Xavier University–Ateneo de Cagayan, as host of the Regional Centre of Expertise (RCE) Northern Mindanao, highlights RCE Northern Mindanao’s recognition as an Acknowledged Flagship Project at the 14th Global Regional Centre of Expertise Conference. The recognition comes in view of its innovative initiative titled “Affordable and Accessible Decision-Support Tool Against Risks for Local Communities in Developing Countries.”
Organized by the United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability (UNU-IAS) in Japan, the RCE Awards 2025 celebrate outstanding achievements in advancing Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). RCE Northern Mindanao’s recognition highlights its excellence in bridging environmental resilience with community-focused initiatives.
The awarded project focuses on equipping local communities in developing nations with user-friendly, accessible decision-support tools. By lowering the barrier to technical data, the initiative empowers local leaders to make informed decisions and implement effective risk-reduction strategies.
This international milestone underscores Xavier University’s enduring commitment to sustainability, climate resilience, and community-centered innovation. Furthermore, it strengthens the university's role as a key driver of ESD, fostering collaborative efforts to build safer, more climate-resilient communities.
The project, funded by the Lloyd’s Register Foundation Institute for the Public Understanding of Risk (IPUR), is a collaborative initiative among experts from the University College London (UCL), the University of Glasgow (UoG), the National University of Singapore (NUS), and Xavier University – Ateneo de Cagayan. As part of the project, the partner institutions conducted a series of international and local coordination and co-design activities, culminating in a weeklong training program aimed at equipping resilience practitioners and students with cutting-edge, practical, and affordable decision-support tools for infrastructure resilience. Participants in the activities included personnel from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), the Department of Education (DepEd), and the City Government of Cagayan de Oro, particularly the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Department (CDRRMD), the City Housing and Urban Development Department (CHUDD), and the Office of the Building Official (OBO). Representatives from the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) and the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDEV) also took part in the program.
