Regional Centres of Expertise

RCEs aspire to achieve the goals of the DESD by translating its global objectives into the context of the local communities in which they operate.

This is then accomplished by acting as a catalyst for institutions that promote ESD through formal, non-formal and informal education, and by providing suitable platforms to share information and experiences and to promote dialogue among regional stakeholders through partnerships for sustainable development.

They also develop regional knowledge bases to support ESD and promote its goals in a resource effective manner.

[1] An RCE should have four core elements: RCEs also have four major ESD goals to be promoted in an effective way: RCEs are not only significant for the region itself, where they provide a unique opportunity to promote learning and development for SD, but also important at international level where they help to constitute the Global Learning Space for Sustainable Development.

Globally, RCEs are facilitated through the United Nations University Institute for Advanced Studies (UNU-IAS) who provide a framework for strategy, best practice and techniques for success, which can then be translated to the regional level.