The United Nations Decade
of Education
for Sustainable Development
(2005 – 2014)
__________
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“ 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
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Why education for
sustainable development?
If we could turn the population of the earth into a
small community of 100 people, keeping the same
proportions we have today, there would be:
 61 Asians, 12 Europeans, 14 Americans,
13 Africans, 1 Australian
 50 women, 50 men
 33 Christians, 18 Muslims, 16 Hindus, 6 Buddhists,
11 practising other religions, and 16 are nonreligious
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Why education for sustainable
development?
 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 illiterate, 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, for example:
 deforestation, half of the world’s forests destroyed
 difficult access to safe drinking water
 many indigenous languages threatened by extinction
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Why education for
sustainable development?
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.
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Why education for
sustainable development?
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
• 1987-2002: Emergence, then definition of concept
of sustainable development
• 1992:
Rio Earth World Summit
UNESCO received the responsibility for implementing the
Agenda 21’s Chapter 35, Science for sustainable
development, and Chapter 36, Promoting education, public
awareness and training.
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Why education for
sustainable development?
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND (2)
• 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
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3 pillars of Sustainable
Development

Social perspectives

Environmental perspectives

Economic perspectives
With culture as an underlying dimension
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What is education for
sustainable development?

A new vision of education

An education empowering people to commit
themselves to sustainability

An education for democracy

An education at all levels of education systems,
using all modalities, and in all social contexts
The practice of values
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Respect for:

dignity and human rights of all people

rights of future generations and intergenerational responsibility

the greater community of life (eco-systems)

cultural diversity and a commitment to
build peace
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Which vision of education for
sustainable development ?
4 main thrusts

Promoting and improving basic education

Reorienting educational programs

Building public understanding and
awareness

Providing practical training
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What are the key education
initiatives?

Millenium Development Goals, MDGs

Education for All, EFA

United Nations Literacy Decade, UNLD

United Nations Decade of Education for
Sustainable Development, DESD
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Commonalities among
initiatives
Four initiatives with:

A common vision: Education is an important
key to development

A common wiil: to promote human rights

A common requirement : to enhance full
participation of all stakeholders
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Complementarity of the
initiatives
Four initiatives, four specificities:


MDGs, to reduce poverty in its many aspects
EFA, to provide access to quality education
for all children and adults

UNLD, to contribute to meeting the
objectives of EFA and DESD.

Education for sustainable development – to
give the quality dimension in all education a
particular orientation
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Quality ESD - learner level





Seeks out learners
Acknowledges what learner brings
Considers content of formal,non-formal
and informal learning
Addresses educational processes
Provides conducive learning
environment
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Quality ESD - system level





Structures management and
administration to support learning
Implements good policies
Enacts appropriate legislation
Restructures resources for learning
Measures learning outcomes - knowledge,
skills, values, behaviours
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“ Our biggest challenge in this new
century is to take an idea that seems
abstract – sustainable development –
and turn it into a reality fo all the
world’s people. ”
Kofi Annan
Secretary-General of the United Nations
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