UNESCO Chair Newsletter June 2025

Welcome to the June 2025 edition of the York University UNESCO Chair Newsletter!

As World Environment Day approaches on 5 June, we join the global call to take action against plastic pollution and protect our planet. Yet sustainability goes far beyond environmental issues - it also includes social well-being, economic justice, and cultural diversity. In this edition, we highlight new initiatives that reflect this broader understanding, from institutional leadership in sustainability to innovative projects led by youth and educators around the world.

We hope these stories inspire continued efforts toward a more just and sustainable future through Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). Please feel free to share this newsletter with your colleagues or invite them to sign up for future editions.

Charles Hopkins & Katrin Kohl
UNESCO Chair in Reorienting Education towards Sustainability, York University

Funded by the German Federal Environmental Foundation and led by Leuphana University Lüneburg, York University's UNESCO Chair will partner to develop a free training program on ESD, specifically designed for school leaders. Through hands-on projects, participants will drive systemic change in schools using a Whole-Institution Approach. Running from 2025 to 2026, the programme includes international cohorts and aims to create a global ESD leadership network.

The Education & Academia Stakeholder Group (EASG) has released its 2025 Sectoral Paper, developed through broad consultation with member organizations and submitted to the UN ahead of this year’s High-Level Political Forum (HLPF). Emphasizing education as a human right and key enabler of the 2030 Agenda, it connects SDG 4 with this year’s HLPF focus SDGs: 3 (Health), 5 (Gender Equality), 8 (Decent Work), 14 (Life Below Water), and 17 (Partnerships). York's UNESCO Chair team supported the writing process with evidence-based input and explicitly references the concept of ESD. The Sectoral Paper has a wide reach of all delegations and stakeholders in the preparation of this year's HLPF.

Within the framework of the UNESCO ESD for 2030 Roadmap, each member state is invited to develop their own country initiative to advance ESD within their specific education setting. In May 2025, Canada launched the Canadian ESD Country Initiative on how to address ESD in the five priority action areas on advancing policy, transforming learning environments, building educator capacities, and how to meaningfully include the voices of youth and communities by 2030.

With support from Environment and Climate Change Canada, the Canadian Commission for UNESCO (CCUNESCO) has developed a national toolkit, Advancing Education for Sustainable Development in Canada: New Mindsets for a Better Future. Grounded in UNESCO’s global frameworks and Canada’s federal strategies, the project includes a national scan of ESD practices and highlights the vital role of Indigenous and Land-Based Education. As a first preview of the full toolkit, you can now read the case studies from the toolkit.

CCUNESCO has a new offering for their wider community in Canada and beyond, interested in the themes of UNESCO from Canadian perspectives. The 1st edition of the CCUNESCO newsletter is out! The newsletter is dedicated to Canadians delivering UNESCO's mandate through local action and global engagement.

Joining the celebrations for World Environment Day on 5 June 2025 at 2pm CEST / 8am EST, the webinar will highlight the contributions of UNESCO's Greening Education Partnership members, featuring good practices and innovative activities that advance green schools. It will emphasize the role of green schools as community changemakers and underscore education as the most effective long-term solution to the climate crisis. 

To celebrate World Environment Day on 5 June 2025, UNU-IAS will co-organize the ProSPER.Net Sustainability Forum under the theme EcoSmart Universities: Pioneering Sustainability for Future Generations. The event will focus on how higher education can serve as key drivers of change by embedding sustainability into their operations, curricula and research. The forum will explore practical strategies to make HEIs more resilient and environmentally responsible.

On 11 June 2025 at 2pm CEST / 8am EST, the UNESCO Chair at Leuphana University (Germany) will offer an online lecture by C. Tyler DesRoches (Arizona State University, United States). He will critically revisit nudging in economic methodology, calling for more ethical, collective, and culturally inclusive approaches and will address the cultural limitations present in nudging research, calling for more inclusive practices in behavioural science and policy formulation. The session, moderated by UNESCO Chairholder Daniel Fischer, will be held in hybrid format. Please register for the online session in advance.

Higher education is driving meaningful progress toward SDG 14 (Life under Water) through collaboration. At universities, teaching, research, and community engagement are areas aligning to advance the Ocean Decade Actions. In a discussion on 14 June 2025 at 2pm CEST / 8 am EST, speakers will address how building capacity and sharing knowledge can enhance not only ocean literacy but shape the future of science education.

On 16 June 2025 at 2pm CEST / 8am EST, the European University Association (EUA) will present and discuss their first strategic framework for its work on Learning & Teaching (L&T). This publication lays the ground for EUA’s L&T activities up until 2030 by defining focus topics, namely quality, connectivity and transformation.

Join the conversation on 17 June 2025 at 5 pm CEST / 11 am EST for an interactive webinar exploring the future of learning and the evolving roles of educators within emerging learning ecosystems. Designed as a space for reflection and co-creation for participants, the session encourages fresh thinking about how education can adapt to better serve learners and societies in a rapidly changing world.

Learning for a Sustainable Future (LSF) invites their communities to the 6^th annual Dr. David V.J. Bell Memorial Lecture, taking place virtually on 18 June 2025 at 7pm EST. This year’s keynote speaker is Dr. Jonathan Foley, Executive Director of Project Drawdown and leading voice in climate science and solutions.

The event will also feature the exclusive release of LSF’s new report, From Awareness to Action: Canadians on Climate Change and Education in its 3^rd edition.

Join the conversation to explore how education can move from awareness to meaningful climate action. Registration for the lecture is free.

Join the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) for the launch of the Sustainable Development Report (SDR) 2025 on 24 June 2025 at 8:00AM EST. Held just days before the 4^th International Conference on Financing for Development, the event will unveil key findings on reforming the Global Financial Architecture and scaling up financing for the SDGs.

A new policy brief, published by UNESCO-IESALC, highlights the vital role of Higher Technical and Vocational Education and Training (HTVET) in advancing sustainable development. Its authors explore how HTVET equips learners with practical skills, supports local economies, and fosters inclusive, green, and resilient societies. As countries work toward the SDGs, strengthening HTVET systems is essential for building a skilled workforce and promoting equity.

Submit your abstract for a special issue of the International Review of Education, focusing on refugee learners risking and resisting (in)visibility in and through lifelong learning. This call for abstracts seeks diverse submissions, exploring refugee learners via an array of methodologies, geographies, communities, controversies, and theoretical orientations. The issue is guest-edited by Meseret F. Hailu, Assistant Professor of Higher Education at the University of Georgia, and Ane Turner Johnson, Professor of Educational Leadership, Administration, and Research at Rowan University. The deadline for submissions is 1 August 2025.

This new Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on Empowering University Staff to contribute to the SDGs is designed to equip university staff with the knowledge and tools necessary to actively participate advance the SDGs on campus. The MOOC is organized into six modules, each designed to be flexible, engaging, and interactive. The modules can be completed individually or combined to create a tailored training program while each module requires approximately two hours to complete.

To be held in Paris (France) on 2-5 September 2025, UNESCO's Digital Learning Week aims to foster critical reflection, peer learning and policy dialogue, addressing today’s pressing challenges while shaping the future of education in an era of rapid technological change. The event is expected to gather up to 1,000 participants.

Universities have long been trusted institutions, valued for their openness, ethical commitments, and self-correcting systems. Yet today, their ability to demonstrate value is increasingly questioned. To be held in Kigali (Rwanda) on 21-23 October 2025, the IAU 2025 Conference will explore the foundations of trust in higher education in uncertain times. The full programme is available now and early bird registration is open until 1 September 2025.

Save the date for the 13^th World Environmental Education Congress (WEEC). The conference returns in 2026, aiming to bring together educators, researchers, and changemakers in Perth (Australia). The global gathering will be a key moment in 2026 to exchange knowledge, explore innovative strategies, and strengthen the role of environmental education in shaping a more sustainable future. Stay tuned for the call for abstracts!

The UN Secretary-General’s latest SDG Progress Report reveals that 35% of the 137 Sustainable Development Goal targets with available data are still on track or making moderate progress. The report highlights that, despite persistent global challenges - especially conflict and inequalities - meaningful progress is possible through bold, collective action and targeted investment.