perspectives (scenarios), flexibility, innovativeness, diversity and cross-sector engagement • ESD answers the call

20. How RCE community answers the call? Our vision

21. RCEs charting innovations • “RCE networks takes a lead role in developing policies and practices related to ESD and sustainability innovations. RCEs are hubs of enhanced knowledge networks and collective decision-making beyond the constraints of bureaucratic oraganisations.” • Linking knowledge with action/innovation • A diversity of development solutions

22. RCEs as partners in reflexive implementation of global sustainability agenda • “The RCE community is becoming a testing ground for the international, regional and national sustainable development processes. They critically reflect on the contextual issues, envision sustainable futures, offer policy directions and action plans, develop capacities, thereby engaging in processes of global change.”

23. Thank you very much

24. RCE online reportingportal • Updates ofreportingprotal in 2011 (by Nov. 17th) • Form 1: General Information: • 26 RCEs • Form 2: RCE Coordinationand Development • 24 RCEs • Form 3: RCE Project Database • 42 Projects by 20 RCEs • Form 4: Selfassessment (optional) • 9 Selfassessmentreports

25. Abb.: Mader C., 2009

26. RCE Assessment – Outcomes of students seminar (RCE Graz) • The following RCEs havebeenassessedaccordingtoavailabledataand interview opportunities: • Reporting form (yellow) • RCE NizhnyNovgorod • RCE GreaterSudbury • Reporting form andstory (red) • RCE Oldenburger Münsterland • RCE Saskatchewan • Story (blue) • Advisorto European RCEs • RCE Tongyeong • RCE Denmark • RCE Acores • RCE Makanaand Rural Eastern Cape • RCE Rhine Meuse • RCE Graz-Styria • RCE Samara • RCE Bogotá

27. RCE Assessment – Outcomes - GMID • Individual RCE level • Analysis of reporting forms. • Providing an overview on actions and stakeholder/citizen involvement • Global RCE network (not done yet) • Providing progress report of global initiative (projects, actors, active/passive RCEs,…) Mader, 2011

28. RCE Assessment – OutcomesStorytellingapproach Story telling • Stories easy to read • Sufficient information • Facts and figures • People behind RCE • Learnings communicated Mader, 2011