DRAFT ONLY - FOR DISCUSSION 

Steering Committee

i. Composition and operation

a. The CEO or delegate of each partner will form the RCE-GWS Steering Committee.

b. One partner will host the RCE for a two year period. The host partner for the first two years of operation of RCE-GWS will be the UWS Office of Sustainability.

c. The Steering Committee will meet a minimum of three times per year.

d. The Senior officer from the host partner will be the Chair for the two year period that it is RCE host.

e. The host partner will also provide the administrative support for the RCE-Steering committee and to the coordinators of each of its action groups during its tenure via an RCE Secretariat.

f. At the final meeting of the Steering Committee prior to the end of the two year period for each host, the partner that will host the RCE for the next two years will be decided.

ii. Functions of the RCE-GWS Steering Committee

a. Determine key directions via an annual planning day with partners and the use of widespread community input.

b. Endorse grants being undertaken in the name of RCE-GWS.

c. Endorse all projects undertaken in the name of RCE-GWS.

d. Track and monitor all RCE-GWS projects during implementation against performance targets set at the outset of each project (the RCE-Graz self-assessment schedule and other RCE procedures will help the Steering Committee assure the quality of this work)

e. Endorse and monitor the work of each RCE action group. 

f. Ensure that the achievements of the RCE are widely and effectively promoted.

g. Produce occasional papers on successful innovation in ESD and work with UWS staff and students to produce refereed articles on this work (with a possible annual public forum on the findings).

h. Identify and endorse new RCE-GWS members – as per the original RCE accreditation criteria.

i. Foster and use benchmarking with other similar and high performing RCEs around the world on shared projects.

j. Feed potentially relevant engaged research partnership ideas to the PVC (Research) at UWS.

k. Identify potential RCE partner projects for UWS students to become involved in for credit, via the UWS Coop Education Program, and/or as volunteers.

Secretariat Services

i. These services are provided by the RCE-GWS host institution.

ii. The key functions of the secretariat are to:

a. Provide support for the Steering Committee to meet and deliver its functions;

b. Assist action group coordinators in monitoring and supporting their project(s);

c. Act as a clear, single, point of contact for the GWS community with the RCE;

d. Monitor the implementation of projects under the direction of the RCE-GWS Steering Committee; 

e. Provide periodic monitoring reports to the Chair and members of the Steering committee on action group progress;

f. Assist action teams with grant applications, in conjunction with a RCE-GWS grant application coordinator (This role has been initially funded but is to be self-funded from the administrative costs built into each subsequent grant won). 

Website host – UWS

It has been proposed that UWS be the website host for RCE-GWS as it has the necessary software, skills and infrastructure to ensure the site is, with partner input, kept up-to-date and sustained.

Action Groups

i. RCE-GWS members can join one or more action groups .

ii. The initial action groups discussed at the RCE-GWS Partners Meeting on 29th March 2012 are identified in the Diagram above.

iii. All action groups need to be consistent with the UNU-endorsed areas of focus for ESD in Greater Western Sydney.

iv. If members find other partners interested in a common project;  and if, in combination, partners have the capabilities and time to pursue it they can suggest the formation of a new action groups to the Steering Committee.

v. Each action group will decide on a coordinator who will be their contact with the Sectretariat, Chair and members of the Steering Committee.

vi. Action groups will seek to identify grants to fund their work or operate on a pro-bono basis, especially if joint projects are part of their core business.

Grant applications & accountability

i. When applying for a grant the members of each action group will decide on one partner to be the key grant applicant  and the body to receive and account for funds’ deployment. 

ii. The RCE cannot be the recipient of grant funds as it is not incorporated.

Articles of Association

These are being developed with the assistance of Kerry Hudson.

Role of the United Nations University

The United Nations University coordinates the activities of the Regional Centres of Expertise (RCEs) in Education for Sustainable Development around the world.

The United Nations University (UNU) is an agency of the United Nations, with a mission to contribute, through research and capacity building, to efforts to resolve the pressing global problems of human survival, development and welfare; issues which are defined in the Charter of the United Nations and are of concern to member states and individual communities.

Host University for RCE-GWS 

The University of Western Sydney

Partners of RCE-GWS

See RCE-GWS for our current members

Our RCE-GWS is one of 116 currently acknowledged RCEs worldwide by the United Nations University. To find out more about specific RCE's in Australia and across the globe visit the United Nations Univeristy Regional Centres of Expertise (opens in a new window) website.