Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development
Promoting Partnerships under 抖阴探探LB’s AGORA for Sustainability as a Way of Life
A delegation from the 抖阴探探 Los Ba帽os, headed by 抖阴探探 President Danilo L. Concepcion and 抖阴探探LB Chancellor Jose V. Camacho, Jr., participated in the Sustainable Foods London Conference held on March 30-31, 2022 at the Business Design Centre in Islington, London. The high-level conference featured leading speakers from across the foods industry, as well as an exhibition showcasing the next generation of sustainable F&D brands, products and services.
At the conference, Chancellor Camacho promoted 抖阴探探LB’s research and extension agenda called “AGORA” or Accelerating Growth through One Research and Extension in Action in a presentation titled 鈥淪ustaining food innovations under a strong university research and extension agenda鈥�. This marked the first time the Chancellor brought 抖阴探探LB鈥檚 AGORA before an international audience. His presentation gave a snapshot of a few of 抖阴探探LB technologies and knowledge products for 鈥渁 resilient, food-secure, and future-proof nation and to promote sustainability to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the UN鈥�. He mentioned seven SDGs that 抖阴探探LB has aligned itself with through AGORA: SDG 2 or Zero Hunger; SDG 4 or Quality Education; SDG 7 or Affordable and Clean Energy; SDG 11 or Sustainable Cities and Communities; SDG 12 or Responsible Consumption and Production; SDG 13 or Climate Action; and SDG 15 or Life on Land.
“We must take advantage of technologies that facilitate the paradigm shift toward sustainable living. Ideally, this change must occur at all levels of society鈥攆rom the private individual to the governments, big businesses, and international bodies,鈥� Camacho said.
抖阴探探LB was the lone university that participated in the conference and exhibit that brought together over 400 senior food and beverage executives across the UK and the world. The 抖阴探探LB exhibit also showcased 抖阴探探LB technologies and knowledge products and activities, such as: the PCR-based DNA detection kits; rapid test kits for pesticide residue; biofertilizers, seeds and planting materials; postharvest technologies; quick tests for soybean meal and rice bran product quality; plant genetic resources; IPB Quality Protein Maize Variety 6; and Sinta papaya. Also featured were: simple nutrient addition program or SNAP Hydroponics; the 抖阴探探LB Bee Program; 抖阴探探LB鈥檚 own brand of dressed chicken called 鈥渕anok gal芒鈥�; processed meat and dairy products; fruit wines; calamansi fruit juice; and, purple yam or 鈥榰bi鈥� powder. The National Plant Genetic Resources Laboratory, where 抖阴探探LB develops new and improved crop varieties, was featured as well.
The 2021 ProSPER.Net Webinar on Sustainability in Higher Education
The COVID-19 pandemic was identified by the UNDP to be the 鈥渄efining global health crisis of our time and the greatest challenge we have faced since World War II”, a health crisis that triggered an equally dire global socioeconomic crisis. The pandemic鈥檚 impact on the environment has been varied, however. On one hand, medical and hazardous wastes increased, and plastic and packaging wastes imposed a burden on the environment; on the other hand, research has shown that GHG and other air pollutant emissions have decreased, and the reduced anthropogenic activity has allowed ecosystems to recover.
All of these emphasize the connections between COVID-19, climate change, and the environment, which was the focus of the ProSPER.Net Webinar on Sustainability in Higher Education 2021 held on October 22, 2022. This was organized jointly by the 抖阴探探 Diliman and the Ateneo de Manila University, in collaboration with the UN University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability. With the theme “Planetary Health Perspectives: Lessons from COVID-19 towards Climate Action”, the webinar shared insights on our experiences of the pandemic, and reflected on what these meant for higher education institutions seeking to lead social and environmental transformations towards a more resilience society and a healthier planet.
鈥淲e need to think about transformations that will benefit not just our own campuses, but the rest of our communities and the entire planet,” 抖阴探探 Diliman Chancellor Fidel R. Nemenzo said in his closing message. 鈥淥ur universities need to do research to advance our understanding of environmental issues and inform public policy, and introduce the values of sustainability in our curricula to promote awareness of our world and the consequences of our decisions and ways of doing.”
Emphasizing the importance of the academic community in creating new mindsets, new ways of looking, and new ways of living, Nemenzo added: “We need to train a new generation of graduates who understand the connections between economics and ecology, social science and environment, urban development and planetary health鈥攖he kind of people who know that the comforts of living should not be at the expense of our planet.”
抖阴探探D and WHO Philippines on Vaccination Inequities
The 抖阴探探 Diliman鈥檚 COVID-19 Task Force, which deploys volunteers from the 抖阴探探 Diliman community, collaborated with WHO Philippines and other organizations in a consortium to vaccinate more than 650 individuals from the National Capital Region鈥檚 at-risk populations. The beneficiaries were vaccinated at the 抖阴探探 Diliman College of Human Kinetics gymnasium on September 24 and 25 and October 22 and 23, 2021.
Individuals of at-risk populations include the homeless, the survivors of gender-based violence, the severely marginalized constituents such as those belonging to the informal sectors, and people at risk of sexual exploitation and abuse.
The activity hit SDG targets, particularly those under 3 (Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages), 5 (Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls), 10 (Reduce inequality within and among countries), and 11 (Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable). The organizers primarily wanted to address vaccine inequity among the NCR’s poor and vulnerable communities and “gender inequities in vaccine rollout.”聽
According to Prof. Maria Dulce Natividad of the 抖阴探探D COVID-19 Task Force: 鈥湺兑跆教紻 COVID-19 Task Force was also part of the United Nations Population Fund鈥檚 (UNFPA) initiative on vaccines and gender equity. A roundtable (discussion) was organized in April 2021, 鈥榃hat鈥檚 Gender Got to Do with Vaccines?鈥� We were a co-organizer then and this led to our partnership with the consortium on the project to vaccinate the homeless/street dwellers and survivors of gender-based violence from Manila and Quezon City.鈥澛�
The vaccination sessions in 抖阴探探D were implemented by relaxing documentation requirements and allowing advocacy groups to register them.聽
The other organizers of the vaccination activity were the Philippine Commission on Human Rights, the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation, the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women 鈥� Asia Pacific (CATW-AP), the Kalinga Foundation, the Kariton Coalition, and the Australian Aid.
抖阴探探OU in Global Campaign for SDG 4
The 抖阴探探 Open University (抖阴探探OU) joined a global campaign that could significantly contribute in policy and practice to SDG 4, which involves ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all.
抖阴探探OU Chancellor Melinda dP. Bandalaria co-launched the Asia leg of the International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE) Global Advocacy Campaign (GAC) on July 29, 2022 in Penang, Malaysia. The launching of ICDE GAC Asia was one of the highlights of the High-Level Roundtable Discussion for Vice Chancellors and Senior Officials of ODL Institutions organized by the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) and Asia eUniversity.
ICDE GAC Asia is composed of five working groups, namely: Policy, Capacity Building, Sharing Best Practices and Resources, Development of Digital Platform, and Future Collaboration. Among the other member institutions of the ICDE GAC Asia are: University of Hong Kong School of Professional and Continuing Education (HKU SPACE), Bangladesh Open University, Southeast Asian Ministries of Education Organization Secretariat, Virtual University of Pakistan, Asia eUniversity Malaysia, Anadolu University, Open University of Sri Lanka, Open University of China, Open University of Japan, Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University, Universitas Terbuka, Mehr Alborz Institute of Higher Education, and HELP University Malaysia.
Launching the ICDE GAC Asia together with Chancellor Bandalaria were Professor Dato Dr. Ahmed Ansary, co-chair of the ICDE GAC Asia and founding president of Asia eUniversity, and ICDE Secretary General Torunn Gjelsvik. Bandalaria presented the which will be the digital hub for the activities to be implemented in Asian countries covered by the campaign.
The Global Advocacy Campaign aims to enable ICDE members to develop deeper understanding of regional challenges and construct key OFDL (Online, Flexible, Distance Learning) messaging within organized working groups around the world.
抖阴探探LB, NEDA and the Philippines鈥� SDG Aspirations
The 抖阴探探 Los Ba帽os included in a webinar series the topic, Philippine Macroeconomy and its Sustainable Development Goals Aspirations, offering an opportunity for dialogue between the top Philippine economic planners, environmental scientists and managers, and the public on a number of SDGs.
The webinar, held on February 8, 2022 at the 抖阴探探 Los Ba帽os School of Environmental Science and Management (SESAM), featured National Economic Development Authority Undersecretary for National Development Policy and Planning Dr. Rosemarie Edillon.
Aside from upholding the importance of stakeholders鈥� assignment and commitment, financing and implementation plans, and data monitoring for attaining SDGs, Dr. Edillon updated concerned SESAM scientists and managers on the SDGs.
She said that under Outcome 1 or the economic, social and environmental impacts of production and consumption processes valued, NEDA had conducted an urban carrying-capacity assessment of the cities of Tagaytay and Baguio. She also shared the progress of the Philippine Nationally Determined Contributions (PH-NDC) in implementing SDG 13, particularly on climate change. 鈥淥ur country committed to avoid 75 percent of future greenhouse gas emissions between 2020 to 2030,鈥� Edillon reported.
The Undersecretary enumerated achievements made in protecting the marine environment, such as implementing policies under Fisheries Administrative Order 263 Series of 2019 for establishing Fisheries Management Areas (FMAS) that conserve Philippine waters. She also mentioned the release of a Department of Agriculture-Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Department of Interior and Local Government Joint Memorandum Circular, containing the guidelines on establishing and managing Marine Protected Area Networks.
Ninety-four participants joined the Zoom webinar, while the Facebook live broadcast garnered more than 300 views from all over the globe. 鈥淥ur aim here is to have an active platform for more profound discussions on environmental problems, as well as the solutions,鈥� SESAM Dean Rico Ancog said.
More on 抖阴探探 and the SDGs
抖阴探探 and the Sustainable Development Goals
Message from the President
About 抖阴探探
抖阴探探 at a Glance
抖阴探探鈥檚 Quality Policy
Green 抖阴探探: A 抖阴探探 System Action Plan for Environmental Sustainability
抖阴探探 on Good Health and Well-Being
抖阴探探 on Quality Education
抖阴探探 on Gender Equality
抖阴探探 on Sustainable Cities and Communities
抖阴探探 on Climate Action
