UNESCO Chair at York University Toronto, Canada

Ahead of the 2026 Times Higher Education Global Sustainable Development Congress in Jakarta, it was a pleasure for Charles Hopkins and Katrin Kohl to meet colleagues in Malaysia from Universiti Sains Malaysia and Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris.

At USM, we enjoyed learning more about the university's commitment to sustainability, community engagement, and research that supports societal development. At UPSI, discussions highlighted the important role of teacher education, values-based learning, and strong connections with local communities.

Encouraging conversations and a reminder that higher education makes some of its strongest contributions to the common good when it is grounded in local contexts, community relationships, and shared values. 🌏📚✨

Thanks to Tan Sri Dzulkifli Abdul Razak for arranging these interesting visits for us and spending the day travelling around! Lovely meeting Zainun Mustafa in person - thanks Munirah Ghazali for helping with that.

York University - Faculty of Education York University Go Global York University - Sustainability Canadian Commission for UNESCO / Commission canadienne pour l'UNESCO

🌏 Join Earth Charter - Carta de la Tierra and partners on 17 June 2026 at noon (ET) to discuss practical tips from education on embedding ESD in classrooms and communities.

👉 More info and registration here: https://earthcharter.org/events/webinar-tips-from-educators-june-2026/

Alicia Jimenez 🥰

What does sustainability mean for my future?

Yesterday, Charles Hopkins and Katrin Kohl had the great pleasure of spending time with students and teachers at Tenby International School Setia EcoHill upon invitation by Mey Chea Khor, exploring global challenges, sustainability, global citizenship, the role of education in shaping the future, and enjoyed learning from the student eco committee. Students were eager to engage with complex questions and reflect on how learning can help them navigate uncertainty, act with compassion, and contribute to positive change.

The day continued with valuable conversations at the University of Nottingham Malaysia with the Dean of Education Joanne Lim and Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning Hazel Melanie Ramos, highlighting the important role of higher education in supporting learners to develop the knowledge, skills, and values needed in an interconnected world.

A huge thanks to the Associate Dean Research and Knowledge Exchange Dr. Subarna Sivapalan FRSA, SFHEA for arranging these meetings and being with us all day. Moving from projects to purpose, and from knowledge to action, remains one of the most important educational challenges of our time.



Canadian Commission for UNESCO / Commission canadienne pour l'UNESCO York University Go Global York University - Faculty of Education UNESCO University of Nottingham

🌏 What is the purpose of internationalization in a more divided world?

For this new issue of the International Association of Universities Horizons, the UNESCO Chair team was pleased to contribute a piece with Lok Boon Thian and Dzul Razak on rethinking internationalization through more polycentric, relational, and values-based collaboration.

For us, meaningful global engagement should help universities build trust, deepen learning across contexts, and contribute to peace, resilience, and the public good.

Read the full issue 👉 https://iau.global/all-publications/repositioning-internationalization-in-a-new-geopolitical-era

Canadian Commission for UNESCO / Commission canadienne pour l'UNESCO IIUM Taylor's University

Repositioning Internationalization in a New Geopolitical Era — International Association of Universities In recent years, the world has undergone a profound transformation. In many countries, extreme right political movements with ideologies anchored in nationalism, nativism, xenophobia, and illiberalism pose threats to democratic institutions…

A wonderful student sharing session today at the IIUM on moving from values to action. This means asking what values guide our actions, how they can make community engagement more meaningful and lasting, and how education can help us act with knowledge, care, and responsibility to make a difference in the world beyond our own community.

Thank you IIUM for the warm welcome. Looking forward to continuing the conversation at the Usrah in Action Symposium on Friday.

🌿 Happy World Environment Day!

Caring for the planet begins with learning: learning to notice, to ask better questions, to listen to different voices, and to act with care. Education helps us turn concern into action and hope into shared responsibility. 🌎💚



York University - Faculty of Education York University - Sustainability York University Go Global York International

📬 The York University UNESCO Chair newsletter for June 2026 is now available!

🌍 Explore the latest developments in Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), quality education, and international collaboration, including updates on ESD beyond 2030, new publications, upcoming events, and opportunities from across our global network.

🇮🇩 We are particularly looking ahead to the Times Higher Education Global Sustainable Development Congress in Jakarta, where colleagues from around the world will come together to discuss the role of higher education in shaping sustainable futures.

👉 Read the newsletter: https://www.yorku.ca/unescochair/newsletter-06-2026/

Congratulations to Paul Pu and Jim Slotta on the launch of:

📚AI Era: Redefining Teaching and Learning 📚

An important contribution to the conversation on education, purpose, and learning in an age of AI. The UNESCO Chair at York University Toronto, Canada was pleased to have contributed the foreword.

In many discussions about AI, we focus on what technology will do to education. The more important question may be what education is for in the first place. Paul and Jim describe this as "educational drift". As answers become increasingly available at the click of a button, we need to ask ourselves: what do we really need to learn, and what is the purpose of education?

In this context, Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) becomes even more relevant. Questions about the future we want, whose voices matter, how we live together, and what responsibilities come with technological change will remain fundamentally human questions. While AI can generate information and identify patterns, education helps develop compassion, agency, judgement, and the capacity to act.

As we navigate rapid technological change, schools and universities have an important role as learning communities that connect knowledge, experience, responsibility, and action. They help us find direction, even when technology is changing the landscape around us.

The Erindale Academy
University of Toronto
York University - Faculty of Education

Launch of the 4th IAU Global Survey on HESD — International Association of Universities The IAU is pleased to announce that it will conduct the 4th Global Survey on Higher Education and Research for Sustainable Development in 2026.

Today at York University - Faculty of Education, we had the pleasure of welcoming Prof. Mary Mugwe Chui from Mount Kenya University for a conversation on the future of higher education, sustainability, and future pathways for collaboration and research.

Conversation in Canada and Kenya are quite similar around leadership, transdisciplinary collaboration, addressing societal challenges while being challenged with limited funding.

Higher education has an important role to play in creating spaces where different perspectives, experiences, and realities can meet and create exchange about knowledge and the future we all want. We hope this conversation is the starting point for new projects and action 🌍