1. Carol Healy Su-ming Khoo Development Education and Research Network NUI Galway (DERN) www.nuigalway.ie/dern Environment and Development

2. Synopsis • Environment and • development cooperation 2. Environmental education and development education 3. DERN 4. Environmental sustainability: Bridging development education and research

3. Environment and Development Cooperation • Poverty and environment inextricably linked • Global environmental threats compound local environmental problems • Health is closely related to quality of environment • MDG Goal 7:Ensure Environmental Sustainability • Ireland has obligations to help developing countries address climate change • Environmental issues are often addressed through the “three pillars” of cooperation.

4. 3 “Pillars” of Cooperation Rights based Sustainability Poverty focused Link to environmental justice Livelihood security Impact on/ Participation of poor and vulnerable Link environment to rights and law Accountability and participation Rights involve duties Non-discrimination Vulnerable groups come first Environmental Social Economic Future generations Commons International policy – UN framework National policy directions set by Irish Aid White Paper on Development (Sept 2006)

5. Skills and Capacities Responsible Action What is Development Education? Development Education Leads to: Critical Engagement with development Critical Engagement with Social Justice issues Promote: Understanding Local/global Interdependence Knowledge and understanding Attitudes and Values Builds on:

6. What is Development Education? • Concerned with building of knowledge and understanding, skills and capacities, and attitudes and values necessary that enable individuals to critically examine the world, its development and its interdependencies and to act, both locally and globally to make it a more just, equitable and sustainable place. • “Development Education aims to deepen understanding of global poverty and encourage people towards action for a more just and equal world” – Irish Aid Development Education Strategy Plan May 2007. • Aims to promote critical engagement about development and global justice issues

7. EE ESD DE + = Linking Development Education and Environmental Education • Development Education + Environmental Education = Education for Sustainable Development (UNESCO) • Joined up approach to environment, society & economy • Ensure people have a healthy and productive life (esp. FOOD); • Assess, care for and restore the state of our Planet; • create and enjoy a better, safer, more just world; • Caring citizens who exercise their rights and responsibilities locally, nationally and globally. • Increase knowledge, • values, attitudes, • commitment, skills to protect • environment • Active participation • Recognise local-global connections • Understand • causes of poverty and inequality • Enable people to achieve a more just and sustainable world

8. Development education and environmental research • Bridging the gap between environmental research and development is essential for sustainable development • Sustainable development requires 3 pillars to be balanced • Environmental protection • Economic development • Social justice/ inclusion – participation • How to integrate these into research? • Examples: • IIED: Impacts of climate change on economic growth • PEP: Research in the area of the environment and development • NUIG: IA-HEA research groups • Can Development Education be integrated with environmental research through focus on rights, poverty and sustainability ?

9. IA-HEA Research Clusters Coordinated by DERN Sustainable technologies Law and Policy reform Creating and sharing knowledge for rights-based and sustainable development cooperation – A research and training programmefor NUI Galway Trade HIV/AIDS Community based health

10. Law and Policy Reform

11. Appropriate Techonolgies

12. What is DERN? • Development Education and Research Network • Interdisciplinary, cross-faculty network, which includes over 100 members. • Three main objectives: • 3. Connect Dev. Ed. and civic engagement • Web based resource + forum • Interdisciplinary seminars • Mainstream development education • Embed Development Education in existing professional education • Identify demand for development education content, • deliver modules where appropriate • 2. Develop research capability and professional expertise relevant to Dev. Ed. • Research fellowships in Development Education • Support networking through DERN to build capacity for collaboration and professional work

13. DERN activities • Coordinated NUI Galway research bid for the IA-HEA Programme of Strategic Cooperation (€1.5m, 13 Projects) • Mainstream development education into research activities • DERN website: www.nuigalway.ie/dern • Seminars: • Organic growing as national policy in Cuba, • The Jaipur foot • Career Options in Development • Funding opportunities and research needs for Development. • Development as Global Responsibility • Development’s Futures Conference - Nov 2007 • Networking with with other third level institutions, NGOs etc . • Publications contributing to current thinking on the development education landscape • Next priority: develop content for development education (lectures, modules) • WE ARE LOOKING for staff who want development education in their teaching and research

14. www.nuigalway.ie/dern

15. What Next? • Staff interested in development education content for their teaching and research to contact Carol • Waiting for result of IA-HEA bid (July?) • Other research proposals/ needs? Contact Carol/ Su-ming • Upcoming seminars – Rainforest Day! • Topic/speaker suggestions welcome • Conference – Nov 24-25 2007

16. Incorporating ESD- some questions • Already overloaded curriculum • Buy – in • To what extent can ‘mainstreaming’ and the integration of third level serve to realise the vision of Development Education? • How to capture the complexity of development through educational processes? • How to ensure genuine discourse? • How can short term funding achieve the long term aims Dev Ed? • Critical engagement versus policy relevance

17. Some Resources • Africa Up in Smoke: Working Group on Climate Change and Development • Stern Review, 2006 • Stop Climate Chaos • IIED- http://www.iied.org/ • PEP http://www.povertyenvironment.net/pep/ • Comhar’s Principles for Sustainable Development. www.comhar-nsdp.ie • M. Gorman, D. O’Connor; Ireland’s Overseas Aid Programme and Agenda 21 • Irish Aid Environmental Policy