Deusto hosts key international meeting to advance Education for Sustainable Development

On the occasion of International Peace Day, the University of Deusto hosted the First Ibero-American Meeting of Regional Centres of Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development (RCEs). The event, held on 22 September in a hybrid format, brought together representatives from UNESCO, the Ibero-American States Organisation (OEI), various Ibero-American UNESCO Chairs, and the RCEs themselves.

The meeting aims to advance target 4.7 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which focuses on ensuring that students acquire knowledge and skills for the promotion of sustainable development and global citizenship. Co-organised by UN Etxea - the Basque Country UNESCO Association and the UNESCO Chair for Latin America at the University of Deusto, representing the RCE Basque Country - Navarre, this event is part of the Factoría 4.7 - Ibero-American Platform for Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) project.

Although the UNU-IAS (United Nations University) has recognised over 190 RCEs worldwide, only 14 are located in the Ibero-American region. In this context, the first meeting aims to strengthen the Ibero-American network, share good practices, and highlight initiatives that promote sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship, and cultural diversity.

The summit, aimed at representatives of Ibero-American RCEs, academics, institutional leaders, ESD professionals, UNESCO Chairs, NGOs, the private sector and the media, also aimed to mobilise the Ibero-American educational community around target 4.7. This event is considered a prelude to the 14thª RCE World Conference, to be held from 21-23 October in Okayama (Japan).

The programme took place in the Churruca Room and included a welcome by representatives from the University of Deusto and UN Etxea, followed by an institutional opening from UNESCO and the OEI. The session continued with panels on the role of RCEs in Ibero-American ESD and presentations of RCE initiatives and projects, along with an open dialogue space to foster interregional synergies.

Prior to the start of the meeting, the exhibition "Educating in Memory and Peace", was opened, organised by Deusto Campus in collaboration with the UNESCO Chair at the University of Deusto. The exhibition, which will remain open in the Auditorium cloister until 3 October, is an adaptation of the Argentine exhibition “Educating in Memory to Build the Future”, created by educators Daniel Filmus, Silvia Alderoqui, and Iñaki Hernaiz. The exhibition offers a pedagogical reflection on building a culture of peace through memory.