UNESCO Chairs - UNITWIN Networks in Sustainable Development

Objectives Around concrete environment and development issues, the UNESCO Chairs are aimed at successfully linking the different scientific disciplines to promote the knowledge base for policy formulation in the field of sustainable development. The articulation between research, intensive training courses for policy makers and specialists, and documentation and information activities addressed to different clienteles will be a major concern. Furthermore, the Chairs shall take action to provide students of all disciplines with a basic culture of sustainability. UNESCO Chairs for Sustainable Development are to be designed according to local ecological, economic and socio-cultural conditions and will promote action-oriented research and specific priorities for decision-making concerning sustainable development, be it a question of educational strategies or scientific research, technological development strategies or negotiation processes concerning the environment, or information and communication strategies related to these issues. Strategies By their nature, the Chairs have to develop interdisciplinary tools to provide a framework for integration of the specific local components of the biosphere, technosphere and sociosphere. The so trained individuals should be endowed with the necessary skills to venture out of their original disciplines, thus creating a new profile of intellectual responsibility towards research and decision-making. This also includes the strengthening of a communication component to be built into scientific sectoral languages. Skills to communicate on scientific risk and uncertainty are still largely unexistent and will be a subject of special attention. Highly qualified scientists will be trained to assume their share of responsibility in the necessary social negotiation processes for achieving sustainable development. Decision theory and the acceptability of its options to the public will play a key role within these programmes. Further focus also will be on conflict theory and the monitoring and costing of policy options. The Chairs especially will promote means for achieving scientific and technological goals within the context of a given society. They will do so through the strengthening of the conception of policies, of strategic planning and of technical and professional training. The modalities of social appropriation and diffusion of technical capacities will also be thoroughly studies with a view to implement a full range of articulation strategies between social sub-systems. In developing countries, specific attention has to be given to social identification of the objectives of scientific and technical development crucial for sustainability. Within this context, the fundamental difference between technological transformation and local and social mastery of technical change cannot be stressed enough. The chairs will further study on appropriate decision parameters relating to area, scale and timeliness of where research, information and action are needed. Target Group These post-graduate programmes are designed to accommodate graduates of the exact, natural and social sciences. They are also focussing on the specific information needs of decision-makers, government officials, industrial leaders, engineers, non-governmental organizations, unions, communicators, and the media to further the sense of responsibility towards integrated environment and development strategies and to strengthen policy dialogue between all the stakeholders. Organization In a necessarily prospective and interdisciplinary approach, UNESCO Chairs on Sustainable Development are a unique opportunity to establish links which the existing scientific and educational institutions often prevent. The Chairs are located in universities, research institutions or other relevant institutions of public or private character. They assume focal point functions for university twinning arrangements under the UNITWIN label. Besides the classical activities of staff and student exchange, visiting professorships, development of new teaching curricula and the up-grading of information links through communication technologies, a special characteristic of the UNESCO Chairs on Sustainable Development are the outreach components of their programmes. Community servicing, social "imagineering", and assuming the function of a platform for fruitful dialogue between different societal stakeholder groups, are priority tasks taken up by these Chairs. They shall enhance the University’s potential to play its societal role fully. Development of centers of excellence The UNESCO Chairs scheme intends to provide post-graduate students from developing countries with enhanced opportunities for advanced training at centers of excellence in key disciplines related to sustainable development. In order to facilitate access worldwide to the expertise of outstanding specialists, eminent scholars take up visiting professorships. The teaching curriculum is meant to have a broad focus, thus permitting the students to acquire internationally recognized training. Programs The Chairs will promote a pluridisciplinary vision, which is fundamental for removing obstacles on the way of knowledge progress. This especially applies to the interface areas where social sciences need an active dialogue with hard and natural sciences.

 

 

	Bioethics
	Economics & Business
	Future-Oriented Studies
	Habitat & Cities
	Health & Development
	Peace & human rights
	International Relations
	Migration & Multiculturalism
	Philosophy & Ethics
	Political Sciences
	Societal Problems
	Sustainable Development
	Sustainable Tourism
	Women Issues