Event
Asia-Pacific cooperation for sustainability
The 15th Asia-Pacific RCE Regional Meeting on Strengthening Sustainable Communities through Education for Sustainable Development was held in RCE Tongyeong on September 14-16, 2023. The meeting was attended by staff from Hanns Seidel Foundation Zhejiang, Shanghai, Mongolia and Korea, together with experts from RCE Hangzhou, RCE Suzhou and the Environmental Education Centers in Mongolia. The aim of this meeting was to exchange experiences and ideas with 130 experts from 33 RCEs in 14 countries and to look for opportunities for future cooperation.
In 2003, the United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability (UNU-IAS) launched the Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) project in response to the UN Resolution on the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (UNDESD). The project focuses on research and development through two main initiatives: a global network of Regional Centers of Expertise on ESD (RCEs) and a network of higher education institutions called “Promoting Sustainability in Postgraduate Education and Research” (ProSPER.Net). There are currently 190 RCEs in operation worldwide, and the city of Tongyeong was designated as the eighth RCE in the world and the first RCE city in Korea in 2005.
On the first day of the meeting, the participants were divided into two groups and had the opportunity to learn more about ESD in Tongyeong. One group visited a village called Seonchon, which is located in front of RCE Tongyeong, and learned how the residents worked together to promote a sustainable environment for the next generation. This included creating a marine forest with jalpi (seaweed), marine conservation by collecting waste from the seashore and systematic recycling of waste. The other group visited Byeokbang Primary School in Tongyeong City and had the opportunity to get to know the place of ESD through the cooperation of school management, teachers and students. On the second day, the participants had the opportunity to learn more about the current development of ESD in the Asia-Pacific region through lectures and workshops. They discussed ways of future cooperation between RCEs in the Asia-Pacific region. On the last day of the meeting, the participants visited Golli Island, the island for Korean language education for the elderly supported by RCE Tongyeong, and listened to the stories of a volunteer Korean language teacher and elderly learners.
The three-day meeting was an opportunity to plan effective cooperation among RCEs in the near future and strengthen sustainable communities through ESD. Hanns Seidel Foundation, with its offices in Zhejiang and Mongolia, remains committed to providing sustainable support to RCEs in the Asia-Pacific region. This dedication aims to strengthen ESD initiatives and align with global efforts to achieve the SDGs. Through this support, HSS strives to make a significant contribution to the promotion of sustainability, environmental awareness and societal progress in the region and beyond.
