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The QS ImpACT Awards notably highlight the outstanding contributions of individuals who have served as catalysts for transformative change on a local and global scale through projects, events and initiatives in local communities or institutions that explored solutions to the sustainability challenges of today.

鈥淚t is crucial to recognize the engagement of young people with the SDGs [United Nations Sustainable Development Goals] with this award ceremony, as it does not only recognize individual achievement but creates a global community of changemakers for sustainability,鈥� says Hopkins.

Youth activism is also critical for sustainable development because it 鈥渃an lead to lasting societal change,鈥� adds Terry.

The York members鈥� selection as judges is not only an acknowledgement of their own impact on global sustainability efforts but a recognition that York is continuing to strengthen its momentum as a global leader in sustainability, which has included participation and appearances in rankings organized by QS, a leading international company in the education sector and a partner of QS ImpACT.

The award ceremony will be held online on Jan. 18. Register to attend: .

Article published in the January 9, 2024 issue of聽

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The UN HLPF is the central platform within the United Nations system to track progress on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. More than 2,700 delegates are expected to attend the meeting at United Nations Headquarters in New York from July 10-19. 38 countries and the European Union will present their Voluntary National Review (VNR) on national progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 12 special events, more than 200 side events and 21 exhibits will take place.

York contributed to 颁补苍补诲补鈥檚 2023 , which will outline the initiatives undertaken in Canada with a focus on quality education, gender equality, climate action and partnership. In their report, York highlighted the strategic commitments to elevate action for the SDGs through the University Academic Plan 2020-2025 and other frameworks, such as the Framework on Black Inclusion, the  and the new Decolonization, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy 2022-2027.

A key enabler, so far the only one recognized by the UN, of all of the SDGs is an Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) as stated in SDG 4, which York麓s UNESCO Chair has long been engaged with. The team has also worked with UNESCO and other UN agencies to promote the transformation of education and training systems and to raise public awareness for ESD. At the UN HLPF, Hopkins and Kohl will advocate for the importance of involving higher education institutions in policymaking, for modelling sustainability in the university as whole and the transformative power of quality education.

Article originally post via YFile on July 12, 2023

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On March 7, the Faculty of Education will host a public lecture from 7 to 8:30 p.m., by speaker Charles Hopkins, the UNESCO Chair in Reorienting Education Towards Sustainability at 快播视频.

Titled 鈥淓ducating for Tomorrow鈥檚 Unknown: Sustainability Front and Center,鈥� the lecture will address how 鈥� through the (UN SDGs) 鈥� countries are now called upon to provide quality education that prioritizes sustainability and encourages young people to become global citizens.

Hopkins will illuminate how all levels of educators, education professionals, students and parents can become engaged and make a collective impact with global challenges like climate change, biodiversity loss and rising inequalities 鈥� locally or in other parts of the world.

An awarded education leader with several honorary doctorates and professorships, Hopkins has lectured and presented papers in approximately 75 countries. He has coordinated two global Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) research networks 鈥� the International Network of Teacher Education Institutions and the #IndigenousESD, which aims to improve the education outcomes of Indigenous youth. Internationally, Hopkins has a long relationship with education and sustainability, chairing the writing and adoption processes of several UNESCO ESD Declarations. He is also the co-director of the Asia-Pacific Institute on ESD in Beijing, China.

This talk is a part of the Faculty of Education鈥檚 Public Lecture Series featuring leading scholars from the Faculty sharing their research and scholarship on key publicly relevant issues in education and society.

This free event will be live-streamed on Zoom and all are welcome to attend. .

Click here to learn more about how 快播视频 is contributing to the United Nation鈥檚 Sustainable Development Goals.

Article originally published in the February 24, 2023 issue of .

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快播视频 UNESCO Chair  was awarded the Lithuanian State Award on July 6 by the President of the Republic of Lithuania, Gitanas Naus臈da. 

Lithuanian and foreign citizens were presented with state orders and medals for their services to the Republic of Lithuania. 

Naus臈da recognized Hopkins for making a significant contribution to the preservation and free transfer of unique documents of the history of Lithuanian diplomacy to the Lithuanian Museum of Canada. 

Among the 60 individuals who were awarded for helping to build sustainable international ties of peace, friendship and cultural exchange, Hopkins鈥� work in rescuing and safeguarding documents representing international treaties proving the Lithuanian independence during the period of 1918 to 1940 was recognized as important work to public service and life.  

鈥淚 am humbled by this recognition by the government of the Republic of Lithuania. I share the respect for these tangible documents as proof of the existence of the Lithuanian state as an independent nation, especially during times when ground truth and facts are questioned,鈥� said Hopkins.  

Hopkins found the documents on a rainy morning in the 1980s when he noticed a pile of books and documents abandoned on a neighbour鈥檚 driveway after the home was being put up for sale. He had known that his neighbour, the late wife of the former Lithuanian Ambassador to Canada, had several formal government documents stored in the house from her late husband鈥檚 years of diplomatic service, and so Hopkins decided to retrieve the boxes, knowing he would ensure they were taken care of properly. 

Hopkins discovered documents signed by Japanese Emperor Hirohito, Russian leader Vladimir Lenin, Pope Pius XI, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, King George V and many more, including a large, detailed map outlining the border with Russia and other neighbouring countries. 

After several attempts working to return the documents to the Lithuanian community, the documents sat in Hopkin's basement for up to 40 years until 2021. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Hopkins came upon the Lithuanian Museum-Archives of Canada located in Mississauga, Ontario during one of his walks with his wife.  

When Hopkins spoke to the exhibition curator, they recognized the items Hopkins had owned and understood the value of the documents. The items were then handed over to the Lithuanian State Historical Archives in Vilnius. 

鈥淚 was relieved when we finally turned the documents over to Lithuanian authorities. I had tried before but with no luck. While I did not see their eventual significance, I took them in. I always knew that my neighbours had gone to great lengths to get these boxes to safety and felt I needed to protect them. I knew it was the right thing to do, and I am glad I was able to return these documents to their rightful owners, ending their 80-plus years in hiding,鈥� said Hopkins. 

Since April 2021, the documents have been returned to the government of the Republic of Lithuania in Vilnius. They have been restored and are now available to the public to view at the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania. 

For his efforts in keeping the long-sought documents safe and returning them, Hopkins was also awarded the honour of the National Archive at a ceremony in Toronto in November 2021. 

In addition to travelling to Lithuania to receive his award, Hopkins is adding further value to his travels to Europe in support of the  initiative. He has held meetings with the National Education Agency in Lithuania with university network partners to discuss perspectives on recent United Nations developments in education and initiated new projects for future teachers in Lithuania. During this trip, he is also spending time at the Global Citizenship Alliance in Salzburg, Austria, working with a new generation of higher education faculty and administrators from the United States to engage in the global pursuit of sustainability.  

For more information and to view a virtual exhibition of the Lithuanian international treaties, visit  

Article originally published in the July 14, 2022 issue of .

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快播视频鈥檚 UNESCO Chair Charles Hopkins is the recipient of the Clean50 Lifetime Achievement Award for his work on a global scale to reorient education towards sustainable development. This prestigious award recognizes Hopkins鈥� focus on creating a better future for all.

Climate challenges facing Canada can not be resolved by anything less than a collaborative, full assault on every element of the problem. Broad solutions are needed. To create holistic strategies for future economies and imagine better ways of living together in Canada and beyond, thought leaders from all sectors of industry, business, academia, the arts and civil society need to be involved.

颁补苍补诲补鈥檚 award program and annual were founded in 2011 by 颁补苍补诲补鈥檚 leading clean tech and sustainability executive search firm Delta Management Group to bring these sustainability leaders together. In its 10th edition, 颁补苍补诲补鈥檚 Clean50 Awards celebrate the 2022 top sustainability leaders in Canada. Fifty remarkable and inspiring individuals in 16 different categories as well as emerging leaders, Canadian business and five selected sustainability heroes will be recognized with Lifetime Achievement Awards during this year鈥檚 summit, which took place Oct. 1. A record number of nominations were received for this year鈥檚 awards.

, 快播视频鈥檚 UNESCO Chair, received the 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award for decades of dedicated engagement in reorienting education systems towards sustainable development as well as fostering cross-sector thinking connecting academia with business, industry, the arts and the general public towards a better future for all. As one of the early advocates for place-based and experiential learning as a principal of outdoor schools in Canada during the 1970s and 1980s, his list of involvements is long. He presented to the Brundtland Commission and co-authored Chapter 36 in Agenda 21, the first United Nations implementation plan for a more sustainable future, coming out of the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992.

Since assuming the role of at York in 1999, he has been co-ordinating two global research networks, each active in more than 50 countries: the International Network of Teacher Education Institutions and the #IndigenousESD Network. He is advisor to the Global Network of Regional Centres of Expertise on ESD hosted by the United Nations University鈥檚 Institute of Advanced Studies in Sustainability, and co-director of the Asia-Pacific Institute on ESD in Beijing.

As a member of the President's Sustainability Council at 快播视频 and the co-chair of the Knowledge Working Group, Hopkins works to embed the idea of the 鈥渦niversity as a whole鈥� moving towards sustainability, placing sustainable development as a theme in the curriculum, rethinking operations, facilities and management practices, and changing the culture on York鈥檚 campuses.

As part of its new , 快播视频 articulated its commitment to elevate action on the United Nations鈥� 17 Sustainable Development Goals and contribute meaningfully to building a better future.

Original article published in the October 3, 2021 issue of

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As part of York鈥檚 initiative to support study-abroad opportunities that promote sustainability, the conference on is expected to attract more than 600 participants from 65 countries.

The conference on Sustainable and Inclusive Internationalization is expected to attract more than 600 participants from 65 countries

The three-day international conference, from Jan. 20 to 22, will be co-hosted by York International and the UNESCO Chair in Reorienting Education Towards Sustainability at 快播视频, in collaboration with the International Association of Universities, the Canadian Commission for UNESCO, and Okayama University, Japan.

鈥淚t is crucial that today鈥檚 leaders and those in the future understand global contexts and working in transdisciplinary and intercultural teams towards the common goal of a sustainable future,鈥� said 快播视频 President and Vice-Chancellor Rhonda L. Lenton. 鈥溈觳ナ悠� is very pleased to host this important conversation among colleagues and partners, as we all look forward to a better and safer 2021 and beyond.鈥�

鈥淗igher education has long been a force for cross-cultural exchange, and advancing global cooperation for education and research, but there are barriers to creating equitable access for all to these opportunities,鈥� said Vinitha Gengatharan, executive director, York International. 鈥淭he global pandemic has led to an unprecedented pause in international student and faculty travel that warrants universities to examine their policies and practices.鈥�

The Sustainable and Inclusive Internationalization conference will be an open forum that will allow participants to tackle these vital questions and related concerns and find workable solutions. It will bring together scholars, international mobility professionals and practitioners, policymakers, sustainability experts and other stakeholders to discuss the evolving status of international mobility in higher education in Canada and globally.

鈥淚ssues such as global geopolitical tensions, economic strains, climate change concerns and systemic racism and exclusion continue to limit the participants in these initiatives,鈥� says Charles Hopkins, UNESCO Chair at 快播视频. 鈥淔urther, the growing concern around the ecological footprint of higher education mobility and the exclusiveness of opportunities has already caused fundamental discussions on the future of international student mobility.鈥�

To learn more about the conference, visit the website.

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Reorienting education to address a sustainable future

The UNESCO Chair research projects are carried out in a very unique way. UNESCO Chair research serves the international education community and is tailored to provide policy recommendations to UNESCO in conjunction with its strategy, recommendations and other particular activities. When developing research ideas, we approach universities that are members in our networks, the International Network of Teacher Education Institutions and the #IndigenousESD research network, to partner with us. In each specific project, research concepts are respectfully co-developed with one another in a north-south dialogue ensuring research can be carried out in a manner and at a pace that is appropriate for all partners to implement. While this requires enormous effort in communicating with many partners in different languages, we achieve comparable research results from all regions of the world to inform UNESCO鈥檚 understanding of global or regional challenges and develop appropriate approaches for solutions.

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The launch of the global research initiative hosted by the City of Greater Sudbury and the UNESCO Chair at 快播视频 titled 鈥楻eorienting Education and Training Systems to Improve the Lives of Indigenous Youth鈥� took place during a three-day conference at Laurentian University鈥檚 Indigenous Sharing and Learning Centre.

The event, which ran Oct. 16 to 18, was the kick-off for the Central and North American regions to engage in research that will examine how schools and education systems can use Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) contexts to better meet the educational needs of Indigenous and marginalized youth to improve their lives.

Representatives from participating countries including Canada, Malaysia, South Africa, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Germany and the USA gathered to discuss the design of the global academic research that will include the perspectives from traditional communities from approximately 35 countries on five continents to gain knowledge on how quality education is defined by Indigenous people, their various government ministries, education structures and stakeholders.

The further objective of the project is to collect examples of good practice about positive effects of addressing relevant social, environmental and economic issues along with local/traditional knowledge from elders and other community members to deliver a local construct of a quality education,鈥� said Charles Hopkins, UNESCO Chair in Reorienting Teacher Education to Address Sustainability, 快播视频.

This first research linked directly to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, in particular SDG target 4.5, is unique in that it is collaboratively undertaken by universities in partnership with Indigenous communities. The findings that are expected for 2020 will be widely shared with all stakeholders involved, through the global Indigenous networks and with UNESCO member states to inform the newly pledged efforts aimed at improving education outcomes that are in concert with community wishes. Beyond 2020, it is hoped that the research network will continue to collaborate to contribute in meeting the expectations of Agenda 2030.

Visit the UNESCO Chair in Reorienting Teacher Education to Address Sustainability, 快播视频 for further information on the activities of the Chair.

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