On the 23^rd July, the EU Centre was delighted to host the launch of Jean Monnet Network on the EU’s Role in the Implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals in the Asia Pacific.

Jointly funded by a Jean Monnet Activities grant and RMIT University, the Network formalises the relationships amongst researchers, policy think tanks and Non-Government Organisations who share a primary interest in enhancing the effective contribution of the EU to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Asia Pacific.

By strengthening collaboration amongst researchers and policy makers, the Network will promote a more effective evidence-base for EU institutions to engage with nations in the region to implement the SDGs. Its core question is: how can European Union integration be more effective in supporting the implementation of the SDGs in Asia and the Pacific than would be possible for individual Member States? How can this role be developed further?

The Network includes 14 partner investigators from four universities: RMIT, the ANU Centre for European Studies, the EU Centre at the National University of Singapore, and the University of Glasgow.

The launch of the Network coincided with a presentation related to SDG4: Quality Education. Dr Lamphoune Luangxay, Division Head of Basic Vocational Training at the Department of Non-Formal Education (DNFE) of the Ministry of Education and Sports (MoES) in Lao PDR discussed “The Efforts to Improve Basic Education and Access in Lao PDR: the case of the Basic Education Quality and Access program (BEQUAL).”

For more information, or to be kept up to date about the Network’s activities, please contact Emma Shortis at [email protected]

[left to right] Professor Bruce Wilson, Emma Shortis, Dr Lamphoune Luangxay and Associate Professor Robbie Guevara at the launch of the Jean Monnet Network on the EU’s Role in the Implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals in the Asia Pacific.