UNESCO-Chair "Higher Education for Sustainable Development"

Description

The work of the UNESCO Chair on “Higher Education for Sustainable Development” focuses on the question in what way sustainable development may represent a guideline for higher education and how this principle may be implemented into sustainability-related research activities. Dealing with questions of education and studies in the context of sustainability is on top of the agenda, since academia has long neglected this domain for the benefit of research and transfer activities, and thus at the expense of a necessary and sound general education.
Being confronted with problems arising from non-sustainable development, we understand that those individual (key) competencies are in great demand that lead to sustainable problem solutions and future organization. Against this background, the UNESCO Chair deals intensively with questions of academic teaching and scientific learning.

The purpose is to create a network of dedicated UNESCO Chairs, UNITWIN Networks and other UNESCO entities (ideally a global network, or at least a network comprising more than one continent/region). This Network is meant to play a decisive role in bringing the Global Action Programme on ESD in higher education institutions forward, e.g. by
- connecting of inter- and transdisciplinary sustainability science and higher education for sustainable development;
- extracting and utilizing empirical findings to sustainability-oriented higher education;
- capacity building of multipliers in the field of education for sustainable development (professors, teacher education, training of trainers);
- scientific qualification of sustainability researchers
- regularly monitoring and review progress.

The initiative will be managed by a research associate of UNESCO Chair in Lüneburg.
Additionally, the Chair will raise funds for further activities – preferably in collaborative ventures and activities, but also in stand-alone projects.