The 2025 Okayama Declaration: RCEs’ Collective Commitment for Sustainable Futures was adopted at the 14th Global RCE Conference held on 21–23 October 2025 in Okayama, Japan. Celebrating 20 years of collective action, innovation and partnership for education for sustainable development (ESD), it reaffirms the commitment of Regional Centres of Expertise on ESD (RCEs) to harnessing education as a transformative force for societal change through five Priority Areas of Action:
(i) Positioning ESD as a catalyst for systemic and social transformation,
(ii) Advancing knowledge exchange and local solutions through partnership,
(iii) Empowering and mobilizing youth leadership,
(iv) Ensuring equity, inclusion and justice, and
(v) Harnessing digital transformation for lifelong and life-wide ESD.
Rooted in the philosophy of Ubuntu and guided by global and regional frameworks, the Declaration calls for collaborative and accountable action to realize just, inclusive and sustainable futures for all.
The Okayama Declaration 2025 represents a collective commitment of the global RCE community and participants of the 14th Global RCE Conference. It was developed through an inclusive consultation process. We sincerely thank all contributors, and in particular the Writing Committee members, for their leadership and dedication in developing the Declaration.
Writing Committee Members
(in alphabetical order)
Hirofumi Abe (RCE Okayama; Vice President, International Pacific University)
Jana Dlouhá (Ubuntu Committee of Peers for the RCE Network; Member Representative, COPERNICUS Alliance)
Hiroki Fujii (RCE Okayama; Professor, Graduate School of Education, Okayama University)
Ahmad Ali Karim (Regional Youth Coordinator for Asia-Pacific; Student, International Islamic University Malaysia)
Anupam Khajuria (Global RCE Service Centre; Research Fellow and Academic Associate of Innovation and Education Programme (IVE), UNU-IAS)
Miki Konishi (Global RCE Service Centre; Programme Coordinator of IVE, UNU-IAS)
Evance Ouya (Regional Youth Coordinator for Africa; Wildlife Conservationist and an Environmental Advocate)
Jonghwi Park (Global RCE Service Centre; Academic Programme Officer and Head of IVE, UNU-IAS)
Roger Petry (Regional Advisor for Americas; Professor, Department of Philosophy and Classics, Luther College, University of Regina)
Mario Tabucanon (Advisor; Emeritus Professor, Asian Institute of Technology)
Atsufumi Yokoi (RCE Okayama; Vice President for Global Engagement, Okayama University)
