The launching meeting in Athens was officially addressed by the Vice Rector of the University of Athens, Prof. Ioannis Karakostas, by Dr Maria Peppa, Head of International Affairs & EU, Hellenic Ministry of Environment, Physical Planning and Public Works and by Mme Michele Gendreau - Massaloux, Rector of the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie - Mission Union pour la Mediterranee. Dr Christine Jakobsson, director of the Baltic University Programme (BUP), based in the University of Uppsala, participated and shared with the participants the more than 10-years experience by the successful function of the BUP.
During the two-days meeting, participants elaborated the objectives, the types of activities, the work plan, the membership, the structure and the administration of the Network. They worked these topics based on the draft Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that was developed by UoA and MIO-ECSDE and distributed to all participating universities prior the meeting. The basic goals of the Network as were identified and agreed by all participants are: - To promote ESD in the Universities and Higher Education institutions in the Mediterranean contributing to the implementation of the UN Decade on ESD and the UNECE Strategy on ESD. - To facilitate synergy among relevant initiatives and efforts and complement existing efforts for the promotion of ESD in the participating countries and in the region. - To promote the 'whole institute approach' on sustainable development in higher education institutions.
Furthermore, a relatively small number of universities members (the so-called "core group") will jointly develop and implement an international Master Course on ESD. In this line, the curriculum of the proposed master course was discussed and participants exchanged experience and expertise coming from the national frameworks which are in force in their universities.
The draft MoU describing in detail all aforementioned was greatly discussed and elaborated. It will be finalized by the secretariat - UoA and MIO-ECSDE – based on the comments and discussion, and sent to all universities to be finally reviewed, officially approved and signed.
The Network was officially launched at the end of the second day of the meeting by all participants who were officially representing the Rectors of the following sixteen (16) Universities:
University of Primorska (Slovenia)
University of Bogazici and Akdeniz University (Turkey)
Technical University of Catalonia (Spain)
University of Padova (Italy)
University of Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
University of Agriculture of Tirana (Albania)
University of Cyprus (Cyprus)
University of Cairo (Egypt)
University of Bordeaux (France)
University of Mohamed V Souissi (Morocco)
University of Zagreb (Croatia)
Agricultural University of Athens, University of Crete, Panteion University of Athens, University of Peloponisos and University of Athens (Greece)
For more information you may contact MIO-ECSDE Secretariat at info@mio-ecsde.org
scenes from the meeting