Project

Promoting sustainable development through UNESCO’s programmes and sites

The project “Promoting sustainable development through UNESCO’s programmes and sites” aims to promote a more sustainable and climate neutral Europe by working through research and education with the goal of developing innovative solutions to environmental problems in selected UNESCO sites. The project will endorse the role of Biosphere Reserves, Global Geoparks and natural and mixed World Heritage sites to act as pilot sites for sustainable development and implement at the UN Sustainable Development Goals including on water (SDG 6), climate action (SDG 13), ocean (SDG 14) and land (SDG 15).

29 March 2023

Last update:5 February 2025

Promoting sustainable development through UNESCO’s programmes and sites

Budget: 750,000 euros

Project duration: 15 February 2022 - 14 February 2025
(36 months)

Location: Europe and Worldwide

Subject : Sustainable Development; Biodiversity; Water and Ocean; Education

Overview

UNESCO and the abrdn Charitable Foundation (aCF) launched in March 2022 a 3-year partnership to promote sustainability through research and education with the goal of developing innovative solutions relating to the environment, water and ocean. As part of the partnership between UNESCO and the aCF, the project seeks to promote a more sustainable and climate neutral Europe by working with Biosphere Reserves and other UNESCO sites to act as pilot sites for sustainable development. UNESCO’s scientific programmes - the Man and Biosphere Programme (MAB), the Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme (IHP), and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC) - and its networks will be mobilized in supporting and promoting the project.

The project will focus on 3 expected results:

Expected result 1: promoting research in UNESCO designated sites related to SDGs 6, 13, 14 and 15 and MAB, IHP and IOC priority areas, notably biodiversity and sustainability, water, the ocean, and the climate. Priority will be given to research scalable at ecosystem level, regionally and globally.

Expected result 2: promoting and implementing Education for Sustainable Development, water education, climate change education or ocean literacy in UNESCO sites. Activities will be developed closely with upper primary/lower secondary schools located in the site.

Expected result 3: Innovative “green” and “blue” solutions for sustainable development and climate change mitigation and adaptation promoted through UNESCO sites. Priority will be given to innovative solutions developed with the private sector and civil society (preferably youth).

The selected sites will receive funding from the project to implement activities under the 3 expected results for a total amount of up to 25,000 USD per site (of which approx. 15,000 USD for research and 5,000 USD each for the other 2 components).

What the project is providing

An inestimable opportunity for joint action to promote sustainable development and tackle the climate crisis on the ground, and to significantly help contribute to achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on climate change.

Support the selected sites to conduct research, promote education and innovative activities that can be scaled up to the global level.

The opportunity for the selected sites to exchange and support each other throughout the project and connect with the MAB, IHP and IOC communities.