CIFAL Victoria Annual Report 2024
In its third year of operations, CIFAL Victoria's network of partners, collaborators, instructors, and students grew exponentially, with the number of people trained more than doubling compared to 2023. Of particular note are the new partnerships formed between CIFAL Victoria and universities in Southeast Asia; it is anticipated that these collaborative relationships will bring even more exciting opportunities in 2025.
CIFAL Victoria launched on March 22, 2022 with a mandate to deliver training activities and research that build on UVic's commitments to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).
“With each passing year, the reach of CIFAL Victoria’s flexible training programs and specialized education grows. They are making a difference by sharing knowledge about the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples here at UVic and around the world. CIFAL Victoria’s work is creating global leaders, and I am incredibly proud to host them at the ³Ô¹ÏÍø.”
— Kevin Hall, UVic president and vice-chancellor, and chair of CIFAL Victoria
"As we mark our third year at CIFAL Victoria, I'm proud of how we've expanded our partnerships and training programs across our key thematic areas. Our mission to bridge knowledge between academia, communities and the UN CIFAL Global Network has flourished through meaningful collaborations - ensuring our work remains locally grounded while addressing global challenges. As we navigate today's changing times these partnerships remain at the heart of our work."
— Crystal Tremblay, Director of CIFAL Victoria
By the numbers
From January to December 2024, CIFAL Victoria activities included:
Training hours
Participants
Events & partners
events hosted
partnerships
- 67% academia
- 17% international orgs
- 12% NGOs
- 4% other
-
Academia
- UVic Centre for Social and Sustainable Innovation
- UVic Community-Engaged Learning Office
- UVic Department of Curriculum & Instruction
- UVic Department of Indigenous Studies
- UVic Faculty of Education
- UVic Gustavson School of Business
- UVic International Centre for Students
- UVic International Exchange Office
- UVic Libraries
- UVic Sustainability Office
-
International Organizations
-
NGOs
-
Other
- Asia: 3
- Europe: 2
- North America: 19
- CIFAL-UNITAR Accredited: 37
- Non-Accredited: 14
- Certificate Programs & Diplomas: 7
- Courses: 31
- Workshops: 6
- Seminars: 4
- Other: 3
2024 Spotlight
UN SDG training at University of the Philippines - Los Baños
The executive team of the University of the Philippines - Los Baños was joined by Dr. Crystal Tremblay, director of CIFAL Victoria, and Prof. Heather Ranson for practical training in applying the UN SDGs on campus from Oct. 16 to 18, 2024. The three day training course “Developing a Sustainability Mindset for Executive Leaders” walked participants through a comprehensive discussion of the SDGs and facilitated sessions to explore how they can be implemented in the University’s research, teaching, campus operations, and public service activities.
UVic Co-op students receive UN-accreditation
A new program developed in partnership with CIFAL Victoria provides co-op students who do their employment terms outside of Canada with the opportunity to receive UN-accreditation for engaging in work that advance the UN SDGs. They must also lead a community-based activity that supports the SDGs in their host country. The value of students contributions are discussed in a joint publication from UVic and UNITAR. More than 15 students have earned the UN certification to date.
Community-led training for coastal monitoring
Coastal Indigenous communities are the knowledge keepers and stewards of their marine territories. With an increasingly changing climate the need to monitor coastal and offshore waters for changes is more important than ever before. In response to this need, Ocean Networks Canada has developed a UN-accredited training program which is empowering local community members to contribute high-quality, continuous data on water properties which is both relevant to local research interests and can help inform policy on fish habitat restoration, marine stewardship, and climate change adaptation.