Organized by APEID, UNESCO Bangkok
10-12 November 2008
Tarathip 4 (2nd Floor), Imperial Tara Hotel Bangkok, Thailand
Rapporteur: Mohammad Reiza, APEID, UNESCO Bangkok
Day 3: Wednesday, 12 November 2008
08.30 – 10.30
1. Ms. Joy De Leo, Summary of the 2nd Say
Highlighting the points and essences of the 2nd day presentations and discussions. Psycho emotional area needs to be emphasized. Moving from mitigation to adaptation should consider the length of the process.
Theme VIII: Human Security
2. Mr. Surichai Wun’ Gaeo
Presentation on “Re-orientation our education through human security.” The way of human approaches challenges. Security is much about national interest – defense, but nowadays, security is more to the ground – human basic needs. This presentation outlines the logics of globalization and possibilities for redefinition from our experiences.
Globalization underlines some important issues including economic globalization that points out the market logic, ICT and hegemony of neoliberalism. Another issue is the deficits of economic that emphasize the environmental and resources deficits, governance and democratic deficits, human security deficits and social deficits (inequalities and injustices). The issue also teases out the social globalization and human security as well as sustainable development. Greater Mekong Subregion has been coined by Asian Development Bank, which is the center of growth for Thailand, Myanmar and China.
The dimensions of regional economic integration: economic, social, governance and resource or infrastructure interactions towards megaproject cooperation. Border economic zones and markets cover Thailand, Myanmar, Vietnam and Cambodia. Another issue is income gaps and that even increases, differential costs and benefits to different countries and groups. Economic integration is pictured from the development of transportation, goods delivery or distribution.
Another consideration is the degradation of water resources that outlines the specific issue of hydropower development along Mekong River and its tributaries. The government of Thailand can’t easily build dams, and most of the time there is protest against it, although there are more than 100 dams planned to be built.
The flow of people, Thailand sends, receive and transit people from and to other countries. There is big number of migrant workers and some of them are legal workers. There are 3 stages of descriptive framework for international migration and development in East and Southeast Asia. Another issue is the flow of disease like avian flu and HIV/AIDS in the border area.
The case of violence in southern Thailand underlines some points including the development and ethnicity-based identities, the government’s failure to redress in justices. Regionalization of national issue: limits of electoral and formal politics without social justice.
Furthermore, the democratic development in multicultural Thailand through common human security that highlights public understanding-the common future beyond assimilation policy, prospect of new governance-civilizing conflict. Development of experiences in the era of extremes: accelerated competition and human insecurities i.e. FTAs and EPAs; and the world becomes the place for winners and losers.
Focus on a common agenda of Asia-Pacific; in the region thee are issues of greatest cultural, economic and ecological diversity, responses to global and planetary crisis; as well as human insecurities under globalization in Asia Pacific. Another consideration is national security and human security that underlines the concern of manmade security and insecurity. Another point is human-centered approach in response to the issue of security. The value addedness in human security focuses on risks under competitive globalization, focuses on people, not only state nor investors, holistic perspective on living better and means and ends in risks management under globalization. Usefulness in knowledge generation and policy learning outlines the new awareness of mutuality and interconnectedness i.e. CSR, youth mainstream that has become marginalized issues.
Discussion
• Population growth in the Philippines has been increasing in the past years and now has reached 90 million people. How is the relation between the fast population growth and human security in terms of cultural and religious differences?
• All challenges should be put together and increasingly it could be dealt with but it depends on the public understanding, the meaning of public debates on the government policies as well as the political influence.
• Sometimes the problem is that human security is not included in the educational curriculum system towards ESD.
• What is the historical education system in Thailand towards the Muslim minorities in southern Thailand and the violence that has happened?
• Education policy and progress should be open for public discussion and should be able to be brought to global discussion through the mediation of UNESCO.
• Who are the potential non-education stakeholders to cooperate with to re-orientation of education?
• It is how to open up the compartment to new changes and it needs heart and mind.
• Everyone can help redefine globalization and the power of communication is real.
• Rural leaders training for self-efficiency; field visit can give first-hand experiences in learners as well as class activities.
• Economic gaps in Thailand for among farmers and traders, which draws a social injustice.
• The most fundamental issue is value; how do we value people, the world, learning, etc.
10.30 – 10.45
Coffee Break
10.45 – 11.45
Theme VII
1. Mr. Koa Tasaka
The presentation underlines the critical evaluation of modern technologies applied on Food Production and Food Preservation and the incorporation of the issue of food security into educational programme. It outlines also the critical evaluation of ‘green revolution’; pesticides and chemical fertilizer. In 1990, International Rise Research Institute (IRRI) was established in Los Banos, the Philippines.
Positive effect of green revolution in India, for example, has increased grain production from 1947 to 1992. Green revolution has contributed in the increase of food production, but it has also increased the use of pesticides (negative effect).
Discussion
• There is also negative use of pesticides by Thai riverside farmers, which might damage the fishery industry.
• Farmers are unaware of the danger of pesticides and the case in India was higher.
• Thailand has become the largest rice exporter to all over the world but the farmers suffer from big debts.
• The intention of green revolution is not bad at all but there are a lot of external factors that are not included as the Thai government expected.
• There are many intervening factors between the inputs and the outputs towards the green revolution. There should be an introduction to social organic farming and talking about green revolution is also about mass production.
• The problem is the fusion model of the idea of green revolution that makes the progress move very slowly.
• The utilization concrete examples should be more emphasized for concrete results.
• There is a need to change the paradigm to sustainable practice.
• It is difficult to convince the farmers to adapt the model.
• Another example is the refugee settlement of Kyangwali, Hoima, Uganda.
• Dangerous pesticides were sold at the market of Myanmar government; but organic farming is also practiced in Pynmana, Myanmar. English Newspaper, Myanmar Times reported billion of rice harvest in 2005 using organic farming.
• Food additives: analysis of food color additives.
• Study of sustainable agriculture should be included in educational curriculum.
• School lunch system with the Products of school garden for the purpose of food security.
• The use of melamine and other chemicals should also be controlled.
• How to control food security in very dense urban cities by bringing the experiences from the rural areas.
• The experience of Cuba on organic farming in urban cities is very informative.
11.45 – 13.00
Theme IX: Research on ESD
1. Mr. Elwyn Thomas
The base of presentation is the ESD meeting in 2007 and the use of the Internet discussion to look at research possibilities. It highlights policy issues and ESD research, research fields and strategies, focus areas and the value of case studies and evaluation.
Policy issues and ESD research outlines the lessons and outcomes from the 2007 ESD-net workshop in Bangkok, the roles of international agencies and national governments, policies that lead to research intensification and training of trainers and recent international and national policy reviews. In some Malaysian and Thai higher education, there are moves to promote ESD to be engaged in educational curriculum. The future of this respect is very positive. From the Turino Conference, there is a need of ethical and epistemological needs of ESD. The role of adults and community should be seriously counted to support the progress of ESD.
In the research fields and strategies, there are four areas that are outlines: conceptualizing ESD as a cognate area – a key challenge, the use of a multi methodological strategies and approaches, training the trainers in ESD based research fields and the value of research networking. Eight key concepts as a basis for ESD conceptualization: interdependence, diversity, uniformity, social responsibility, social justice, resource capacity, innovation and accommodating for uncertainty.
Focus areas and the value of case studies highlights the focus areas emerging from the 2007 ESD-Net workshop in Bangkok, areas that did not emerge from the workshop and internet discussions, the special place of evaluation, the case study as a window into current and future ESD products. There are case studies connecting research and practices in ESD.
Discussion
• Research and communication build gaps; the problem is the lack of information dissemination on the researches’ results to relevant stakeholders, especially the policy makers.
• There are a lot of researches conducted on particular issue like ESD; is there any single method of research in the western academicians that can be used by Asian countries.
• Impacts are quite important factors to move on as to whether the research can be continuously carried on.
• Dilemma of university’s researchers towards the policy of the governments.
• The connection of international policy is very timely issue, so there is general push to link up networks in the regions.
• Funding can be the key success to the progress of ESD.
• There is a problem of distrust in the cases o Mongolia and Nepal in the research conducted even the indigenous people are included in the activities.
• The addition of ‘value’ in the eight key concepts as a basis for ESD, as it has been much discussed.
• To turn back the documents of DESD which at the end emphasizes to live sustainable lifestyle towards sustainable community. ESD is about process and to work together in a new way. If we put ESD as a subject it will get recognition but it will diminish the value of ESD.
• ESD has something to do with philosophy, vision that can be shared.
• There are difference meanings of ‘development’ in the Japanese words. Big cities are not practicing sustainability at all. Media influence on young people about living in big cities to be perceived as fashionable—this has to be evaluated.
13.00 – 14.00
Lunch Break
14.00 – 16.30
Discussion & Preparation for the next Workshop, facilitated by Mr. Elwyn Thomas and Ms. Joy De Leo
• Going through each sub-theme and highlighting the key concerns of each. Discussion about what can be brought to the next workshop.
• Collaboration research will link up the relevant parties on the study and research of ESD.
• Quick study with entry point for the research hand study of ESD.
• Thee is integration of ESD in educational system in the region like in Vietnam, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, Australia.
• Networking system should also be put big emphasis.
• Curriculum examination of what has been taught towards ESD in Sri Lanka, Vanuatu, and some other countries in the region with the support of UNESCO and Japanese Funds in-Trust.
• There is some project on ESD and World Heritage integration in the region.
• TEI Workshop.
• Pre Workshop.
• The language of ESD.
• Case analysis to work on each concentrated area.
• Moving values to action.
• Plan of action.
• Leadership elements.
• Programme evaluation.
16.30 – 16.30
Closing Ceremony
Mr. Derek Elias
• Tangible connection
• Advocacy
Mr. Feng-Chun Miao
Thank you for the attention and the hard work until the last minutes and the energy given to the efforts. This meeting has meet the first expectation for the next project and the next step for ESD in the coming years. More breakthroughs are welcome in the next workshops through the expertise contribution. Some recognitions are addressed to UNESCO staff for their contribution to the meeting.
