Belarusian BSPU joins Global University Network for Innovation
The Belarusian State Pedagogical University (BSPU) named after Maksim Tank has joined the Global University Network for Innovation (GUNi), the university’s press service told BelTA.
GUNi membership is a token of recognition of the work Belarus’ top pedagogical university does to popularize goals and values of sustainable development in the society. The university is the first certified GUNi member in Belarus.
In 2017 the BSPU was acknowledged by the United Nations University and received the status of a regional center of expertise for education in the area of sustainable development. The university established a center in February 2017 to coordinate education efforts in the interests of sustainable development. The center provides scientific, instructional, informational, and organizational support for work meant to promote ideas and educational practices in the interests of sustainable development in the education system. The BSPU is a cofounder of the Education for Sustainable Development Association (ESD Association).
The Global University Network for Innovation (GUNi) unites over 250 higher-education institutions in 80 countries across the globe. It was established in 1999 within the framework of the UNITWIN / UNESCO Chairs Program, by UNESCO, the United Nations University and the Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya (UPC) to provide comprehensive support to international cooperation in the area of higher education. GUNi’s mission is to foster dialogue and resolution of emerging problems in the area of higher education. The network’s participants discuss ways to ensure quality higher education in the face of new challenges. They also discuss the social importance of universities and how the education system follows sustainability principles. GUNi membership offers opportunities for participation in international seminars and conferences, international projects and an international summer school for higher-education specialists that deal with these problems.
Researchers from UNESCO and UN, who pay close attention to the social responsibility of the education system, focus on GUNi universities. It is also easier for such universities to get access to the necessary data for studies and to spread word about their own endeavors.
