Hong Kong’s first blog for SDG education news and announcements
There are a number of important International days this week. Today, 1st December is World AIDS Day, and every year, the world commemorates people around the world unite to show support for people living with and affected by HIV and to remember those who lost their lives to AIDS. On 2nd December is the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery. More than 40 million people worldwide are victims of modern slavery and more than 150 million children are subject to child labour, accounting for almost one in ten children around the world. The focus of this day is on eradicating contemporary forms of slavery, such as trafficking in persons, sexual exploitation, the worst forms of child labour, forced marriage, and the forced recruitment of children for use in armed conflict. 3rd December is International Day of Persons with Disabilities. Disability inclusion is an essential condition to upholding human rights, sustainable development, and peace and security. It is also central to the . . .
We were delighted to graduate our first cohort from the Youth Ambassador Asia-Pacific Programme. UNITAR entrusted the implementation and running of their Ambassador programme to The ITS Education Asia Foundation and twelve schools from around Hong Kong nominated sustainability-minded students to join. They have had 9 grueling Saturdays of events, speakers, workshops and lessons plus put in a huge amount of time and effort in between to develop their ideas, do their research and create and practice their pitches. It all came to fruition on Saturday 27th November with a fantastic pitch event and graduation ceremony hosted by Cyberport. . . .
Nice top 5 takeaway review of COP26 (The Conversation) Interesting Serbian project to track emigration which threatens depopulation (Srpski) Apple starts to offer better repair options (BusinessGreen) The moral case for destroying fossil fuel infrastructure (The Guardian) Australia to export solar power to Asia (Eco-Business) . . .
Tomorrow, 25th November, is International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. Under the restrictions imposed by many governments as part of their covid response strategies, millions of families have been forced to stay locked down together for much longer than normal and under much more stress than usual. Sadly, this has led to a “Shadow Pandemic” of violence, usually by men against women and girls. Violence by men against women and girls is inexplicable, pointless behaviour. Days like this at least begin to raise awareness and will hopefully stimulate the actions needed to address this behavioural disease. . . .
As part of my own CPD, I recently completed a course on the Circular Economy with the United Nations Systems Staff College. Participants were selected from 122 countries and from a variety of government, corporate, IGO, NGO and academic backgrounds. The peer group was highly enriching and the expert input to the learning equally valuable. Key takeaways: Sustainability needs properly thought out, designed and governed circularity Both business and government have their part to play Ultimately, as individuals we must drive institutional behaviour and create a virtuous circle of truly transformative systemic change through our consumption choices and our political demands. . . .
A great listicle from the World Economic Forum with 10 ways to foster and develop grassroots innovation. From engaging local government and communities, through attacking discrimination in all forms, to introducing appropriate technology and including youth, this is a really good all-encompassing list with good brief explanations. Take a look! . . .
Tomorrow, 16 November is the UN International Day for Tolerance. This day of observation was started in 1996 after the 1995 Year for Tolerance. Tolerance is surely a cornerstone of the United Nations which was born out of the ashes of World War 2 and a general desire by all nations and all peoples not to repeat that mistake or that of the First War. Tolerance is a very useful approach as it does not put the demands of liking or agreeing with another party. Only that we tolerate and respect their view (within reason). Tolerance goes to the heart of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and not only should it be recognized politically and legally, but it should be practiced at all levels by all people. . . .
A 150-year-old note from Charles Darwin is inspiring a change in the way forests are planted (The Conversation) . . .
