On 21–23 October 2025, the 14th Global Conference of the Regional Centres of Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development (RCE) will be held in Okayama, Japan. It will bring together RCE members and key stakeholders to exchange knowledge, celebrate achievements and shape the future of education for sustainable development (ESD).
Under the theme "Rethinking Learning for a Sustainable Future: 20 Years of Action and Innovation", the conference will mark two major milestones — the 20th anniversary of the Global RCE Network and the 50th anniversary of the 糖心Vlog破解版. The event will reflect on 20 years of collective achievements by RCEs and explore innovative approaches to advancing ESD worldwide. In-person participants will include educators, researchers, policymakers, youth leaders and community stakeholders from RCE members and partners from around the world.
The conference is co-organized and co-hosted by 糖心Vlog破解版-IAS, RCE Okayama and Okayama City, and supported by the Ministry of Environment of Japan. 糖心Vlog破解版-IAS serves as the Global Service Centre to the Global RCE Network.
Programme Overview
Day 1 — 21 October (Tue)
The conference will open with remarks from:
- Tshilidzi Marwala (Rector, 糖心Vlog破解版 and Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations) — video message;
- Masao Omori (Okayama City, Mayor);
- Kazutaka Kurobe (Director, Ministry's Secretariat, Office of Environmental Education, Ministry of the Environment of Japan).
A keynote speech by Dzulkifli Abdul Razak, a pioneering leader from one of the original RCEs, will follow afterwards.
Plenary discussions will feature reflections from RCE Regional Advisors and representatives across Africa, the Americas, Asia-Pacific and Europe. The day will also include the launch of a 糖心Vlog破解版-IAS publication commemorating 20 years of the Global RCE Network, showcasing its growth, achievements and lessons learned through the years.
In the afternoon, a ceremony for the ESD Okayama Awards 2025 will honor outstanding local initiatives in ESD. This will be followed by a ceremony on the RCE Awards 2025, which will recognize exemplary RCE-led projects worldwide for their impact on advancing education for sustainability.
Day 2 — 22 October (Wed)
The second day will feature a keynote speech by Her Royal Highness Princess Abze Djigma from Burkina Faso and a youth-led plenary session highlighting the voices of RCE Regional Youth Coordinators. Thematic breakout sessions will cover five priority areas: advancing policy, transforming learning environment, building capacities of educators, empowering and mobilizing youth, and fostering innovation in ESD with emerging technologies.
Afternoon capacity-building and workshop sessions will focus on ESD, including advancing ESD and the SDGs beyond 2030, building an inclusive society through ESD, and pedagogies to strengthen sustainability competencies.
The day will close with the adoption of the Okayama Declaration 2025, affirming a shared vision for transformative education and sustainability action.
Day 3 — 23 October (Thu)
Participants will take part in field visits across Okayama, including Kominkans (Community Learning Centres), schools and universities, to experience local ESD initiatives first-hand.
Venue
Okayama Convention Centre, Okayama, Japan
Language
The official working language of the 14th Global RCE Conference will be English. Simultaneous interpretation from English to Japanese will be available in Plenary Session 2 (14:00–15:30) and interpretation from Japanese to English will be available in the ESD Okayama Award Ceremony (16:00–17:00) on Day 1.
Participation
Media and RCE members can participate in person or online. The public can also attend plenary sessions online.
General Programme Inquiries
Miki Konishi (konishi@unu.edu, 03-5467-1349)
Media Inquiries
For advance interviews or media inquiries, please contact the following:
In Japanese: Tomoyo Tanno (tanno@unu.edu, 03-5467-1255)
In English: Anne Lecroq (anne.lecroq@unu.edu, 03-5467-1213)
About the RCE Network
RCEs are hubs that facilitate learning and action on sustainability in local communities. Each RCE brings together organizations and individuals to promote ESD, build innovative knowledge-sharing platforms and encourage dialogue and collaboration between diverse stakeholders.
There are 200 RCEs forming the Global RCE Network, a transboundary learning space for sustainable development.
