To our friends in Ukraine
Dear environmental and sustainability education community, dear colleagues and friends,

our team is responsible for the organization of the 11th World Environmental Education Congress. We started with the idea of “building bridges” to highlight the need for mutual understanding among different perspectives in our field. There is no sustainability without mutual understanding.

These days, we experience the attack of the army of the Russian Federation on Ukraine. We are horrified. We cannot stay polite and neutral. There is no sustainaibility without peace. There is no place for environmental education in a battle zone. We want to promote understanding, but we cannot accept the perspective of those who started this brutal invasion. We are educators and researchers, not politicians. We are people of words, not weapons. Words are what we use now.

We stand for peace!

To our friends in Ukraine – we are with you. The Congress virtual platform with the online program is open to you and you can use it as a safe space to spread the word.
Let us know how we can help you.

We ask our colleagues in Russian Federation – use your influence to stop the war. Do not let your politicians lead the war in your name. You are members of our community. We believe that any of us has the potential to contribute to peace which is a fundamental premise to a sustainable world.

To all of us – let’s use our influence to stop the war. Let’s promote peace. If you have a chance to invite and contact any of your Ukrainian colleagues, let them know about this possibility.

There is no sustainability without peace. Stop the war! Stop the Russian aggression in Ukraine!

On behalf of the local organizing team of the 11th World Environmental Education Congress

Jan Činčera, Masaryk University, Mario Salomone WEEC Secretary General