MOST School on Sustainability Science

UNESCO is organizing a training entitled “MOST School on Sustainability Science. Promoting Interdisciplinary Research in Projects Management, Policy Research and Public Policies Development”. The training aims to develop sustainability science as a new application of science by providing interdisciplinary knowledge-based input to tackle environmental challenges in Southern Africa. The training is for mid-level officials, academics and civil society organizations, It will take place at the Sustainability Institute in Cape Town, South Africa, from 14 to 17 February 2017.

This initiative is organized by UNESCO and the South African National Commission for UNESCO, in close collaboration with the University of Southampton, Department of Social Development, the Human Sciences Research Council, and the Sustainability Institute.

The main purpose of the training is to enlarge national capacities in Southern Africa in relation to policy research, further spread evidence-informed policymaking concepts and present practical applications of sustainability science to project and planning development.

Specifically, the training is expected to;
• Provide participants with practical background knowledge in sustainability science and its application.
• Enlarge the pool of qualified young professionals from different backgrounds (academia, government and civil society) that may assist to strengthen the research-policy interface in the context of the challenges of the implementation of the 2030 international development agenda and AU Agenda 2063 in Southern Africa.

Participants of the School will be drawn from mostly South Africa and representatives from five other countries in the Southern African region with previous knowledge on policymaking principles and some familiarity with issues related to the mobilization of the social and natural sciences in relation to public policy.

MOST Schools are an innovative capacity-building arm of UNESCO’s Management of Social Transformations (MOST) Programme, designed to bridge the science-policy gap in various areas of UNESCO’s social development mandate.