United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development
Encyclopedia
About the Decade
Based on the proposals by Japan and Sweden, the United Nations General AssemblyUnited Nations General Assembly
For two articles dealing with membership in the General Assembly, see:* General Assembly members* General Assembly observersThe United Nations General Assembly is one of the five principal organs of the United Nations and the only one in which all member nations have equal representation...
, at its 57th Session in December 2002, adopted resolution 57/254 to start the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD 2005- 2014), following the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation which emphasised that education is an indispensable element for achieving sustainable development.
About the Decade
Based on the proposals by Japan and Sweden, the United Nations General AssemblyUnited Nations General Assembly
For two articles dealing with membership in the General Assembly, see:* General Assembly members* General Assembly observersThe United Nations General Assembly is one of the five principal organs of the United Nations and the only one in which all member nations have equal representation...
, at its 57th Session in December 2002, adopted resolution 57/254 to start the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD 2005- 2014), following the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation which emphasised that education is an indispensable element for achieving sustainable development.
About the Decade
Based on the proposals by Japan and Sweden, the United Nations General AssemblyUnited Nations General Assembly
For two articles dealing with membership in the General Assembly, see:* General Assembly members* General Assembly observersThe United Nations General Assembly is one of the five principal organs of the United Nations and the only one in which all member nations have equal representation...
, at its 57th Session in December 2002, adopted resolution 57/254 to start the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD 2005- 2014), following the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation which emphasised that education is an indispensable element for achieving sustainable development.
UNESCO was designated to be the lead agency for the Decade and developed a draft International Implementation Scheme for the DESD.
Along with the Millennium Development Goals
Millennium Development Goals
The Millennium Development Goals are eight international development goals that all 193 United Nations member states and at least 23 international organizations have agreed to achieve by the year 2015...
(MDGs) process, the Education For All
Education For All
Education For All is a global movement led by UNESCO, aiming to meet the learning needs of all children, youth and adults by 2015. UNESCO has been mandated to lead the movement and coordinate the international efforts to reach Education for All...
(EFA) movement, and the United Nations Literacy Decade
United Nations Literacy Decade
UNESCO leads the United Nations Literacy Decade under the slogan of “Literacy as Freedom”. Launched at UN Headquarters in 2003, the Decade aims to increase literacy levels and to empower all people everywhere...
(UNLD), the DESD also aims to achieve an improvement in the quality of life, particularly for the most deprived and marginalised, fulfillment of human rights including gender equality, poverty reduction, democracy and active citizenship. If the MDGs provide a set of tangible and measurable development goals within which education is a significant input and indicator; if EFA focuses on ways of providing educational opportunities to everyone, and if the UNLD concentrates on promoting the key learning tool for all forms of structured learning, DESD is more concerned than the other three initiatives with the content and purpose of education. Conceiving and designing ESD challenges all forms of educational provision to adopt practices and approaches which foster the values of sustainable development
In response to the DESD, the United Nations University
United Nations University
The United Nations University is an academic arm of the United Nations established in 1973, which serves purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations. The UNU undertakes research into the pressing global problems of human survival, development and welfare that are the concern of...
(UNU) called for the development of Education for Sustainable Development
Education for Sustainable Development
Sustainability education , Education for Sustainability , and Education for Sustainable Development are interchangeable terms describing the practice of teaching for sustainability. ESD is the term most used internationally level and by the United Nations...
(ESD) networks for the promotion of ESD, as well as being expertise centres for the research development of ESD. This was the birth of Regional Centres of Expertise (RCE)
Regional Centres of Expertise (RCE)
- RCE Networks :In response to the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development , the United Nations University called for the development of regional networks for the promotion of Education for Sustainable Development . These networks address local sustainable development...
for the education of sustainable development.
See also
- Sustainable DevelopmentSustainable developmentSustainable development is a pattern of resource use, that aims to meet human needs while preserving the environment so that these needs can be met not only in the present, but also for generations to come...
- Education for Sustainable DevelopmentEducation for Sustainable DevelopmentSustainability education , Education for Sustainability , and Education for Sustainable Development are interchangeable terms describing the practice of teaching for sustainability. ESD is the term most used internationally level and by the United Nations...
- United NationsUnited NationsThe United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
External links
- Decade of Education for Sustainable Development Website
- United Nations - Decade of Education for Sustainable Development portal.
- UNECE - Promoting Sustainable Development through Education.