UN General Assembly side event: Astronomy- a Unique Educational Tool for furthering the SDGs & Stimulating a Global Perspective

The European Regional Office of Astronomy for Development (E-ROAD) organised an online Dialogue in the context of the United Nation’s 75th anniversary. Astronomy is an effective tool for international development because it combines fundamental science and cutting-edge technology with culture and inspiration. This is the pioneering mission of the International Astronomical Union’s Office of Astronomy for Development in Cape Town and its network of 11 regional offices throughout the world.

The E-ROAD is a joint venture between Leiden University in the Netherlands and the European Astronomical Society aiming to further the SDGs in Europe. Read more about the office here: www.astro4dev.eu. This event was co-organised with spaceEU under Horizon 2020 grant agreement number 638653. It is part of the ISC ScienceDigital@UN75 online conference. The report on the event will be circulated to stakeholders at the UN.

Programme:

Grace Naledi Mandisa Pandor (prerecorded), South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation: Opening address

Barry Andrews MEP European Parliamentary Delegation for Relations with South Africa (Prerecorded)

Declan Kirrane, Coordinator, EU Africa Radio Astronomy Platform

Kevin Govender, Director IAU Office of Astronomy for Development: Astronomy for development and the flagship project on Astronomy for Humanity

Michelle Willebrands, Coordinator European Regional Office of Astronomy for Development: Astronomy education for global citizenship in Pale Blue Dot

Lydia Ruprecht, Specialist UNESCO Global Citizenship Education: The UNESCO global citizenship education framework

Orla Doyle, Associate Professor at the School of Economics University College Dublin: Early childhood interventions

Cecilia Scorza, Coordinator for public outreach and school contacts at physics faculty LMU Munich: “Astronomy for Climate” educational box

Premana Premadi, Researcher and teacher at Bosscha Observatory Indonesia: UNAWE and Astronomy education in Indonesia