Regional Centres of Expertise
In 2002, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution announcing the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (UNDESD 2005-2014), based on the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation. The United Nations Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the lead agency for the UNDESD, stressed the need to reorient existing education towards sustainability.
In 2003, in response to the UN resolution on the UNDESD, the United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability (UNU-IAS) launched the ESD project, with funding support from the Ministry of the Environment, Japan. The ESD project designs and implements research and development activities through two flagship initiatives: a global multi-stakeholder global network of Regional Centres of Expertise on ESD (RCEs) and a network of higher education institutions called the Promotion of Sustainability in Postgraduate Education and Research Network.
Moving forward, UNESCO has now presented the Roadmap for Implementing the Global Action Programme (GAP) on ESD with its five priority areas of action: advancing policy by mainstreaming ESD, transforming learning and training environments using the whole-institution approach, building capacities of educators and trainers, empowering and mobilizing youth, and finally accelerating sustainable solutions at the local level. At all levels of society, RCEs play a crucial role in implementing these goals using their local knowledge and global network.
As of January 2022, over 170 RCEs have officially been acknowledged by the United Nations University worldwide. The Global RCE Service Centre is headquartered at UNU-IAS, where it provides assistance to individual RCEs and facilitates their communication and networking.
RCE Eswatini whose secretariat is based at the Eswatini Environment Authority, cohosted with the University of Eswatini (UNESWA), Luyengo Campus and Eswatini Water and Agricultural Development Enterprise (ESWADE) The 9th African Regional Centres of Expertise Meeting. The theme of the three day meeting was: “Accelerating progress towards the achievement of sustainable development goals in Africa”. The other members of RCE Eswatini are Ministry of Education, The National Curriculum Centre, Eswatini National Trust Commission and the Matsapha Municipal Council.
Hon Minister of Tourism and Environmental Affairs, Moses Vilakati, with meeting delegates.