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Global Higher Education for Sustainability Partnership (GHESP)
[last updated January 6, 2004 11:56 AM]
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General Information
Partnership website(s) |
Expected TimeframeSeptember 2002 - December 2007 |
Partners
| Governments:
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Major Groups:
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UN System:
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Other intergovernmental organizations:
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Other:
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Thematic Focus
Primary Themes:
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Secondary Themes:
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Geographic Coverage
Geographic Scope: Global
Country(ies) where the partnership is being implemented: France, Germany, Japan, United States of America |
National Focal Points
At present, no information is available as to whether the partnership has made contact with the national focal points for sustainable development in the relevant countries.
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Goals and Objectives
Summary of the partnership's goals and objectives
The partnership will achieve the following general objectives:
1. Promote better understanding, and more effective implementation of strategies for the incorporation of sustainable development in universities and other higher education institutions. Emphasis is put on the need for interdisciplinary approaches to teaching and research.
2. Identify, share and disseminate widely effective strategies, models and good practices for promoting higher education for sustainable development (HESD).
3.Make recommendations on HESD in consultation with key Northern and Southern stakeholders.
4. Work closely with the UN system to develop and implement this joint action plan addressed to achieve common goals; and analyse and evaluate this experience as an international demonstration project.
1. Promote better understanding, and more effective implementation of strategies for the incorporation of sustainable development in universities and other higher education institutions. Emphasis is put on the need for interdisciplinary approaches to teaching and research.
2. Identify, share and disseminate widely effective strategies, models and good practices for promoting higher education for sustainable development (HESD).
3.Make recommendations on HESD in consultation with key Northern and Southern stakeholders.
4. Work closely with the UN system to develop and implement this joint action plan addressed to achieve common goals; and analyse and evaluate this experience as an international demonstration project.
Targets and Progress
Partnership targetsOn the basis of paragraph 7 of the L¿neburg Declaration, the four organizations involved in GHESP commit to achieve the following targets within the next five years:
1. Promote expanded endorsement and full implementation of the Talloires, Kyoto, and Copernicus declarations: Over 1000 universities (approximately 50% from the global south) have committed to pursuing sustainable development using these three interrelated declarations as their guides (see "Links of Partnership/Initiative" section below). The three secretariats (IAU, ULSF and COPERNICUS) are developing endorsement and implementation protocols which will assist these institutions in realizing the principles in these declarations. 2. Produce an action-oriented tool kit for universities, managers, administrators, faculty and students designed to move from commitment to concrete action. The tool kit would include: implementation strategies for colleges and universities in teaching, research, operations and outreach; an inventory of available resources; and an inventory of best practices with a compilation of case studies. 3. Enhance the development of regional centres of excellence in both developed and developing countries, and effective networking among them. The major thrust of this partnership is to identify and strengthen universities in the Global South and CIS and Eastern European countries that have made a significant commitment to sustainable development (e.g., University of the South Pacific, Suva, Fiji; University of Costa Rica; St. Petersburg State University, Russia; Miriam College, Quezon City, Philippines; and others). We shall strengthen and support these regional centres. |
Progress against targetsOur first meeting after the WSSD in Johannesburg took place in Quebec City on September 21. IAU took the Chair of the partnership for this year. The partners signed a renewed Memorandum of Understanding, for the next 5 years, and decided upon an Action Plan that will regularly be updated. Both documents are available on-line on the IAU WebPages on GHESP (cf: www.unesco.org/iau/ghesp/index.html) under Sustainable development (cf: www.unesco.org/iau/sd/index.html).
New projects within the LUCED-I&UA partnership Project title: VO@NET Project partners: DUCED-I&UA, MUCED-I&UA, and TUCED-I&UA Donor: The Asia IT&C programme, European Commission Project Description: Development of a virtual open access network for education and training to enhance interconnectivity between European and Asian universities. Application accepted and project started 1st January 2003 Project title: ELAC Project partners: DUCED-I&UA and universities in the UK, Spain, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Mexico Donor: The ALIS Programme, European Commission Project Description: A demonstration project by a European and Latin American Consortium for IST enhanced continued education in environmental management and planning. Application submitted; Response awaited Project title: Curriculum Development Project Project partners: DUCED-I&UA and MUCED-I&UA Donor: The Asia-Link Programme, European Commission Project Description: Curriculum development project for environmental programmes in Malaysia strengthening Problem Based Learning methodologies Application submitted; Response awaited Project title: CEMENT Project partners: DUCED-I&UA and TUCED-I&UA Donor: Asia Pro-Eco Programme, European Commission Project Description: Project to consolidate environmental management experiences and technologies in Thailand Application to be submitted in February 2003 Project title: CETEM Project partners: DUCED-I&UA, MUCED-I&UA, University of Hanoi and University of Twente, The Netherlands Donor: The AUNP Programme, European Union Project Description: Development of life-long learning facilities for the continued education and training of environmental professionals in Thailand and Vietnam. Application submitted; Response awaited Project title: Higher Education Project Project partners: DUCED-I&UA, UNESCO Centre for Problem Based Leaning/ Aalborg University and educational institutions in Mozambique Donor: The World Bank Project Description: Three planning missions to Mozambique to discuss collaboration between Danish universities and universities in Mozambique; to introduce problem based learning methodologies to institutions in Mozambique through training of teachers, curriculum revision and student exchange programme Project started in November 2002 Partnership consolidation: for the time being, it has been decided not to open up to new partners but rather to strengthen existing ties and to involve and solicit active participation of all member higher education institutions of the different partners into the work undertaken under GHESP. Several expressions of interest to join GHESP as official partners have been received at IAU; all have been acknowledged and participation possibilities have been discussed. |
Capacity-Building and Technology Transfer
Arrangements for Capacity-Building and Technology Transfer
- Education/building awareness
GHESP organized seminars and expert meetings will serve as prime catalysts to capacity building for sustainability within institutions of higher education and technology transfer since all will aim to include representatives from all regions including from least developed nations. GHESP is committed to mutual learning and thus also aims to document and disseminate HESD initiatives and innovations developed by our Southern members.
Mainly through continuing website development, GHESP partners will provide a growing resources database, sustainability assessment instruments (such as the Sustainability Assessment Questionnaire on the ULSF website), and case studies on all aspects of the incorporation of sustainable development principles at higher education institutions.
Relationship to International Agreements on Sustainable Development
How the partnership contributes to the implementation of Agenda 21, the Programme for the Further Implementation of Agenda 21, and the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation
GHESP objectives outlined above strongly support the three priorities identified in Chapter 36 of Agenda 21, namely the need to:
(a) Reorient education towards sustainable development;
(b) Increase public awareness; and
(c) Promote training.
The objectives are also in line with the fundamental values highlighted in the 2000 United Nations Millennium Declaration and especially I.6, "Respect for nature", and paragraph IV, "Protecting our Common Environment". GHESP adheres to the principle objective that "prudence must be shown in the management of all living species and natural resources, in accordance with the precepts of sustainable development. Only in this way can the immeasurable riches provided to us by nature be preserved and passed on to our descendants". GHESP believes that higher education can contribute to changing "the current unsustainable patterns of production and consumption [...] in the interest of our future welfare and that of our descendants".
In reaching out to so many universities around the world, GHESP contributes to putting sustainable development on the agenda of heads of higher education institutions and urges them to adopt a new ethic of conservation and stewardship. (See: Chapter 107 - B, C and D of the Draft Plan of Implementation for the World Summit on Sustainable Development).
(a) Reorient education towards sustainable development;
(b) Increase public awareness; and
(c) Promote training.
The objectives are also in line with the fundamental values highlighted in the 2000 United Nations Millennium Declaration and especially I.6, "Respect for nature", and paragraph IV, "Protecting our Common Environment". GHESP adheres to the principle objective that "prudence must be shown in the management of all living species and natural resources, in accordance with the precepts of sustainable development. Only in this way can the immeasurable riches provided to us by nature be preserved and passed on to our descendants". GHESP believes that higher education can contribute to changing "the current unsustainable patterns of production and consumption [...] in the interest of our future welfare and that of our descendants".
In reaching out to so many universities around the world, GHESP contributes to putting sustainable development on the agenda of heads of higher education institutions and urges them to adopt a new ethic of conservation and stewardship. (See: Chapter 107 - B, C and D of the Draft Plan of Implementation for the World Summit on Sustainable Development).
Coordination and Implementation
Coordination Mechanism of the PartnershipA steering committee composed of leaders from the three university associations and UNESCO provides overall direction to the partnership. The chair rotates among the three associations of universities, normally after twelve months. Communications are conducted regularly through e-mail and events organized by partners often serve to hold GHESP planning meetings. Websites of each partner include a section announcing events and initiatives undertaken within the framework of GHESP. In the future it is envisaged to organize more jointly sponsored activities and publications.
GHESP will provide regular information about its activities through its various publications and newsletters. It will be monitored by the internal supervisory mechanisms of each of the partners, and it will contribute to reporting to the CSD and other post WSSD mechanisms. A report of activities will be provided by the Chair holder every time the Chair rotates to a new leading partner. This will provide a record of progress to date and help the new leading partner prepare for the work to come. |
Implementation Mechanism of the PartnershipThe founding partners will continue to expand and facilitate implementation of the different existing university charters and declarations they developed:
IAU, COPERNICUS-CAMPUS and ULSF will each draw on its own experience and on-going work to help advance the goals of the partnership. The role of UNESCO is primarily to act as facilitator for the collaborative work of the partners; provide further international context and input; and make use of and promote the outputs of the group to further innovation and international cooperation in this field, as put forward in the WSSD Plan of Implementation. |
Resources
Funding Currently AvailableAmount in US$: 30000
Source(s): NGO
Each of the three non-governmental organizations is committing significant financial resources to accomplishing the three target goals, especially capacity building in the global south. Small funds are provided by the three University Associations (IAU, ULSF and COPERNICUS-CAMPUS) and UNESCO helps identify sources for funding and occasionally funds specific projects. *In addition to the staff time, ULSF currently raises about 30 thousand dollars a year for international education and plans to expand its fund-raising efforts in this regard. IAU receives a small amount of money from the UNESCO Participation Program to bring experts in the field of sustainable development to participate in the IAU Prague Conference on Education for a Sustainable Future. ULSF has received a grant to develop a first draft Toolkit. |
Non-financial resources availableType(s): Staff
Source(s): NGO
We all contribute in-kind support. * ULSF will continue to contribute approximately one person year of professional and support staff time to GHESP activities. * IAU's contribution to GHESP falls within the work the association carries out on its own thematic priority (higher education and sustainable development) as approved by its Board. Approximately one third of a person-year at a professional staff level and related support staff time will be allocated to the subject. |
Funding SoughtRequired Amount in US$: not specified
Source(s) already approached: However, future fund raising by both the individual partners and by GHESP will be pursued. Fund-raising and project-specific financing will be sought for initiatives such as seminars and meetings to which IAU wishes to bring developing country partners.
* GHESP will identify specific projects to be undertaken by the partners collectively and will fundraise to ensure adequate support. The chair of GHESP at the time of submission will act as lead if one is needed. * COPERNICUS-CAMPUS will seek to generate project-related funding, especially from the European Commission or from national donors in Europe. * UNESCO will continue to play a facilitating and information gathering role and will facilitate fundraising. |
Non-financial resources soughtRequirement(s):
Source(s) approached and details:
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Additional Information
Additional Relevant Information
Global Higher Education for Sustainability Partnership (GHESP) ACTION PLAN
January 2003
This Action Plan reflects the objectives set forth in the GHESP Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) of September 2002 by the four partners: the Association of University Leaders for a Sustainable Future (ULSF), COPERNICUS-CAMPUS, the International Association of Universities (IAU), and UNESCO (in a facilitating role). The four major objectives of the partnership are restated here, followed by specific action items. Each action item includes a lead partner and an approximate deadline for completion. The MOU has committed GHESP partners to a time frame of five years to accomplish these actions.
Regarding funding for our various activities and projects, the partner organizations have agreed to support GHESP with in-kind funding and staff time. They have acknowledged that in order to accomplish all of the action items, ongoing efforts to fundraise, either individually or collectively, will be necessary.
A Table summarizing this plan is appended.
The objectives of the partnership, as stated in the MOU, are to:
1. Promote better understanding, and more effective implementation of strategies for the incorporation of sustainable development in universities and other higher education institutions. Emphasis is put on the need for interdisciplinary approaches to teaching and research.
2. Identify, share and disseminate widely effective strategies, models and good practices for promoting higher education for sustainable development (HESD).
3. Make recommendations on HESD in consultation with key Northern and Southern stakeholders.
4. Work closely with the UN system to develop and implement this joint action plan addressed to achieve common goals; and analyse and evaluate this experience as an international demonstration project.
All of the following action items pertain to one or more of the above objectives.
ACTIONS:
· Actively participate in the planning process for the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development
Lead partners: All partners
Description: Assuming the Decade is adopted by the United Nations General Assembly, and assuming UNESCO will be designated as the lead agency for the preparation and promotion of the Decade, GHESP will strongly support this initiative. GHESP will offer to assist UNESCO with the preparation of the portion of the draft programme for the Decade concerning higher education, and subsequently its implementation.
Deadline: Ongoing from adoption of the Decade
· Produce a “Higher Education for Sustainability Implementation Toolkit”
Lead partner: ULSF
Description: Together with all partners, produce an action-oriented Toolkit for universities, managers, administrators, faculty and students designed to move from commitment to concrete action. The tool kit will include: implementation strategies for higher education institutions that address the incorporation of sustainability in all dimensions of university life, including teaching, research, operations and outreach; a broad inventory of available resources; a variety of assessment and reporting processes; and an inventory of best practices and in-depth case studies. ULSF will hold a Toolkit Consultation in Washington, DC, in May 2003 to begin to develop the materials for this Toolkit. Two other consultations will be held between May ’03 and the Toolkit deadline.
Three related projects could contribute significantly to the development of the GHESP Toolkit: (a) ULSF is working with the North American regional office of UNEP to create a Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) “Resource Document” for sustainability reporting in higher education. This will be the first step in the anticipated development of a GRI “Sector Supplement” for higher education, and could be a fundamental part of the Toolkit. All of the Talloires, Kyoto, and Copernicus declaration signatories will be invited to participate in this process. (b) UNEP Paris has approached IAU with a project aimed at: “reviewing current practices with regard to integrating sustainable development considerations into higher education curricula and identifying ways of strengthening and improving them” Target curricula are 1. Political Sciences and Public Administration; 2. Journalism and Media; and 3. Architecture and Design. (c) IAU and ULSF will develop an online sustainability assessment tool based on ULSF’s Sustainability Assessment Questionnaire. This tool will primarily be made available for use by the over 1,000 signatory institutions represented by GHESP partners.
Deadline: December 2004
· Promote Regional Centres of Excellence in Developing Countries
Lead partners: IAU, COPERNICUS-CAMPUS, and ULSF
Description: Solicit the interest of a number of higher education institutions in developing countries that are interested and able to play an active role within the region in furthering GHESP goals. Enhance the development of regional centres of excellence in both developed and developing countries, and effective networking among them. The major thrust of this partnership is to identify and strengthen universities in developing and transition countries that have made a significant commitment to sustainable development. The following are regions of the world and institutions GHESP will target and lead partners:
Developing countries in general
Lead: IAU will use its own World Higher Education Database and internal networks, but also take into consideration the active UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs in Sustainable Development as well as contacts with sector experts in UNESCO to find partners in developing country universities working on issues of sustainable development. IAU has established a Working Group to assist in the implementation of its activities and contributions to GHESP.
Africa in particular
Lead: IAU, represented by it’s Secretary - General, Madame Eva Egron-Polak, will present GHESP to the African Universities Rectors, Vice Chancellors and Presidents at the 2003 COREVIP Meeting (17-21 March, Réduit, Mauritius). The COREVIP conference will focus on the role of Higher Education African Institutions in the building of the African Union (Le rôle des institutions d'enseignement supérieur en Afrique dans la construction de l'Union africaine). IAU’s goal is to enhance participation of African Universities and ministries in the process of implementing sustainable development.
LDCs
Lead: IAU has been invited by UNESCO/EOLSS to make freely accessible the on-line Encyclopaedia of Life Support Systems to developing countries (LDCs). This might lead to the development of a regional centre at a leading LDC university.
Asia link
Lead: COPERNICUS-CAMPUS will implement a joint GHESP project to promote regional and multilateral networking between higher education institutions in EU states and South Asia South East Asia and China in the area of Sustainable Development.
North America and the South
Lead: ULSF will focus on identifying one or two leading institutions in the U.S. and Canada, and explore the establishment of regional centres at some of the following institutions with which it has existing ties: University of the South Pacific, Suva, Fiji; University of Costa Rica; St. Petersburg State University, Russia; Miriam College, Quezon City, Philippines.
Deadline: On-going. Develop 6-10 Centres in the South by December 2007
· Recommit all signatory institutions to sustainable development
Lead partners: IAU, COPERNICUS-CAMPUS, and ULSF
Description: Urge and support all universities, which signed the Talloires, Kyoto and Copernicus declarations, to actively implement sustainable development in their institutions. Each partner is to write to the signatories with a new joint GHESP document and assessment strategy. This new declaration (or list of core elements of a sustainable university) could be launched at the beginning of the UN International Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005) along with the Toolkit to: solidify the partnership and capitalize on our respective track records; mobilize the real actors, i.e. the universities themselves; seek renewed commitments and at the same time offer guidance with the Toolkit, thus rectifying the problem of the past where there were declarations signed but little or no follow up; and mobilize other partners in the higher education arena that could cooperate with the partnership, with the objective of influencing universities themselves.
Deadline: September 2005
· Develop and disseminate college-level teaching materials on “Earth Ethics and Sustainable Development”
Lead: ULSF
Description: Further develop college-level teaching materials based on the Earth Charter, expanding on ULSF’s work with UNESCO and the National University of Costa Rica’s use of the Earth Charter. ULSF and its affiliate, Earth Charter USA (national headquarters for the U.S. Earth Charter campaign), working closely with the international Earth Charter Initiative, have written and collected various materials suitable for teaching Earth Ethics and Sustainable Development at the university level. These materials will be organized and made available, mostly online, to teachers in many regions of the world.
Deadline: June 2004
· Propose 10 new UNESCO Chairs for sustainable development and international cooperation
Lead partner: COPERNICUS-CAMPUS
Description: In anticipation of the Decade on Education for Sustainable Development, COPERNICUS-CAMPUS, with ULSF and IAU, will propose 10 new UNESCO Chairs with an explicit focus on the furtherance of sustainable development through higher education.
Deadline: December 2004
· Translate and promote HESD curriculum booklets
Lead partner: COPERNICUS-CAMPUS
Description: COPERNICUS-CAMPUS, with assistance from IAU, will translate a series of disciplinary reviews from the Dutch Committee on Sustainability in Higher Education into English. These small books review successes in incorporating sustainable development concepts into various disciplines (e.g. biology, economics, math, management, and physics). The translations will be promoted through GHESP to support the further development of curricula for sustainability.
Deadline: September 2004
· Develop and update respective websites
Lead partners: IAU, COPERNICUS-CAMPUS, and ULSF
Description: The partners’ websites will reflect progress made in the area of HESD and the GHESP section on each website will be continuously updated.
Deadline: Ongoing
· Participate in major events and initiatives to help further GHESP goals
Lead partners: All partners
Description: The following events, inter alia, will include GHESP participation (and may be suitable for GHESP meetings):
– Toolkit Consultation, May 2003, Washington, DC: ULSF will host a consultation to begin developing materials for the GHESP “Higher Education for Sustainability Implementation Toolkit.”
– The World Conference on Higher Education +5, 23-25 June 2003, Paris: Ensure that initiatives of higher education institutions to promote sustainable development will be visible at the World Conference on Higher Education +5. The next GHESP meeting is tentatively scheduled for June 25-26 2003 in Paris to follow the WCHE+5 in which GHESP should be participating actively. IAU is to organize the meeting.
– International Conference on Education for a Sustainable Future, 10-11 September 2003, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic: Organized by IAU, this conference will report on all GHESP partners’ activities in HESD. IAU hopes that the interest as solicited above will ensure broad participation from HE Institutions and from identified UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs in Sustainable Development. The Conference should help strengthen the GHESP goals set forth in this Action Plan.
– COPERNICUS-CAMPUS Conference, February 2004, Canary Islands.
– 12th IAU General Conference on the Wealth of Diversity – The Role of Universities in Promoting Dialogue and Development, 25-29 July 2004, Sao Paulo, Brazil: One of the major themes at this conference will be Higher Education and Sustainable Development. IAU proposes to offer a second international platform for reporting on GHESP activities. This part of the Conference should specifically focus on planning for the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development.
Other activities with actions still to be specified:
· Work with the International Marketing/Communications Initiative for Sustainable Development (Type II Partnership)
Lead partner: ULSF
Description: ULSF, with other GHESP partners, will collaborate where possible with this partnership, which involves UNESCO and J. Walter Thompson Canada, to have input from the perspective of education.
Deadline: Ongoing
Background
In 2000, three non-governmental organizations active in the field of higher education (ULSF, IAU, COPERNICUS-CAMPUS) and UNESCO agreed to join forces and signed a first Memorandum of Understanding, to collaborate and undertake joint actions in the area of higher education and sustainable development. As a result of the work program of the Commission on Sustainable Development, as follow up to the World Conference on Higher Education, and in anticipation of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), the Global Higher Education for Sustainability Partnership (GHESP) was formed. In October 2001, a conference on "Higher Education and Sustainability: towards the World Summit on Sustainable Development 2002" was held in L?neburg, Germany; it resulted in the L?neburg Declaration on Higher Education for Sustainable Development (www.lueneburg-declaration.de) in which the partners committed to specific activities for the further implementation of Agenda 21 after Johannesburg. GHESP is a global initiative, and its primary emphasis as a type II partnership is capacity building in the global south.
The founding partners:
* COPERNICUS-CAMPUS is responsible for the University Charter for Sustainable Development, signed to date by 305 university heads in 37 European countries;
* ULSF serves as the Secretariat of over 280 signatories of the Talloires Declaration in over 40 countries, and promotes education for sustainability based on the Earth Charter; and
* IAU serves more than 650 member universities and institutions of higher education which have formally adopted the Kyoto Declaration on Sustainable Development.
GHESP is a global partnership. Its work aims to increase mutual sharing of expertise and cooperation with a two-way flow of ideas and experience. The networking made possible through GHESP aims at creating opportunities for more focused bilateral or multilateral partnerships between different universities around the world. Resources will need to be found by the interested parties from existing programs for financing inter-university cooperation. The development of centers of excellence at leading institutions in various Southern regions will focus in part on local sustainable development initiatives. Also, as noted in the "specific targets" section above, GHESP partners will focus specifically on promoting regional and multilateral networking between higher education institutions in EU Member States and South Asia, SouthEast Asia and China in the area of sustainable development.
Expected results:
* Joint publication by IAU and ULSF of vol. 15, no.2 of the journal Higher Education Policy and vol. 3, issue 3 of the International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, on "Sustainability and Higher Education: Initiatives and Agendas." Guest edited by ULSF and completed in June/July 2002, the publications are to be distributed in July/August 2002 in preparation for the WSSD;
* In conjunction with IAU's Administrative Board Meeting and an International Conference on Globalization, GHESP will hold a special partners meeting as a direct Follow-up to Johannesburg, in Quebec City, Canada, on September 21, 2002. A new Action Plan, taking WSSD adopted resolutions into account, will then be defined.
* IAU will solicit the interest of a number of higher education institutions in developing countries that are interested and able to play an active role within the region in furthering GHESP goals. IAU will use its own World Higher Education Database and internal networks, but also take into consideration the active UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs in Sustainable Development as well as contacts with sectoral experts in UNESCO to find partners in developing country universities working on issues of sustainable development.
* IAU will establish a Working Group to assist it in the implementation of its own activities and contribution to GHESP.
* IAU's 12th General Conference, to be held in Sao Paulo, Brazil, will have as a theme: higher education and sustainable development.
* COPERNICUS-CAMPUS hosted the L?neburg Conference that lead to the publication of the L?neburg book entitled: The L?neburg Declaration - Stepping stone for universities and development in the context of globalization. The book will be launched in Johannesburg during the WSSD.
* COPERNICUS-CAMPUS aims to establish an UNESCO Chair for Sustainable Development and International Cooperation for the further implementation of the L?neburg Declaration on Higher Education for Sustainable Development.
* COPERNICUS-CAMPUS will, together with IAU, implement a joint project to promote regional and multilateral networking between higher education institutions in EU Member States and South Asia, SouthEast Asia and China in the area of sustainable development.
* ULSF will, together with GHESP partners, produce an action-oriented toolkit for universities, managers, administrators, faculty and students to assist in moving from commitment to concrete action. The toolkit will include an implementation strategy for signatories of the charters and declarations sponsored by the partner organizations. ULSF will continue to build its online resources database (www.ulsf.org/cgi-bin/search.cfm), which was launched in spring 2002, into an international information source as a supplement to the toolkit.
* ULSF will, together with IAU, develop an on-line sustainability assessment tool (based on ULSF's Sustainability Assessment Questionnaire) primarily for use by the signatory institutions represented by GHESP partners (see "Links of Partnership/Initiative" section below).
* ULSF will develop and disseminate a college-level curriculum on "Earth Ethics and Sustainable Development," based on the Earth Charter, expanding on ULSF's work with UNESCO and the National University of Costa Rica's use of the Earth Charter.
* GHESP will ensure that initiatives of higher education institutions to promote sustainable development will be visible in the World Conference on Higher Education +5, scheduled for June 2003.
* GHESP will actively participate in the planning process for the International Decade on Education for Sustainable Development proposed to the General Assembly in the WSSD Plan of Implementation.
Some activities as scheduled:
2003
· January 13-15: IAU and COPERNICUS-CAMPUS Participation in Commission 2: the contribution of higher education to sustainable human development during the 8th UNESCO NGO Collective Consultation on Higher Education. Brief Presentation on GHESP and IAU representative was designated to act as Rapporteur of the Commission to the Consultation;
· March 17-22: COREVIP Meeting in Mauritius: approx. 100 African Vice-Chancellors are to meet in Mauritius. The Secretary General of IAU, Madame Eva Egron-Polak, will represent IAU and the Global Higher Education for Sustainability Partnership and will make a presentation on GHESP and on the role higher education can and should play for sustainable development to happen;
· March 20-21: IAU has been invited by the University of Valladolid in Spain to present GHESP to the Spanish Rectors Conference and to discuss the contribution of Higher education to sustainable development. The Program development coordinator, H. van’t Land is to represent GHESP
· May: ULSF convenes a Higher Education for Sustainability Implementation Toolkit building workshop in the US. GHESP partners are involved in the process;
· June 23-24: Paris, UNESCO, World Conference on Higher Education +5: IAU and GHESP are to participate in the Debate on SD and will ensure a good visibility for GHESP
· September 10-11: International IAU Conference on “Education for Sustainable Development” at Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic and GHESP Meeting (the Chair will then be taken over by COPERNICUS-CAMPUS);
2004
· July 25-29: Sao Paolo, Brazil, 12th IAU General Conference on “The Wealth of Diversity. The Role of Universities in Promoting Dialogue and Development”; one of the themes will debate HESD and the contribution of GHESP.
January 2003
This Action Plan reflects the objectives set forth in the GHESP Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) of September 2002 by the four partners: the Association of University Leaders for a Sustainable Future (ULSF), COPERNICUS-CAMPUS, the International Association of Universities (IAU), and UNESCO (in a facilitating role). The four major objectives of the partnership are restated here, followed by specific action items. Each action item includes a lead partner and an approximate deadline for completion. The MOU has committed GHESP partners to a time frame of five years to accomplish these actions.
Regarding funding for our various activities and projects, the partner organizations have agreed to support GHESP with in-kind funding and staff time. They have acknowledged that in order to accomplish all of the action items, ongoing efforts to fundraise, either individually or collectively, will be necessary.
A Table summarizing this plan is appended.
The objectives of the partnership, as stated in the MOU, are to:
1. Promote better understanding, and more effective implementation of strategies for the incorporation of sustainable development in universities and other higher education institutions. Emphasis is put on the need for interdisciplinary approaches to teaching and research.
2. Identify, share and disseminate widely effective strategies, models and good practices for promoting higher education for sustainable development (HESD).
3. Make recommendations on HESD in consultation with key Northern and Southern stakeholders.
4. Work closely with the UN system to develop and implement this joint action plan addressed to achieve common goals; and analyse and evaluate this experience as an international demonstration project.
All of the following action items pertain to one or more of the above objectives.
ACTIONS:
· Actively participate in the planning process for the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development
Lead partners: All partners
Description: Assuming the Decade is adopted by the United Nations General Assembly, and assuming UNESCO will be designated as the lead agency for the preparation and promotion of the Decade, GHESP will strongly support this initiative. GHESP will offer to assist UNESCO with the preparation of the portion of the draft programme for the Decade concerning higher education, and subsequently its implementation.
Deadline: Ongoing from adoption of the Decade
· Produce a “Higher Education for Sustainability Implementation Toolkit”
Lead partner: ULSF
Description: Together with all partners, produce an action-oriented Toolkit for universities, managers, administrators, faculty and students designed to move from commitment to concrete action. The tool kit will include: implementation strategies for higher education institutions that address the incorporation of sustainability in all dimensions of university life, including teaching, research, operations and outreach; a broad inventory of available resources; a variety of assessment and reporting processes; and an inventory of best practices and in-depth case studies. ULSF will hold a Toolkit Consultation in Washington, DC, in May 2003 to begin to develop the materials for this Toolkit. Two other consultations will be held between May ’03 and the Toolkit deadline.
Three related projects could contribute significantly to the development of the GHESP Toolkit: (a) ULSF is working with the North American regional office of UNEP to create a Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) “Resource Document” for sustainability reporting in higher education. This will be the first step in the anticipated development of a GRI “Sector Supplement” for higher education, and could be a fundamental part of the Toolkit. All of the Talloires, Kyoto, and Copernicus declaration signatories will be invited to participate in this process. (b) UNEP Paris has approached IAU with a project aimed at: “reviewing current practices with regard to integrating sustainable development considerations into higher education curricula and identifying ways of strengthening and improving them” Target curricula are 1. Political Sciences and Public Administration; 2. Journalism and Media; and 3. Architecture and Design. (c) IAU and ULSF will develop an online sustainability assessment tool based on ULSF’s Sustainability Assessment Questionnaire. This tool will primarily be made available for use by the over 1,000 signatory institutions represented by GHESP partners.
Deadline: December 2004
· Promote Regional Centres of Excellence in Developing Countries
Lead partners: IAU, COPERNICUS-CAMPUS, and ULSF
Description: Solicit the interest of a number of higher education institutions in developing countries that are interested and able to play an active role within the region in furthering GHESP goals. Enhance the development of regional centres of excellence in both developed and developing countries, and effective networking among them. The major thrust of this partnership is to identify and strengthen universities in developing and transition countries that have made a significant commitment to sustainable development. The following are regions of the world and institutions GHESP will target and lead partners:
Developing countries in general
Lead: IAU will use its own World Higher Education Database and internal networks, but also take into consideration the active UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs in Sustainable Development as well as contacts with sector experts in UNESCO to find partners in developing country universities working on issues of sustainable development. IAU has established a Working Group to assist in the implementation of its activities and contributions to GHESP.
Africa in particular
Lead: IAU, represented by it’s Secretary - General, Madame Eva Egron-Polak, will present GHESP to the African Universities Rectors, Vice Chancellors and Presidents at the 2003 COREVIP Meeting (17-21 March, Réduit, Mauritius). The COREVIP conference will focus on the role of Higher Education African Institutions in the building of the African Union (Le rôle des institutions d'enseignement supérieur en Afrique dans la construction de l'Union africaine). IAU’s goal is to enhance participation of African Universities and ministries in the process of implementing sustainable development.
LDCs
Lead: IAU has been invited by UNESCO/EOLSS to make freely accessible the on-line Encyclopaedia of Life Support Systems to developing countries (LDCs). This might lead to the development of a regional centre at a leading LDC university.
Asia link
Lead: COPERNICUS-CAMPUS will implement a joint GHESP project to promote regional and multilateral networking between higher education institutions in EU states and South Asia South East Asia and China in the area of Sustainable Development.
North America and the South
Lead: ULSF will focus on identifying one or two leading institutions in the U.S. and Canada, and explore the establishment of regional centres at some of the following institutions with which it has existing ties: University of the South Pacific, Suva, Fiji; University of Costa Rica; St. Petersburg State University, Russia; Miriam College, Quezon City, Philippines.
Deadline: On-going. Develop 6-10 Centres in the South by December 2007
· Recommit all signatory institutions to sustainable development
Lead partners: IAU, COPERNICUS-CAMPUS, and ULSF
Description: Urge and support all universities, which signed the Talloires, Kyoto and Copernicus declarations, to actively implement sustainable development in their institutions. Each partner is to write to the signatories with a new joint GHESP document and assessment strategy. This new declaration (or list of core elements of a sustainable university) could be launched at the beginning of the UN International Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005) along with the Toolkit to: solidify the partnership and capitalize on our respective track records; mobilize the real actors, i.e. the universities themselves; seek renewed commitments and at the same time offer guidance with the Toolkit, thus rectifying the problem of the past where there were declarations signed but little or no follow up; and mobilize other partners in the higher education arena that could cooperate with the partnership, with the objective of influencing universities themselves.
Deadline: September 2005
· Develop and disseminate college-level teaching materials on “Earth Ethics and Sustainable Development”
Lead: ULSF
Description: Further develop college-level teaching materials based on the Earth Charter, expanding on ULSF’s work with UNESCO and the National University of Costa Rica’s use of the Earth Charter. ULSF and its affiliate, Earth Charter USA (national headquarters for the U.S. Earth Charter campaign), working closely with the international Earth Charter Initiative, have written and collected various materials suitable for teaching Earth Ethics and Sustainable Development at the university level. These materials will be organized and made available, mostly online, to teachers in many regions of the world.
Deadline: June 2004
· Propose 10 new UNESCO Chairs for sustainable development and international cooperation
Lead partner: COPERNICUS-CAMPUS
Description: In anticipation of the Decade on Education for Sustainable Development, COPERNICUS-CAMPUS, with ULSF and IAU, will propose 10 new UNESCO Chairs with an explicit focus on the furtherance of sustainable development through higher education.
Deadline: December 2004
· Translate and promote HESD curriculum booklets
Lead partner: COPERNICUS-CAMPUS
Description: COPERNICUS-CAMPUS, with assistance from IAU, will translate a series of disciplinary reviews from the Dutch Committee on Sustainability in Higher Education into English. These small books review successes in incorporating sustainable development concepts into various disciplines (e.g. biology, economics, math, management, and physics). The translations will be promoted through GHESP to support the further development of curricula for sustainability.
Deadline: September 2004
· Develop and update respective websites
Lead partners: IAU, COPERNICUS-CAMPUS, and ULSF
Description: The partners’ websites will reflect progress made in the area of HESD and the GHESP section on each website will be continuously updated.
Deadline: Ongoing
· Participate in major events and initiatives to help further GHESP goals
Lead partners: All partners
Description: The following events, inter alia, will include GHESP participation (and may be suitable for GHESP meetings):
– Toolkit Consultation, May 2003, Washington, DC: ULSF will host a consultation to begin developing materials for the GHESP “Higher Education for Sustainability Implementation Toolkit.”
– The World Conference on Higher Education +5, 23-25 June 2003, Paris: Ensure that initiatives of higher education institutions to promote sustainable development will be visible at the World Conference on Higher Education +5. The next GHESP meeting is tentatively scheduled for June 25-26 2003 in Paris to follow the WCHE+5 in which GHESP should be participating actively. IAU is to organize the meeting.
– International Conference on Education for a Sustainable Future, 10-11 September 2003, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic: Organized by IAU, this conference will report on all GHESP partners’ activities in HESD. IAU hopes that the interest as solicited above will ensure broad participation from HE Institutions and from identified UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs in Sustainable Development. The Conference should help strengthen the GHESP goals set forth in this Action Plan.
– COPERNICUS-CAMPUS Conference, February 2004, Canary Islands.
– 12th IAU General Conference on the Wealth of Diversity – The Role of Universities in Promoting Dialogue and Development, 25-29 July 2004, Sao Paulo, Brazil: One of the major themes at this conference will be Higher Education and Sustainable Development. IAU proposes to offer a second international platform for reporting on GHESP activities. This part of the Conference should specifically focus on planning for the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development.
Other activities with actions still to be specified:
· Work with the International Marketing/Communications Initiative for Sustainable Development (Type II Partnership)
Lead partner: ULSF
Description: ULSF, with other GHESP partners, will collaborate where possible with this partnership, which involves UNESCO and J. Walter Thompson Canada, to have input from the perspective of education.
Deadline: Ongoing
Background
In 2000, three non-governmental organizations active in the field of higher education (ULSF, IAU, COPERNICUS-CAMPUS) and UNESCO agreed to join forces and signed a first Memorandum of Understanding, to collaborate and undertake joint actions in the area of higher education and sustainable development. As a result of the work program of the Commission on Sustainable Development, as follow up to the World Conference on Higher Education, and in anticipation of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), the Global Higher Education for Sustainability Partnership (GHESP) was formed. In October 2001, a conference on "Higher Education and Sustainability: towards the World Summit on Sustainable Development 2002" was held in L?neburg, Germany; it resulted in the L?neburg Declaration on Higher Education for Sustainable Development (www.lueneburg-declaration.de) in which the partners committed to specific activities for the further implementation of Agenda 21 after Johannesburg. GHESP is a global initiative, and its primary emphasis as a type II partnership is capacity building in the global south.
The founding partners:
* COPERNICUS-CAMPUS is responsible for the University Charter for Sustainable Development, signed to date by 305 university heads in 37 European countries;
* ULSF serves as the Secretariat of over 280 signatories of the Talloires Declaration in over 40 countries, and promotes education for sustainability based on the Earth Charter; and
* IAU serves more than 650 member universities and institutions of higher education which have formally adopted the Kyoto Declaration on Sustainable Development.
GHESP is a global partnership. Its work aims to increase mutual sharing of expertise and cooperation with a two-way flow of ideas and experience. The networking made possible through GHESP aims at creating opportunities for more focused bilateral or multilateral partnerships between different universities around the world. Resources will need to be found by the interested parties from existing programs for financing inter-university cooperation. The development of centers of excellence at leading institutions in various Southern regions will focus in part on local sustainable development initiatives. Also, as noted in the "specific targets" section above, GHESP partners will focus specifically on promoting regional and multilateral networking between higher education institutions in EU Member States and South Asia, SouthEast Asia and China in the area of sustainable development.
Expected results:
* Joint publication by IAU and ULSF of vol. 15, no.2 of the journal Higher Education Policy and vol. 3, issue 3 of the International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, on "Sustainability and Higher Education: Initiatives and Agendas." Guest edited by ULSF and completed in June/July 2002, the publications are to be distributed in July/August 2002 in preparation for the WSSD;
* In conjunction with IAU's Administrative Board Meeting and an International Conference on Globalization, GHESP will hold a special partners meeting as a direct Follow-up to Johannesburg, in Quebec City, Canada, on September 21, 2002. A new Action Plan, taking WSSD adopted resolutions into account, will then be defined.
* IAU will solicit the interest of a number of higher education institutions in developing countries that are interested and able to play an active role within the region in furthering GHESP goals. IAU will use its own World Higher Education Database and internal networks, but also take into consideration the active UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs in Sustainable Development as well as contacts with sectoral experts in UNESCO to find partners in developing country universities working on issues of sustainable development.
* IAU will establish a Working Group to assist it in the implementation of its own activities and contribution to GHESP.
* IAU's 12th General Conference, to be held in Sao Paulo, Brazil, will have as a theme: higher education and sustainable development.
* COPERNICUS-CAMPUS hosted the L?neburg Conference that lead to the publication of the L?neburg book entitled: The L?neburg Declaration - Stepping stone for universities and development in the context of globalization. The book will be launched in Johannesburg during the WSSD.
* COPERNICUS-CAMPUS aims to establish an UNESCO Chair for Sustainable Development and International Cooperation for the further implementation of the L?neburg Declaration on Higher Education for Sustainable Development.
* COPERNICUS-CAMPUS will, together with IAU, implement a joint project to promote regional and multilateral networking between higher education institutions in EU Member States and South Asia, SouthEast Asia and China in the area of sustainable development.
* ULSF will, together with GHESP partners, produce an action-oriented toolkit for universities, managers, administrators, faculty and students to assist in moving from commitment to concrete action. The toolkit will include an implementation strategy for signatories of the charters and declarations sponsored by the partner organizations. ULSF will continue to build its online resources database (www.ulsf.org/cgi-bin/search.cfm), which was launched in spring 2002, into an international information source as a supplement to the toolkit.
* ULSF will, together with IAU, develop an on-line sustainability assessment tool (based on ULSF's Sustainability Assessment Questionnaire) primarily for use by the signatory institutions represented by GHESP partners (see "Links of Partnership/Initiative" section below).
* ULSF will develop and disseminate a college-level curriculum on "Earth Ethics and Sustainable Development," based on the Earth Charter, expanding on ULSF's work with UNESCO and the National University of Costa Rica's use of the Earth Charter.
* GHESP will ensure that initiatives of higher education institutions to promote sustainable development will be visible in the World Conference on Higher Education +5, scheduled for June 2003.
* GHESP will actively participate in the planning process for the International Decade on Education for Sustainable Development proposed to the General Assembly in the WSSD Plan of Implementation.
Some activities as scheduled:
2003
· January 13-15: IAU and COPERNICUS-CAMPUS Participation in Commission 2: the contribution of higher education to sustainable human development during the 8th UNESCO NGO Collective Consultation on Higher Education. Brief Presentation on GHESP and IAU representative was designated to act as Rapporteur of the Commission to the Consultation;
· March 17-22: COREVIP Meeting in Mauritius: approx. 100 African Vice-Chancellors are to meet in Mauritius. The Secretary General of IAU, Madame Eva Egron-Polak, will represent IAU and the Global Higher Education for Sustainability Partnership and will make a presentation on GHESP and on the role higher education can and should play for sustainable development to happen;
· March 20-21: IAU has been invited by the University of Valladolid in Spain to present GHESP to the Spanish Rectors Conference and to discuss the contribution of Higher education to sustainable development. The Program development coordinator, H. van’t Land is to represent GHESP
· May: ULSF convenes a Higher Education for Sustainability Implementation Toolkit building workshop in the US. GHESP partners are involved in the process;
· June 23-24: Paris, UNESCO, World Conference on Higher Education +5: IAU and GHESP are to participate in the Debate on SD and will ensure a good visibility for GHESP
· September 10-11: International IAU Conference on “Education for Sustainable Development” at Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic and GHESP Meeting (the Chair will then be taken over by COPERNICUS-CAMPUS);
2004
· July 25-29: Sao Paolo, Brazil, 12th IAU General Conference on “The Wealth of Diversity. The Role of Universities in Promoting Dialogue and Development”; one of the themes will debate HESD and the contribution of GHESP.