On January 31st, an MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) was signed by Yonsei University and United Nations University, in which both parties agreed to cooperate in research and education for Sustainable Development (SD) and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). After the signing, UN University Rector Hans van Ginkel gave a special lecture with the title: “Education for Sustainable Development and the United Nations University.” A widely-used and accepted definition of SD is: ‘development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.’ This definition encompasses economic, environmental and social sustainability. The consensus is that we cannot even meet present needs, as about one-sixth of the world’s population live under sub-human conditions. SD was identified as a critical issue at the 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development (also known as the Earth Summit) in Rio de Janeiro and reconfirmed in 2002 at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg. Shortly thereafter, ESD became the chosen resolution at the UNESCO and UNU general meeting and efforts have been made to able to disseminate it through the Regional Centers of Expertise (RCE). Yonsei University has kept in step with such developments and contributed to worldwide debate through the research efforts of the Center for East-West Research, the Center for Sustainable Development Research, and the Yonsei RCE Center. The recent MOU can be seen as UNU’s recognition of Yonsei’s efforts and achievements in SD and ESD. The two universities are now discussing new plans for managing co-educational programs, designating joint research centers, and introducing new RCEs. The city of Tong-Young was the first in Korea to gain RCE approval from UN University in 2005 (the world’s eighth), and Inchon was just approved this January.