UNESCO-MOST BRIDGES is a global, transdisciplinary, humanities-inclusive sustainability science coalition powered by the strength and diversity of its members. The BRIDGES Coalition brings together a wide array of institutions and organisations, including scientific networks, think tanks, libraries, museums, cultural and heritage foundations, Indigenous, traditional, and local knowledge communities, as well as governmental and non-governmental organisations, each playing a vital role in shaping and advancing sustainability knowledge and action.
Coalition members are at the heart of the BRIDGES initiative. Their expertise, perspectives, and collaborations drive the intellectual and practical foundation of the programme. While BRIDGES hubs provide operational coordination, it is the Coalition members who infuse the work with specialised knowledge, cultural insight, and on-the-ground impact. Whether contributing to working groups, research initiatives, webinars, or other engagements, they bring critical capacities that ensure BRIDGES remains responsive, inclusive, and globally relevant.
Together, the Coalition members and hubs form a dynamic and collaborative ecosystem, united in their commitment to sustainable socio-ecological development at local, regional, and global scales.
Under this coalition, the CIPSH-UG Chair hopes to establish a UNESCO-MOST Bridges Hub on Linguistics and Biodiversity in West Africa. This hub, the first of its kind in the region, would spearhead scholarship, knowledge production, and dissemination at the intersection of indigenous languages and environmental conservation. It would also act as a collaborative platform for researchers, institutions, and communities committed to preserving linguistic and ecological diversity.
The project, to be hosted in the University of Ghana, intends to go beyond documentation to bridge traditional ecological knowledge with modern conservation practices. It will compile comprehensive lexicons/dictionaries and other academic/policy materials that document the medicinal, nutritional, economic, and cultural uses of local flora and fauna. All data collected will be archived in accessible digital databases, with fully searchable lexical entries, ensuring long-term utility for research, education, and policymaking.