23 March 2022

Setting direction and exploring collaborations, AUN-EEC members meet at the 2nd AUN-EEC General Assembly (online)

By
AUN Writer Team

By Jean Jardeleza Mijares, AUN-EEC Secretariat

Key Takeaways:

  • The AUN-EEC General Assembly (GA) was successfully held last 9 March 2021 with representatives from 17 member Institutions in attendance. The GA is held yearly with the aim to gather AUN-EEC member institution representatives to discuss the direction and focus of the network.
  • The members discussed possible activities and collaborations in promoting ecological education and culture in the ASEAN region, especially activities that could engage our students and center on their ecological concerns. 
  • The AUN-EEC Director, Prof. Assunta Cuyegkeng emphasized that AUN-EEC aims to foster an ASEAN community with the mindset and lifestyle to conserve and preserve ecosystems in the midst of challenges that society faces, and that this is what is unique about the AUN-EEC as a thematic network. She also stressed the need for collaboration in exploring proactively how society can live in harmony with nature, given that the United Nations raised a Code Red for humanity.
  • The AUN Executive Director, Dr. Cholits Dhirathiti highlighted the need for activities that support or enable academic and research collaborations and the importance of regional-level dialogues.
  • The AUN-EEC Secretariat presented the activities and plans for the year 2022, which will kick off with a workshop on Citizen Science to be held on 18 April 2022. The AUN-EEC Secretariat likewise took in the suggestions of the participants on the themes and direction for the year and will coordinate with participants for new activities moving forward.

The ASEAN University Network on Ecological Education and Culture (AUN-EEC) held a General Assembly (GA) last 9 March 2022 to gather representatives among the network's member institutions. The AUN-EEC GA is held annually to discuss with  member HEI representatives the focus and direction of the network for the year. This year, in attendance were thirty five (35) representatives from 17 higher education institutions (HEIs), which included Royal University of Phnom Penh in Cambodia; Universiti Malaya in Malaysia; University of Mandalay and University of Yangon in Myanmar; Ateneo de Manila University, De La Salle University, Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University, University of the Philippines Diliman, University of the Philippines Los Banos, UP Open University, and Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan in the Philippines; National University of Singapore; Burapha University, Chulalongkorn University, and Mahidol University in Thailand; and Can Tho University, Van Lang University, and Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam.

Dr. Cholits Dhirathiti, ASEAN University Network Executive Director, gave the opening remarks, in which he shared the dialogues happening with global networks from Europe, Latin America, North and South Africa, and East Asia. He further shared the importance of inter-regional cooperation and emphasized the need for activities that encourage academic and research collaborations. He also highlighted the importance of thematic networks, through which universities can participate in subject-specific collaborations.

With the encouragement towards collaborations, the AUN-EEC Secretariat shared the plans for the year. To start off, there will be a workshop on Citizen Science to be held on 18 April 2022. The annual AUN-EEC Conference will also be held, scheduled on 3-4 August, with the theme "Ecological Education and Culture: Looking Back, Looking Forward”, given the context of the pandemic and ecological challenges, particularly climate change.

The presentation of plans and activities was followed by a discussion, in which participants focused on how various universities can work together to organize initiatives and activities under AUN-EEC this year. The discussion revolved around involving students, amplifying their voices, and providing support and an enabling environment for students to share their initiatives and experiences in promoting ecological education and culture. The discussion also revolved around possible linkages that could be forged with agencies in Europe, Japan, and South Korea that can provide support for AUN-EEC activities. The possible themes discussed touched on various SDGs, with a particular focus on fostering mindsets and lifestyles toward ecological preservation and conservation.

The event was closed by Prof. Assunta Cuyegkeng, Executive Director of AUN-EEC. Earlier in the discussion, she emphasized that AUN-EEC aims to foster an ASEAN community with the mindset and lifestyle to conserve and preserve ecosystems in the midst of challenges that society faces, and that this is what is unique about the AUN-EEC as a thematic network. In closing the program, she stressed the need for collaboration in exploring proactively how society can live in harmony with nature, given that the United Nations raised a Code Red for humanity.