Mission of the UNESCO Chair
The UNESCO Chair is designed to be a centre of excellence in the fields of environmental sciences, ecology and nature conservation, and sustainable development. The Chair will contribute to study and solve local and global environmental problems affecting human society, placing a main focus on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and on the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme.
The UNESCO Chair promotes an integrated system of research, training, information and documentation. It facilitates collaboration between high-level, internationally-recognized researchers and teaching staff of the University and other Institutions in Italy, as well as elsewhere in Europe and North America, in Arab States, in Latin America, in Asia and the Pacific, and in other regions of the world.
The specific objectives of the UNESCO Chair are to:
The UNESCO Chair promotes an integrated system of research, training, information and documentation. It facilitates collaboration between high-level, internationally-recognized researchers and teaching staff of the University and other Institutions in Italy, as well as elsewhere in Europe and North America, in Arab States, in Latin America, in Asia and the Pacific, and in other regions of the world.
The specific objectives of the UNESCO Chair are to:
- Support capacity enhancement in environmental sciences, ecology and nature conservation, and sustainable development notably through PhD training, specific short-term intensive courses for visiting PhD students and faculty, the exchange of PhD students, researchers and professors, and scholarship opportunities for national and international students;
- Undertake in collaboration with partners applied research on environmental, economic and social challenges of sustainable development and disseminate results widely to support policy-makers and raise awareness of managers, relevant stakeholders and society at large;
- Contribute to advancing scientific knowledge in the fields of application of the Chair, develop methods and indicators, and propose solutions to local and global environmental problems to support countries in their efforts towards achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs);
- Contributing to advancing scientific research in the fields of ecology and nature conservation, with particular reference to the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme and to UNESCO-MAB Biosphere Reserves;
- Share knowledge, research tools, specialized labs, libraries and relevant literature and research results notably through publications in international scientific journals, databases, a dedicated website, workshops, seminars and conferences;
- Create and enhance further synergies and collaboration among partner universities, research centers, private and public bodies to foster capacity building and the sharing of knowledge and good practices and to develop joint teaching and research activities;
- Cooperate closely with UNESCO and with other UNESCO Chairs on relevant programmes and activities.
