"Global Opportunities for Sustainable Development Goals in Central Asia and the South Caucasus"
Duration:
2022-present
Partners:
UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme)
Context:
The Global Opportunities for Sustainable Development Goals (GO4SDGs) was developed by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the German Federal Ministry for the Environment in 2019 to accelerate regional solutions in the areas of inclusive “green” economy and sustainable consumption and production by sharing best practices and providing evidence-based knowledge, policy tools and opportunities for capacity development in priority areas to "restore better than before". In this regard, the GO4SDGs concept has made a valuable contribution by introducing the "The Little Book of Green Nudges» and a program for universities to implement positive changes, making them more environmentally sustainable, and thus influencing on behavioral patterns and decision-making solutions.
In October 2022, Kazakh-German University (DKU), with the support of the United Nations Environment Programme, launched the project "Global Opportunities for Sustainable Development Goals in Central Asia (GO4SDGs in Central Asia)".
In June 2023, the project created the Sustainable Lifestyles University Network (SLUN) in Central Asia. In 2024 the SLUN network was expanded to the South Caucasus countries.
The strategic goal of the project is to expand the knowledge and capacity of universities in Central Asia and the South Caucasus in implementing sustainable lifestyles, contributing to achieving a low-carbon and circular economy.
Beneficiaries:
Students, youth, teachers and university administrators in Central Asia and the South Caucasus.
Key activities (June-November 2024):
1) "My Sustainable Living Challenge": promoting the active participation of universities of Central Asia and the South Caucasus is a gamified 6-week online course accompanied by webinars and expert support.
The training teaches and inspires behavior change through the implementation of practical steps towards sustainability.
In 2024 grants were allocated for 330 participants from Central Asia and the South Caucasus with a focus on teams of university students. The course is available in 4 languages (English, French, Spanish and Russian).
https://www.unssc.org/courses/my-sustainable-lifestyles-challenge
2) «Green Nudges»: promote the introduction of “green nudges” for sustainable lifestyles on university campuses. In collaboration with UNEP and other partners, DKU organizes a series of 3 webinars on sustainable lifestyle approaches and tools, as well as promoting and sharing best practices of for sustainable development at the university level. The project is expected to document at least 15 best practices of “green nudges” in Central Asia and the South Caucasus.
3) The Sustainable Lifestyle Festival - is a major annual event that aims to promote a sustainable lifestyle inside and outside of universities through collaboration and exchange of experience. The festival also aims to expand and strengthen the Sustainable Lifestyles University Network to improve inter-regional research, practices and collaboration. The last festival took place on September 19-20, 2024 in the capital of Uzbekistan, Tashkent.
Expected results:
Contact person:
Maria Genina, Project Manager, genina@dku.kz
