UNESCO Chair links

Here you will find some useful documents and links in the context of Higher Education for Sustainable Development.

Documents:

Global Action Programme on Education for Sustainable Development
The Global Action Programme (GAP) on ESD seeks to generate and scale-up ESD action. It is intended to make a substantial contribution to the post-2015 agenda. The overall goal of the GAP is to generate and scale up action in all levels and areas of education and learning to accelerate progress towards sustainable development.

Roadmapfor Implementing the Global Action Programme on ESD
The Global Action Programme comes with a detailed implementation Roadmap. The Roadmap explains the Programme’s goal, objectives and priority action areas in order to enable strategic focus and stakeholder commitment, together with implementation and monitoring strategies.

UNECE Strategy for Education for Sustainable Development
Published by the United Nations Economic and Social Council in March 2005. The strategy is a contribution to and in line with the Framework for a draft implementation scheme for the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development developed by the UNESCO.

International Implementation Scheme
Published by the UNESCO in 2005. International Implementation Scheme for the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014).

HEFCE: Sustainable Development in Higher Education
Published by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) in July 2005. Approach to promoting a support strategy and action plan for sustainable development in higher education.

Lueneburg Declaration
Adopted on 10 October 2001 in Lüneburg, Germany, on the occasion of the International COPERNICUS Conference “Higher Education for Sustainability – Towards the World Summit on Sustainable Development (Rio+10)” held at the University of Lüneburg 8 – 10 October 2001.

Ubuntu Declaration
Adopted in 2002. Calls for the development of a global learning environment for learning for sustainability. It suggests the creation of networks and Regional Centres of Expertise (RCEs).

Graz Declaration
Adopted on 23 April 2005 in Graz, Austria, on the occasion of the international conference on “Committing Universities to Sustainable Development”, held in Graz from 20-23 April 2005. The conference was jointly organized by COPERNICUSCAMPUS, the Karl-Franzens-University Graz, the Technical University Graz, oikos International, and was sponsored by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Bergen Communiqué
Communiqué of the Conference of European Ministers Responsible for Higher Education, Bergen, 19-20 May 2005

Declaration “Universities for Sustainable Development”
Declaration by the German Rectors’ Conference and the German Commission for UNESCO on Higher Education for Sustainable Development. Adopted in 2009 / 2010.

Memorandum “Re-Thinking Academia. Reorientation on the horizon of sustainability”
Contribution to the German debate on the higher education reform. It calls for a paradigm shift in German universities. Elaborated in 2004 by an interdisciplinary group of German professors, all being committed to higher education policy.

Links

UNESCO Chairs – UNITWIN Networks
Information about the UNESCO Chairs – UNITWIN Networks program, procedures and action areas. Access to UNESCO Chairs / UNITWIN Networks by domain.

United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development
UNESCO’s official website of the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005 – 2014).

International Association of Universities (IAU)
Founded in 1950, the UNESCO-based International Association of Universities (IAU) brings together institutions and organisations from some 150 countries for reflection and action on common concerns and collaborates with various international, regional and national bodies active in higher education.

Association of University Leaders For A Sustainable Future (ULSF)
ULSF is an international non-profit organization working to strengthen the capacity of colleges and universities to make sustainability and environmental literacy a major focus of teaching, research, service, and operations.

Global University Network For Innovation (GUNI)
The Global University Network for Innovation (GUNI) is composed of UNESCO Chairs in Higher Education, research centers, universities, networks and other institutions highly committed to innovation in higher education. It was set up by UNESCO, the United Nations University (UNU) and the Technical University of Catalonia (UPC) in 1999 with the aim of contributing to the reinforcement of higher education by the application of the decisions of the World Conference on Higher Education.

COPERNICUS Alliance
COPERNICUS Alliance contributes to promoting cohesion among universities in all parts of Europe. It is functioning as a networking tool for cooperation between European universities in order to stimulate a sharing of knowledge and expertise on different topics concerning sustainability in higher education.

US Partnership for the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development

The US Partnership consists of individuals, organizations and institutions in the United States dedicated to education for sustainable development (ESD). It acts as a convener, catalyst, and communicator working across all sectors of American society.

Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education

A membership-based association of colleges and universities working to advance sustainability in higher education in the US and Canada. AASHE aims to advance the efforts of the entire campus sustainability community by uniting diverse initiatives and connecting practitioners to resources and professional development opportunities.

Dutch National Network for Sustainable Development in Higher Education Curricula (DHO)
DHO aims to develop learning opportunities, innovative learning environments and methodologies within higher education that enable individuals to develop competences on sustainable development. 

Sustainable Universities Initiative (SUI)

Partnership of the Clemson University, South Carolina, the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), and the University of South Carolina (USC) with the aim of cooperating in leading the way toward a more sustainable future through teaching, research, community service and facilities management

Oikos International
Oikos is an international student organisation which seeks to strengthen sustainability-oriented entrepreneurship among tomorrow's leaders and decision makers by sensitising students of business and economics to sustainable development issues. oikos activities comprise the organisation of lectures, conferences, simulation games and workshops as well as practice-oriented sustainability projects.

International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education
The International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education is a fully-refereed academic journal. Published in conjunction with the Association of University Leaders for a Sustainable Future (ULSF), the journal aims to address environmental management systems (EMS), sustainable development and Agenda 21 issues at higher education institutions, worldwide.

Sustainable Development on Campus – Toolkit of the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD)
An interactive toolkit for campus decision makers in order to promote sustainable development on campus, developed by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD).

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) Toolkit
The ESD Toolkit is an easy-to-use manual for individuals and organizations from both the education and community sectors. It addresses the potentially powerful alliance of school systems and communities working together to reach local sustainability goals.

Teaching and Learning for a Sustainable Future
A multimedia professional development program for educators prepared by the UNESCO programme on educating for a sustainable future. It contains 100 hours (divided into 25 modules) of professional development for use in pre-service teacher courses as well as the in-service education of teachers, curriculum developers, education policy makers, and authors of educational materials.

National Wildlife Federation – Campus Ecology
National Wildlife Federation's Campus Ecology Program supports and promotes positive and practical conservation projects on college and university campuses of the United States.

Forum for the Future – Higher Education Partnership for Sustainability (HEPS, UK)
UK’s sustainable development charity with the objective to promote sustainable development and to educate different groups in sustainable development, in order to accelerate the building of a sustainable way of life.

Australian Research Institute in Education for Sustainability (ARIES)

ARIES is based at Macquarie University, Sydney. It is primarily funded by the Australian Government Department of the Environment and Heritage. Its core business is to undertake research that informs policy and practice in Education for Sustainability across a range of sectors including: business and industry, school education, community education, further and higher education.