UNESCO School in South East Europe SUSTAINABLE ENERGY GOVERNANCE IN UNESCO DESIGNATED SITES

UNESCO School in South East Europe
SUSTAINABLE ENERGY GOVERNANCE
IN UNESCO DESIGNATED SITES

Dubrovnik, Croatia
29 September – 5 October 2012

Background note
Sustainable energy is a global priority it is a top priority for the United Nations and myself as Secretary-General, because it is central to everything we do, and central to everything we want to achieve (UN Secretary-General's remarks at Davos 2012).

Energy displays a high multidimensional nature since it has a strategic interaction with regard to the environment, peace, national and international security, economic development and growth. This is a major issue of the UN agenda. In June 2009 the UN Secretary General appointed the Advisory Group on Energy and Climate Change (AGECC) and the UN led global initiative of promoting sustainable energy for all in the next two decades.

The centrality of energy in sustainable development and climate change mitigation has been also reconfirmed by the recent international conference of Rio+20 as stated in its main commitments for action enclosed in the document “The future that we want”. Here is an appeal for energy that is accessible, cleaner and more efficient according to the sustainable energy for all campaign. It is linked to the need to advance greener and more efficient energy technologies along with the adoption of energy efficiency measures to be adopted in urban and territorial planning, buildings, transportation, etc.

The current and next generation of scientists, policy makers, public-private managers are called upon to meet these new challenges. Consequently, UNESCO and the international community should be prepared to offer more ambitious educational programmes with particular emphasis in countries and regions where renewable energy and energy efficiency are at early stages of development and implementation like in South East Europe.

UNESCO has been entrusted by the international community in promoting education and international cooperation on renewable energy since the establishment of the World Solar Commission in 1995.

With this in mind The UNESCO Regional School represents an unique educational opportunity to enhance capacity building in sustainable energy by conveying in a single venue a substantial capital of knowledge developed in UNESCO designated sites (World Heritage Sites and Biosphere Reserves) in Europe. These sites have proved they have an important word to say about sustainability, in terms of education, management, and scientific knowledge to be regionally shared and possibly applied.

The course will also include a number of team working sessions and on field exercises which will use the World Heritage Site of Dubrovnik as a real training scenario laboratory. Finally, trainees will also participate in the International Conference ‘Delivering Smart, Sustainable and Inclusive Growth in Historic Towns’ (Dubrovnik, 4-5 October 2012) which will be part of the UNESCO School programme and where they will present the outputs of their work at the final day of the conference.

 

Goals

• Offer educational support to World Heritage and Biosphere Reserves local-central governmental officials, sites planners and managers, scientists, practitioners and researchers with applied interest on sustainable energy governance issues;
• Build capacities on renewable energy and energy efficiency promotion using UNESCO designated sites as site for learning and sharing knowledge,
• Strengthen the dissemination of information on renewable energy and energy efficiency potentials in the region.
• Enhance problem solving capacity and critical thinking through the adoption of an interdisciplinary approach of sustainable energy issues.
• Promoting the interface between young researchers and practitioners with industrial partners of high profile for the improvement of summer school technical provision and follow up

Target group
With its interdisciplinary approach the School targets a broad audience that includes World Heritage and Biosphere Reserves managers, scientists, practitioners and researchers with applied interests in sustainable energy governance issues in cultural and natural sites, preferably but not exclusively in UNESCO designate sites, from following countries in South East Europe: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Montenegro, Romania, Slovenia, Serbia, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkey as well as UNMIK/Kosovo1. Women are encouraged to apply.

No fees will be required by selected participants. The organizer will cover full board accommodation costs. Official language of the school is English.

Requirements
The following candidates are eligible to apply:

• Current postgraduate students (master’s and PhD candidates) in natural and human sciences on sustainable energy governance related topics;
• Postdoctoral researchers in natural and human sciences on sustainable energy governance related topics.
• Graduated energy related professionals working in the public (municipalities, agencies, research institutes) or private sectors (enterprises, NGOs, etc.) with at least 3 years of experience in the field of Sustainable Energy.
• Knowledge of and work practice in UNESCO designated sites would be an advantage.

All candidates should have good knowledge of English. They should work in teams and in an interdisciplinary fashion. They will be required to take part in all the activities foreseen in the school programme. At the end of school, they will be required to make a public presentation as decided and assigned with the tutor(s) on a particular module/theme at the conclusive session of the International Conference ‘Delivering Smart, Sustainable and Inclusive Growth in Historic Towns’.

Students will receive an official Certificate of Attendance.

Application shall be submitted by email to veniceoffice-sc@unesco.org and to d.poletto@unesco.org.
Candidates shall provide their CV and a short letter of motivation (both documents in English).
Deadline for application is 12 September 2012.
Selected candidates will be notified of the outcome of evaluation by September 14.
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