The United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005 – 2014)

The United Nations Decade The United Nations Decade of Education of Education

for Sustainable Development for Sustainable Development (2005 – 2014)(2005 – 2014)

PlanPlan

Quote of UNESCO DG Why education for sustainable development? (2 options) What is education for sustainable development? Which vision of education for sustainable development? Which strategies to implement the Decade? What do we expect from the Decade? Which linkages between this Decade and other initiatives

? What is UNESCO’s role? Where do we stand? Next steps? Challenges? Conclusion: quote of UN SG

Note: this slide will be suppressed in the final version.

Option 1Option 1

« We have no longer a choice: either we adopt behaviours that respect

sustainable development, that is we stop polluting the environment, allow for the renewal of natural resources and contribute to the

improvement of the well-being of all, or sooner or later we sign our own

death warrant. »

Koïchiro Matsuura, Director General of UNESCO

Option 2Option 2

« Education – in all its forms and at all levels - is not only an end in

itself but is also one of the most powerful instruments we have for

bringing about the changes required to achieve sustainable

development.» Koïchiro Matsuura,

Director General of UNESCO

Why education for Why education for sustainable development?sustainable development?

862 million illiterates of whom two thirds are women (2000) 104 million out-of-school children of whom 57% are girls

(2000) Out of 128 countries with available data, only 52 will meet

the 2005 objective of gender equality in primary schools 54 countries out of 128, 40% will not meet gender equality

objective by 2015.

1,2 billion people live with less than 1 dollar per day, 70% of them are women

The average income of the 20 richest countries in the world is 37 times higher than that of the 20 poorest countries

Life expectancy in developing countries is 50 years whereas it is 77 years in developed countries

Option 1Option 1

Why education for sustainable Why education for sustainable development?development?

More than 1 billion people lack access to safe drinking water

More than 2 billion people lack adequate sanitation 92% of all HIV/AIDS cases are in developing countries Every year, 3 million people die from AIDS and 5

million become infected by HIV/AIDS (2004) 80% of people in developing countries rely on

medicines based on plants Irrigation of arable land represents 70% of all

worldwide freswater withdrawals Protected areas cover only 10% of land areas and 1%

of marine areas Half of the 6000 indigenous languages in the world are

threatened with extinction

Option 1Option 1


FOR A BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE FOR PRESENT AND FUTURE

GENERATIONS

EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Option 1Option 1


Option 2Option 2 If we could turn the population of the earth into a small community of 100 people, keeping the same proportions we have today, it would be something like this:

* 61 Asians, 12 Europeans, 14 Americans, 13 Africans1 Australian * 50 women, 50 men* 33 christians, 18 muslims, 16 hindus, 6 bouddhists, 11 pratice other religions, and 16 are non-religious

* 6 people own 59% of the entire wealth of the community

* 17 females and 8 males live in abject poverty. * 70 % of the work of the village would be done by women but they would only be paid 10 % of the village’s revenue* 70 are illetrate, only 1 person has a university degree* Of the 23 children aged 5-14 years, 6 are working, 3 of them working full-time and receiving no education

And this miniature earth is marked by: deforestation, half of the world’s forests are destroyed difficult access to safe drinking water and many indigenous languages threatened with extinction

Why education for sustainable Why education for sustainable development?development?


Option 2Option 2 This perspective – the miniature

earth – reveals the needs for change and for education to face the challenges of our

century, and meet the objectives of sustainability.


HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

• 1987-2002: Emergence then definition of the concept of sustainable development during many world summits

• 1992: Rio Earth World Summit

UNESCO received the responsability for implementing the Agenda 21’s Chapter 35, Science for sustainable development, and Chapter 36, Promoting education, public awareness and training


HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

• December 2002: resolution 57/254 of the General Assembly of the United Nations

- proclaims the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, 2005-2014

- designates UNESCO as the lead agency for the promotion of the Decade

What is education for What is education for sustainable development? sustainable development?

A vision of education An education empowering people

to commit themselves to sustainability

An education for democracy

An education at all levels of education systems and in all social contexts

Which vision of education for Which vision of education for sustainable development ?sustainable development ?

4 main thrusts

PROMOTING AND IMPROVING BASIC EDUCATION

REORIENTING EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS

BUILDING PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING AND AWARENESS

PROVIDING PRACTICAL TRAINING

Which strategies to implement Which strategies to implement the decade?the decade?

STRATEGIES

Advocacy

Ownership

Partnerships and networking

Capacity building

Research and innovation

Information and Communication Technologies

Monitoring and evaluation

What do we expect from What do we expect from Education Education

for sustainable development?for sustainable development?

Integration of Education for sustainable development (ESD) into development plans

Broad consensus on the strategic importance of ESD

Public sensitised to the concept of sustainability

Regular and susbstantial media presence for sustainable development issues

Which linkages between this Which linkages between this decade and other initiatives?decade and other initiatives?

Millenium Development Goals, MDGs

Education for All, EFA

United Nations Literacy Decade, UNLD United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable

Development, DESD


Four initiatives with:

A common vision: Education is the key to development

A common wiil: to promote human rights

A common requirement : to enhance full participation of all stakeholders at national level


Four initiatives, four specificities :

MDGs, to reduce poverty in its many aspects

EFA, access to quality education for all children and adults

Literacy decade, contribution to meeting the objectives of EFA and DESD.

Education for sustainable development, in search of a balance


A CHALLENGE FOR UNESCO

Continuing to coordinate 3 initiatives: EFA, Literacy Decade, Decade of Education for Sustainable Development

Create synergy between these initiatives

What is UNESCO role?What is UNESCO role?

Coordination of the Decade Development of a UNESCO plan of

action Acceleration of education reforms Development of indicators to monitor

progress of the Decade Mobilisation of UN agencies and

governments

Where do we stand?Where do we stand?

International launch in New York, March 2005 Draft of the International Implementation

Scheme available Logo of the Decade available A concept paper on the linkages between the

Decade and other initiatives is available Many communication materials are available

(www.unesco.org/education/desd)

Regional and national launches of the Decade Development of regional strategies

Next steps ?Next steps ?

Development of a UNESCO plan of action

Setting up of a UN inter-agency taskforce

Setting up of a task force in charge of monitoring and evaluation

Support to regions for the development of their strategies

Support to governments, organisations and networks

Challenges?Challenges?

Prepare a status report of the implementation of the Decade: ongoing process to develop strategy, ongoing programmes

Go beyond environmental education to implement education for sustainable development

Develop reflection on relevant curricula to disseminate values and principles of sustainable development

Integrate ESD in national programmes Identify and disseminate innovative experiences Mobilise media

« « Our biggest challenge in this Our biggest challenge in this new century is to take an idea new century is to take an idea

that seems abstract – that seems abstract – sustainable development – and sustainable development – and turn it into a reality fo all the turn it into a reality fo all the

world’s people.world’s people. » »

Kofi AnnanKofi AnnanSecretary General of the United Secretary General of the United

NationsNations

The United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005 – 2014)

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