Our Network

RCE Network:

  • 154 RCEs Worldwide
  • 8 in Canada
  • 3 in Ontario

Local RCE:

  • Traditional territory of the Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee First Nations

  • 4 municipal jurisdictions

  • 4 First Nation communities

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What is an Regional Centre of Expertise for Sustainability Education? What do they do?

An initiative of the United Nations University, there are 154 Regional Centres of Expertise (RCEs) on Sustainability Education around the world including 8 in Canada and 3 in Ontario. The term “Centre” refers to the whole region. “RCEs” are actually networks of educational institutions, community, government, business and other organizations that work together to advance sustainability education.

Regional Centres of Expertise;

  • Bring together multi-sectoral and interdisciplinary members to create solutions to sustainability challenges through dialogue, education and learning.
  • Local knowledge, expertise, and best practices are shared globally through the network and can be adapted and applied successfully in other regions.
  • Play a central role in the transfer of global technologies, knowledge, and experiences through local programs and activities.
  • They are highly influential; able to test policies to bring to scale for policy makers and can provide advice on future actions.
  • In 2015, the United Nations passed the Global Action Program for Education for Sustainable Development worldwide. RCEs support the UN Global Action Program to:
    •  Integrate sustainability into international and national education policies.
    • Have teaching content, methods, campus and facility management in line with sustainability.
    • Strengthen the capacity of educators, trainers and other change agents to become learning facilitators for sustainability.
    • Support youth in their role as change agents for sustainability.
    • Accelerate the search for sustainable solutions at the local level.

Overall, the Global Action Program is intended to advance the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals to 2030 through education in all its forms. For a comprehensive guide to the UN Sustainable Development Goals please go to: unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0024/002474/247444e.pdf

For more details on the Global Action Program please go to en.unesco.org/gap. For more information on the global network please go to Global RCE Network: www.rcenetwork.org/mirror