The 14th Global Regional Centres of Expertise (RCE) on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) Conference will be held on 21 – 23 October 2025 in Okayama, Japan. It will bring together RCE members and key stakeholders to exchange knowledge, celebrate achievements and shape the future of ESD.
With the theme "Rethinking Learning for a Sustainable Future: 20 Years of Action and Innovation", the conference will commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Global RCE Network and the 50th anniversary of UNU, at the midpoint of both the RCE Roadmap 2021–2030 and the ESD for 2030 framework.
Since its establishment in 2005, the Global RCE Network has expanded to 197 RCEs (as of February 2025). The RCEs serve as local ESD hubs and, through multi-stakeholder partnerships, foster learning and action for a more sustainable world. The conference will provide an opportunity to reflect on the network’s accomplishments to date and its efforts to advance SDG4 (quality education), essential to achieving the other SDGs.
The conference is organized and hosted by UNU-IAS, RCE Okayama and Okayama City. UNU-IAS serves as the Global Service Centre to the Global RCE Network through its work on innovation and education.
Participation & Registration
Please note that in-person attendance is for RCE members only. Please register in advance to participate, noting the registration deadlines as follows:
In-person attendance (RCE members only):
- 27 June 2025 (23:59 JST) - In-person attendance with applications for: Thematic Presentations by RCEs; Capacity-Building and Workshop Sessions; Parallel Poster Presentations
- 15 August 2025 (23:59 JST) - In-person attendance without applying for the above opportunities
Online attendance:
- 10 October 2025 (23:59 JST)
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Conference Website
Conference materials and further details, including concept note & programme, information note and guidelines for speakers are available in the conference website (English and Japanese). Please note that some conference materials are currently only available in English.
