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Different Session – Hoping to get inputs from participants for Rio+20
Presented by Paul Rowland, Executive Director, AASHE
AASHE 2011

· US pays relatively less attention to UN Processes

· We have not taken up the opportunities available to us/responsibilities as a world citizen

· Original Rio meeting was focused on sustainability in education – outcome – Agenda 21

· Outside US, Agenda 21 is used for benchmarking / grant funding – paid attention to – not so much in states

· Chapter 36 – Talks about education, not much on higher education (~ 2 sentences on tertiary education)

· What do we expect to come out from Rio+20 – June 4 -7 coming year?

· Concern – It may leave out tertiary education’s (TE) role in education for sustainable development again.

· How do we move forward on making sure this does not happen?

· What are the deadlines for providing inputs/ ways to provide inputs?

· How can we make sure that there is language in the outcome document that would provide some leverage for tertiary education?

· Rio20 website - www.uncsd2012.org/rio20/ - Interesting information

· Framework for discussing the role of tertiary education in Sustainable Development at the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) – At the AASHE website

· Compilation Document – November 1 (Deadline) – Public comments/ UN agencies/ others

· Trying to engage different groups – so that their inputs can reach the compilation document before the deadline in a collective manner – foundation to show that we need to make contributions to EST

· US Position is relatively secure

· If you were a delegate at Rio+20, what would you say about TE?

· How to provide inputs – on AASHE website (www.aashe.org/node/54492)

· 4 sets of questions as sort of a guideline on what to provide input on -

· What are the expectations from the outcome document/ its structure?


· What are the comments if any on existing documents -

· Sustainable development goals

· Revitalizing global partnerships

· What are the views on implementation and how to close the implementation gap? Which relevant actors are envisaged as being involved (Governments, Specific Major Groups, UN Systems)

· What specific cooperation mechanisms envisaged – relevant timeframes?

· Stated focus – Discuss and refine

· Green economy in context of sustainable development and poverty eradication

· Institutional framework for sustainable development

How would it help?
· Declarations and statements – remain just statements

· Institutional framework will help translate them – asking questions on efficiency and effectiveness, millennium development goals, who takes responsibility of what comes next

· Which UN agencies will be expecting to report which institutions on what – Accountability

· Content, focus, ambition and how they are translated to action

· Processes much too long and restrictive – thus hope of providing inputs directly to the compilation document and impress upon the fact that it’s not just individual/ AASHE but multiple international institutions

· US partnerships in this realm? – Not so much

Audience Interaction:

Question – What is the timeline to contribute in TE framework documents?
· Getting into compilation process is important.

· Delegates would then be taking the compiled version of draft documents obtained from during the compilation process

· March – International gathering to discuss before the Rio+20

Question – Is there a relationship between Rio-21 and UNFCCC/ other such UN Groups?
· 3 Major corps

· Texts don’t refer much to this relationship

· Lobbying groups attending – much stronger presence

· Good time to enter global conversation

Question – Are there any secondary resources helpful for people trying to understand UN processes for the first time?
·

Suggestion – Most effective way to ensure comments reach UN/ Summit is to – reach delegates
· Once the US delegates list is announced, send relevant documents to them

Challenges –
· Educators have no official voice in how these things take shape.

· Recognized list of stakeholders – education not a part of this list, YOUTH is

· Address the gap – What is the role of educators in this whole process?

· There is a huge difference between how educators view sustainable development and how the rest of the world views it; the hinge being poverty

· There is no reference to poverty alleviation in any of the AASHE documents

· Why do we only talk about green technology/ green jobs?

· Could include poverty alleviation as a clause in the compilation document.

Suggestion – UN is a huge organization – Many other groups may also be working on similar programs
· Example – Global compact signatories – introduce section in Rio+21 – addresses management education

· UNU – United Nations University – opening the doors of better economic participation – some leverage there.

· Connection to sustainability commitment coming out of UN in next 2 - 3 weeks?

· UN Global Compact Academia Group – Pilot schools to be involved in signatories to this declaration

Suggestion – (From Green Campus Initiative – Korea)
· Since the Focus of Rio+20 is on two different aspects - we should decide on what aspect can we provide some suggestions/ comments

· When discussing about Green Economy – Sustainable Development – education+ technology+ economics, thus educators can contribute comments here too.

· Institutional Framework – We have to change tertiary education fundamentally

· Our university education system is based on industrial age – growth oriented

· We are living in doomsday age – consuming more than what we have now

· Thus our education should be changed fundamentally – sustainability oriented education

How to provide inputs?

www.aashe.org/rio-comments

· Web Form

· Name

· Email

· Country

· Input on UNCSD Compilation Document

Why should we be doing this?

We should be dealing with such UN processes
We have the resources
· to understand these issues

· help others understand these issues

· act on these issues

These outcomes can influence how resources are deployed in countries.
Just waiting to see what happen is not being ‘globally responsible citizen’