Rio+20 - One month to go!

15th May 2012

Two weeks ago we brought you the exciting news that the EAUC, in collaboration with a number of international partners, will be holding a side event at the 2012 UN Conference on Sustainable Development in June. The full title of the side event is ‘Aiming higher, unlocking tertiary education's potential to accelerate sustainable development and the transition to a fair and green economy’ and it is endorsed and supported by UNESCO.

This is a fantastic achievement for the collaboration and will really help to raise the profile and the role of tertiary education in sustainable development and the transition to a green economy on the international stage. As the EAUC has been saying for years, the further and higher education sector has a critical role to play in environmental and sustainability issues, not least by leading the way in technology, being amongst the first to embrace new sustainability initiatives and, of course, by influencing students.

The aim of the 2012 UN Conference on Sustainable Development, or Rio+20, is to secure renewed political commitment for sustainable development, assess the progress to date and the remaining gaps in the implementation of the outcomes of the major summits on sustainable development, and address new and emerging challenges.

We all know that today we are part of a global community. This is particularly true with sustainable development. After holding a consultation on the Earth Summit and by establishing important and long-lasting relationships with other international organisations, not only surrounding Rio+20, the EAUC is able to provide a truly global voice for its Members and to influence on an international scale.

Alongside the Australasian Campuses Towards Sustainability (Australasia) and the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (USA, Canada), the EAUC is co-organising the Rio+20 event with:

• Copernicus Alliance (Europe)
• Fondaterra – Fondation Européenne pour des Territoires Durables (France)
• Global University Network for Innovation (Iternational)
• Korean Association for Green Campus Initiative (Korea)
• Promotion of Sustainability in Postgraduate Education and Research network (Asia)
• China Green University Network (China)
• United Nations Environment Programme – Environmental Education and Training Unit (International)
• Global Responsibility Leadership Initiative (International)
• Conference des Grandes Ecoles (France)
• Conference des Presidents d’Universite (France)

This remarkable collaboration is committed to highlighting the global role of tertiary education and to aid this has engaged with a number of Governments for the Rio+20 event including United Kingdom, Australia, Austria, China, Japan, The Netherlands, South Korea, France, Austria. To ensure that the UK Government is fully aware of the collaborative side event and the work going on surrounding tertiary education and sustainability, EAUC Chief Executive Iain Patton has been corresponding with Caroline Spelman, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Agricultural Affairs and UK government lead on Rio+20. Ms Spelman is supporting the collaborative side event and the EAUC’s move to raise the profile of tertiary education in sustainable development on a global scale.

One of the most valuable aspects of Rio+20 is the range of organisations that are coming together to discuss sustainability. To reflect this, the collaboration, which is mainly made up of tertiary education sustainability groups, is not only engaging with governments but also student and youth organisations including the National Union of Students UK, Australian Youth Climate Coalition and Latin American Continental Students Organisation. Working with student and youth organisations on sustainable development is key as political, business and civil society leaders are likely to be university and college graduates who will prepare the skilled workforce needed for a green economy.

However, Rio+20 is not only about the side event for the EAUC. For example, through our international collaboration, the EAUC is also endorsing ‘The Rio+20 Declaration of Higher Education Institutions’. This is an opportunity for individual universities to sign the declaration and demonstrate good practice. Many universities across the world have already done so and the organisers are hoping to collate more than a thousand commitments before the Earth Summit in June.

All in all, Rio+20 is an exciting time for the EAUC. However, the Earth Summit in June 2012 is not the end of the EAUC’s international role but merely the beginning. Rio+20 has provided the EAUC with the opportunity to develop strong, lasting relationships with important organisations around the world. From this platform the EAUC can ensure the voice of its Members will always be heard on the international stage in the future.
 

Useful Links

> Learn more about Rio+20 
> Find out more about the collaboration and the side event
> Sign up to the Rio+20 Declaration of Higher Education Institutions