University Centre for Environmental Studies and Sustainable Development (UCBS)
UCBS is a recognized academic unit thanks to its close cooperation with many Polish and European institutions of higher education, teachers’ associations, environmental NGOs, the Polish Committee of UNESCO, and the Ministry of the Environment. The Centre develops training programmes and thematic conferences, and participates in the preparation of major national government documents including the Environmental Education Strategies, programmes and expert reports and opinions on different-level school curricula. UCBS regularly produces papers and textbooks on education and management for sustainable development, biodiversity and climate change. The Centre’s team works on the principle that we cannot expect spectacular successes in ESD until we can disseminate the message widely among various social groups diverse in terms of age, level of education and profession.
The University Centre has a experience in leading partnership devoted ESD implementation in Poland during the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development . It was the Centre’s initiative was established informal Working Group for Promotion of UN DESD consisting of representatives of the University Centre, Ministry of National Education, Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Institute for Sustainable Development and Polish National Commission for UNESCO.
University Centre for Environmental Studies and Sustainable Development is strongly committed towards implementing sustainability in higher education. Due to Centre’s imitative University of Warsaw belongs to the networks of universities for sustainable development: European – Copernicus Alliance and international UNEP GUPES.
Recently the UCBS applied to become the Regional Centre of Expertise on ESD acknowledge by United Nation University. Proposed RCE Warsaw Metropolitan is a strong network of influential institutions with experiences in implementing sustainable development and delivering ESD. The partnership are diverse and come from a range of different kinds of organizations – Universities (5 higher education institutions from Warsaw) and research institution, NGOs, local authorities - each bringing a strength to the partnership.