UNESCO Chair on Sustainable Development and Environment

On December 6, the Centro Cultural CajaGranada hosted the presentation of the second book by Raquel Paiz, a member of our advisory board. Obsessed with finding beauty in her own experience of suffering, Raquel Paiz has transformed the blank page into a safe haven, a refuge, a space where she can lay herself bare without fear. In this collection of poems, Raquel explores her own identity through a renewed exercise in vulnerability. She gives voice to much of what she has lived through, much of what she has survived... she gives voice to all that once silenced her.
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The AMECOOP association organized a conference at the Ramón y Cajal Secondary School in Granada dedicated to analyzing the past, present, and future of cooperatives as a differentiating value. Several members of our Chair participated: Maica Motos (GESTCOOP and co-organizer of the event), Sheila Villalobos (Associate Director of Betancourt and facilitator of the event), and Javier Ordóñez;, all members of our team.
The event, funded by the Granada Provincial Council, aimed to contextualize cooperativism; its past, present, and future; present the cooperative model as a formula for generating social, economic, and cultural value; and promote the leadership and participation of women in cooperatives.

Organized by the ONCE Foundation and the University of Granada, the overall objective of this congress is to analyze, discuss, and contribute knowledge about research, proposals, and strategies that will advance equity in higher education models, improving inclusive practices in universities and job training for students with disabilities.
Under the theme "Tendencias y desafíos para una Universidad inclusiva", more than 400 education experts will gather with the ultimate goal of contributing to the fulfillment of SDG 4 (ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all), Article 24 of the International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (the right to inclusive education for all persons with disabilities), and the New social contract for Education proposed by UNESCO.
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UNESCO has renewed its commitment to the UGR. The UNESCO Chair on Sustainable Development and Environment will now have four more years to continue developing its role as a space for international cooperation in education, research, and community action in support of sustainable development. The Chair's strategy is based on collaboration with public and private institutions, NGOs, civil society, and other UNESCO Chairs, as well as on promoting open access research and open educational resources, in accordance with UNESCO recommendations. It also strengthens ties with other UNESCO programs, such as the Geoparks and biosphere reserves program in Andalusia, and with the UNITWIN international network of Chairs.
Also, the role of our director, Professor Javier Ordóñez García, is renewed, recognizing his work in research, teaching and training activities, as well as community action and communication.
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This October, the Feria de la Sostenibilidad 2025 will be held at the Quinta Alegre Palace in Granada. This event, a benchmark event in Eastern Andalusia, will address current topics in innovation and sustainability. The fair will bring together representatives from the public, private, and civil society sectors with the aim of promoting local sustainable solutions that contribute to achieving the SDGs. It will be structured around four axes: knowledge exchange and debate, the generation of business opportunities, the presentation of sustainability innovations, and the promotion of environmental outreach activities.
Manuel Carpio, a member of our Chair and Sustainable construction expert, will participate in the roundtable on Successes and future challenges in sustainable construction where success cases and potential opportunities for sustainable construction in the province of Granada will be presented and discussed.
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The University of Granada hosts the III Encuentro de Cátedras Universitarias de Sostenibilidad entitled "Sustainability at the University in the Face of the 2030 Challenge" and organized by the Cátedra Huella Verde and the Vice-Rector's Office for Infrastructure and Sustainability of the University of Granada in collaboration with the Observatory for the Implementation of the 2030 Agenda in the Spanish University System.
The director of our Chair, Javier Ordóñez, will moderate the panel discussion on the relationship between University Chair-Business. Carlos Sampedro (director of the Cátedra de Innovación y Proyección Social), José Manuel Rico (director of the Cátedra de Cambio Climático, U. Oviedo), Mar Rodríguez (head of the Sustainability Office at the Cámara de Comercio), Andrés Ferrer (CEO and co-founder of Omawa Huella Ecológica) and Raúl Lozano (co-founder of Hammam Al-Andalus) fileziwill participate.
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UNESCO's MONDIACULT conference has established itself as a key meeting for structuring a global agenda dedicated to cultural policies. The virtual museum of stolen cultural objects was a commitment made at MONDIACULT 2022 and was realized in Barcelona, ​​where more than 160 countries gathered to celebrate MONDIACULT 2025.
Inspired by the baobab tree, this virtual museum was designed by the Pritzker Prize-winning Burkinabe architect Diébédo Francis Kéré and is the first immersive platform dedicated to the fight against the illicit trafficking of cultural property. The initiative promotes the firm educational ambition of raising awareness among the general population, and especially young people, about the consequences of this trafficking.
The museum presents nearly 250 objects, proposed by 45 countries, accompanied by stories and testimonies that highlight the voices of the communities directly affected by this loss. Developed in collaboration with INTERPOL and several technical and financial stakeholders, it is a benchmark tool for prevention, awareness-raising, and cooperation policies.
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At the headquarters of the Ibero-American Union of Municipalities (UIM), the framework agreement between the Centro de Iniciativas de Cooperación al Desarrollo (CICODE) of the University of Granada (UGR) and the UIM was renewed. This agreement established the foundation for the International Talent Program, which aims to promote the exchange of knowledge and human talent among professionals in Ibero-America working in the field of local public administration.
The meeting brought together representatives from both institutions, as well as from the UNESCO Chair in Sustainable Development and the Environment at the University of Granada. Those in attendance included María García Pizarro, Secretary General of the UIM; Wenceslao Martín, Director of CICODE; Liliana Ladrón de Guevara Muñoz, Head of Communications and Institutional Relations at the UIM; and Javier Ordóñez, Director of the UNESCO Chair.

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Several dozen environmental volunteers, including Raquel Paiz, a member of our advisory committee, participated in the cleanup and environmental awareness days promoted by the ski and mountain resort before the opening of the summer season.
The effort, which continues the ongoing waste collection efforts of our sponsor CETURSA at the close of the winter season, covered the ski areas of Veleta, Cauchiles, Borreguiles, Loma de Dílar, and Río, as well as some areas of Laguna de las Yeguas.

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One of the objectives of our Chair is to increase collaboration with a UGGp, particularly the Granada geopark, to support sustainable development and environmental education. Specifically, we aim to work together to promote the protection and responsible use of natural resources, raise awareness about the importance of preserving geological heritage, contribute to the development of local communities through education and research, and to promoting training programs in Emotional Sustainability, which contribute to adaptation to environmental realities and the development of a culture of well-being, as Transformative Agents for Sustainable Human Development.
In this frame, we held an initial meeting with Myriam Prieto, Director of the Geopark, and María E. García Badillo, Senior European Projects Technician at the Diputación Provincial de Granada, in which we presented numerous potential projects to be implemented beginning in the 2025/26 academic year. The common denominator is the strengthening of sustainable development at the local level, the promotion of this natural resource through long-term projects, and the establishment of partnerships between the Geoparque de Granada, our UNESCO Chair, the CÍVITAS-UGR Chair, and other organizations and institutions aligned with our mission and objectives.

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The Mateduca project, co-funded by our Chair, aims to bring the research activity carried out at the IMAG (Institute of Mathematics of the University of Granada) closer to secondary school students in the province of Granada, especially those located in areas further from the University and with fewer resources. More than 1200 secondary school students have already participated in the project.
In the latest edition of the University of Granada Research Awards Program this project was distinguished in the Science Communication category, in recognition of its scientific excellence and its ability to disseminate scientific content with rigor, clarity, and an engaging approach.
We highlight the active collaboration of several members of our Chair in this project, both in the organization and the presentation of scientific lectures.

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On June 5th, the workshop "Mujeres emprendedoras cooperativistas del siglo XXI" was held in the BREAKER building of the University of Granada's Entrepreneurship Center. Several members of our Chair participated: Maica Motos (GESTCOOP), event's organizer, and Sheila Villalobos and Juanjo Nieto, both members of our team.
The event, organized by AMECOOP-A and funded by the Granada City Council, seeks to build a more inclusive Granada, where women can fully develop in all areas of society while also promoting equality.

The Unión Iberoamericana de Municipalistas is an instrument to facilitate cooperation in Ibero-America, fostering dialogue, generating knowledge, and promoting participatory and inclusive development, with ethical and socially responsible criteria.
From our Chair, we would like to congratulate María García Pizarro , a member of our advisory board and First Deputy Secretary General and Director of the Ibero-American Agency for Technical Cooperation of the UIM, where she assumed the position of Secretary General in the last General Assembly.

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The WAS (Women Action Sustainability) association aims to elevate sustainability to the top strategic level of companies, organizations, institutions, and society. One of its activities is the Mentoring Program, aimed at university students who share the experiences of WAS members, uniting the expertise of female executives with the aspirations of new generations.
In this 3rd. edition, which ran from November 2024 to April 2025, Raquel Paiz, a member of our advisory board and a WAS member, served as one of the mentors, seeking to inspire the development of committed and effective leadership styles.
The students in this third edition come from institutions such as ESIC University, the UAM, the UVA, the UPM, and the Rey Juan Carlos Universities.

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Maica Motos, co-founder of one of our partner companies, GESTCOOP, gave a presentation on corporatism in the digital age at the Jornada de Emprendimiento de la UGR held at the ETSIIT.
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