York University’s UNESCO/UNITWIN Chair will have the distinct honour of speaking during the UNESCO 25th anniversary celebration in Paris, France on Oct. 31.

Charles Hopkins, York’s UNESCO Chair in Reorienting Teacher Education in the Faculty of Education, is a long-standing UNESCO Chair. He will speak to an audience including ministers of education and ambassadors of higher education from around the world.

In 1999, The United Nations Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and York University established a UNESCO Chair to provide advice to UNESCO and teacher training institutions on reorienting teacher training to address sustainable development. Hopkins, a former superintendent of curriculum with the Toronto Board of Education and international leader in the evolution of education towards sustainable development, was appointed to the Chair.

Hopkins is recognized by UNESCO as a Chair that has “successfully navigated and adapted to the evolution of its field of focus so as to continue being relevant.” He has been asked to discuss his experience as chairholder, and his assessment of the contribution of the position in an area that brings together teacher education and sustainable development, and what is has meant for York University to host a UNESCO Chair.

“I have been asked to speak on behalf of the more than 600 UNESCO Chairs worldwide at the 25th Anniversary Celebration in Paris,” said Hopkins. “Quietly, most of the time, we do operate one of the oldest, largest and most diverse UNESCO Chairs in the world here at York.”

This event takes place during the 39th session of the General Conference of UNESCO, which also celebrate the 25th anniversary of UNITWIN (University Twinning and Networking Programme).

This celebration will provide an opportunity to review the achievements of the program over 25 years of action and to look forward to the contribution of UNESCO Chairs and UNITWIN networks to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Hopkins will speak during the first part of the program.