UNEP, AAU, HoA-RECN, SADC-REEP 1st MESA International Conference 24th to 28th November 2008 at the UNEP Headquarters, Nairobi, Kenya
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), UNESCO, Horn of Africa Regional Environment Centre and Network (HoA-RECN), The Association of African Universities (AAU), Southern African Development Cooperation –Regional Environmental Education Programme (SADC-REEP) are pleased to announce the First MESA International Conference with the theme Environment, Development and Climate Change: Universities Responding?. The conference will be held on 24-28th November 2008 in Nairobi, Kenya and provides a forum for South North/South South dialogue, exchange, engagement and collaboration on challenges and best practice on implementing ESD in higher education institutions. It will also support and recognize innovations in African Universities that respond to Africa's most pressing economic, social and environmental challenges and opportunities. It will further contribute to the revitalization of higher education in Africa by enhancing capacity to build capacity in environment and sustainability issues. Further, the conference will enhance knowledge of higher education stakeholders on the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (UNDESD 2005-2014) on issues related to environment, development and climate change and will strengthen the voice and contribution of universities in the South to deal with the challenges of these issues.
Under the auspices of UNEPs Mainstreaming Environment and Sustainability in African (MESA) Universities Partnership, the conference will produce recommendations and contributions from Africa that will feed into and inform the forthcoming World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development (March 2009); the 12th Association of African Universities (AAU) General Conference on Higher Education (April, 2009), the World Conference on Higher Education (May 2009) and the World Congress on Environmental Education (May 2009), as well as practical examples of university based change practices.
The conference will also provide the forum for the presentation of the Second MESA Awards to recognize innovations in higher education institutions. The Awards, the second after their debut at the World Environmental Education Congress in 2007, aim to recognize and reward innovations in higher education institutions in African universities that respond to Africa's most pressing environmental, economic and social challenges and opportunities as well as in teaching, research, university management and community engagement.
An expert panel drawn from government, universities, donor agencies, the UN, international organizations and student organizations will deliberate the role that universities play in addressing environment, development and climate change challenges facing Africa.
The conference will also provide a forum for debating the often debated ‘sustainable development problematique’.
This debate will take current knowledge of climate change impacts into account and will be used to conceptualize appropriate directions for university education in Africa.
Parallel workshops will be held on the Module on Sustainable Societies in Africa; Online education for sustainable development in Africa (GVU) and the UNU Regional Centers for Expertise (RCE) Workshop.
Special sessions will be held on University leaders and institutional change; MESA Government/ Private Sector/ Civil Society Forum; Contextualizing Africa’s local knowledge, experience and wise practices in responding to the new challenge of ESD and engaging students in ESD.
Conference participants will be drawn from Universities, Polytechnics, and Teacher training institutions, Government representatives, Private sector, Donor agencies, UN organizations and students.
The conference will have the following key outputs:
Strengthened and extended regional, sub regional and South-south and south-North networks
Two discussion documents(status papers) including a consolidated report from proceedings on ESD in African countries and contexts to inform University leaders and teachers in Africa and the deliberations to forthcoming international ESD Conferences
Practical examples of good ESD teaching, research, student and community engagement practice for distribution to African Universities through the MESA network
