Promoting sustainable development through UNESCO’s programmes and sites

UNESCO and the abrdn Charitable Foundation (aCF) launched in March 2022 a 3-year partnership to promote sustainability through research and education with the goal of developing innovative solutions relating to the environment, water and ocean. As part of the partnership between UNESCO and the aCF, the project seeks to promote a more sustainable and climate neutral Europe by working with Biosphere Reserves and other UNESCO sites to act as pilot sites for sustainable development. UNESCO’s scientific programmes - the Man and Biosphere Programme (MAB), the Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme (IHP), and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC) - and its networks will be mobilized in supporting and promoting the project.

The project will focus on 3 expected results:

Expected result 1: promoting research in UNESCO designated sites related to SDGs 6, 13, 14 and 15 and MAB, IHP and IOC priority areas, notably biodiversity and sustainability, water, the ocean, and the climate. Priority will be given to research scalable at ecosystem level, regionally and globally.

Expected result 2: promoting and implementing Education for Sustainable Development, water education, climate change education or ocean literacy in UNESCO sites. Activities will be developed closely with upper primary/lower secondary schools located in the site.

Expected result 3: Innovative “green” and “blue” solutions for sustainable development and climate change mitigation and adaptation promoted through UNESCO sites. Priority will be given to innovative solutions developed with the private sector and civil society (preferably youth).

The selected sites will receive funding from the project to implement activities under the 3 expected results for a total amount of up to 25,000 USD per site (of which approx. 15,000 USD for research and 5,000 USD each for the other 2 components).

An inestimable opportunity for joint action to promote sustainable development and tackle the climate crisis on the ground, and to significantly help contribute to achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on climate change.

Support the selected sites to conduct research, promote education and innovative activities that can be scaled up to the global level.

The opportunity for the selected sites to exchange and support each other throughout the project and connect with the MAB, IHP and IOC communities.

• UNESCO
• abrdn Charitable Foundation (aCF)

31/03/2022 UNESCO and abrdn partner to promote environmental sustainability development through research, education and innovation solutions

12/04/2022 Call for Applications: Promoting sustainable development through UNESCO’s programmes and sites (Deadline: 9 May 2022)

22/07/2022 Supporting European UNESCO designated sites through research, education and innovative solutions

21/09/2022 New project launched to promote sustainable development through UNESCO’s programmes and sites 

03/04/2023 Call for Applications: Promoting sustainable development through UNESCO’s programmes and sites (Deadline: 26 April 2023)

04/04/2023 Asterousia local community engages in marine litter monitoring and ocean literacy 

19/05/2023 Conserving biodiversity and promoting natural science education in the dry grasslands of Kozjansko Regional Park, Slovenia

05/06/2023 Innovative ways of mapping water-related ecosystems in Ohrid region 

22/06/2023 Wild Park Rainscape to improve green space and groundwater quality in The Living Coast UNESCO Biosphere Reserve 

3/07/2023 Tuscan Islands: hydrological processes and water resource sustainability in a climate-changing Mediterranean

27/07/2023 Promoting sustainable development through UNESCO’s programmes and sites across Europe and North America: 5 new sites selected

7/09/2023 Promoting sustainable development through UNESCO’s programmes and sites: Project second-year cycle launched

UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe

Jonathan Baker Regional Advisor for Science, Head of Science unit j.baker@unesco.org(link sends e-mail)

Jing Fang Associate Programme Specialist, Science unit j.fang@unesco.org(link sends e-mail)