Wednesday 03 June 2015 - 14.20-15.45

IUCN, UNESCO and Fairventures are delighted to welcome you to the European Development Days 2015, and especially to our session on Nature-based solutions for climate change mitigation from deforestation to forest restoration. Deforestation and forest degradation account for nearly 20% of GHG emissions. The main drivers for this development include agro-industrial plantations, conversion to pastureland, infrastructure development, fires, fuelwood collection, industrial logging and mining. In 2009, our planet’s forests absorbed an amount of CO2e equal to about half of the fossil fuel emissions that year. Sustainable and integrative land use approaches such as forest and landscape restoration efforts (FLR) can provide a wide range of benefits, including climate change mitigation and adaptation, income generation, enhanced biodiversity and improved rural livelihoods, thus reconciling ecological, social and economic demands.

This session will welcome experts from science, the conservation world, the EU, and the wood industry to discuss how nature-based solutions can help balance conflicting land use interests in forest areas to achieve these co-benefits in the light of development, environmental, and sustainability concerns.

Speakers:

• Cristiana Pasca-Palmer, Head of Unit, Climate Change, Environment, Natural Resources, DG International Cooperation and Development, European Commission

• Patrick Wylie, Senior Forest Policy Officer, Global Forests & Climate Change Programme, IUCN

• Wolfgang Baum, Program Manager 1mTrees, Fairventures

• Edmond Moukala, Chief of Africa Unit at the World Heritage Centre, UNESCO

• Doug Boucher, Director, Tropical Forests & Climate Initiative, Union of Concerned Scientists • Representative of the wood industry (tbd)

Wednesday 03 June - 18h00 -19h15

The African Diaspora Network in Belgium (ADN), in partnership with the Foundation for European Sustainable Tourism (FEST), UNESCO and several other EU and African organisations, invites you to a debate during the upcoming European Development Days.

Devoted to the question "How to leverage the benefits of culture for sustainable development?", the interactive session will be held at the EDD in Brussels.

Speakers:

- Louis Michel, Minister of State, Member of the European Parliament and Founder of the EDDs

- Peter Debrine, Programme Specialist on Sustainable Tourism, UNESCO

- Mario Lucio Matias de Sousa Mendez, Minister of Culture Cape Verde

- Marie Chantal Uwitonze, African Diaspora Network

- Silvia Barbone, Director of FEST

After a short introduction by each speaker,there will be breakout sessions to discuss on the following topics:

- Culture as a tool for Democracy and Conflict Resolution (NIDO BELUX, Meridia Partners, Euromed -CDC, Dare Authenticity, Manel Mselmi, Ola-Dele-Kuku Projects)

- The African Diaspora and Economic Growth (AND, Africa Rise, Kenya Diaspora)

- Culture and Sustainable Tourism (FEST, UNESCO and Roots Event)

Thursday 04 June 2015 - 12h30-13h45

While increasing access to education is still a major challenge in many countries, improving the quality and relevance of education is now recognized as crucial – for the individual, for society and for the global community. Indeed, education is key to understanding and resolving global issues in their social, political, cultural, economic and environmental dimensions.

In that context, UNRWA and UNESCO, two Agencies with global expertise and experience, strive to promote curricula and teaching practices that develop the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes necessary to establish and maintain peaceful, tolerant, inclusive, secure and sustainable societies.

Building on its 70-year experience assisting countries to promote good quality education to all their citizens, UNESCO has been leading work on Global Citizenship Education (GCED) since the launch of the UN Secretary General’s Global Education First Initiative (GEFI) that made fostering global citizenship one of its education objectives. Following foundational and pioneering work on clarifying the conceptual underpinnings of GCED, UNESCO has developed pedagogical guidance on how to integrate GCED in both formal and non-formal education systems at country level.

As for UNRWA, the Agency has been providing basic primary education to Palestine refugees for 65 years, with EU support, and has been running a Human Rights Education Programme for almost 15 years, aimed at promoting non-violence, healthy communication skills, peaceful conflict resolution, human rights, tolerance and good citizenship through classroom-focused tools.

Now, these two UN Agencies are teaming up to further the discussion on how to provide better quality education and are co-organising a lab session on “Understanding and Implementing Global Citizenship Education” at the upcoming European Development Days.

The session will focus on two main issues:

1. How should we define Global Citizenship Education?

2. What are the main challenges and opportunities associated with its implementation?

Dr. Caroline Pontefract, a UNESCO staff member currently working as UNRWA Director of Education will animate the discussion between the panellists and with the audience. Along with Mr. Chris Castle, Chief, Section of Health and Global Citizenship Education at UNESCO, and Ms. Ozlem Eskiocak, UNRWA Human Rights Education Programme Coordinator, she will frame the debate based on UNESCO’s recent report on Global Citizenship Education: Preparing learners for the challenges of the 21st century and on UNRWA’s experience teaching Human Rights in the Near East. Mr. Tristan McCowan from the University of London and Ms. Dina Kiwan from the American University of Beirut will bring a comparative perspective to the panel, discussing the different conceptual dimensions of GCED as well as the different ways global citizenship is addressed across the globe. Finally, a representative from the European Commission will provide the EU and institutional views on the importance of Global Citizenship Education.