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UN General Assembly discusses findings from UNESCO’s Report on Education for Sustainable Development
Post date:
2019/10/15
On 14 October 2019, UNESCO presented the report on the implementation of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in the framework of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at the United Nations General Assembly.
At the 74th session of the Second Committee of the UN General Assembly (Economic and Financial Committee), representatives of member states and the UN system discussed ways towards the achievement of sustainable development, including the implementation of international commitments on climate change and agreements on financing for development, as well as efforts for advancing education for sustainable development worldwide.
As part of the discussions, Ms. Marie Paule Roudil, Director of UNESCO New York, presented the Report on the implementation of Education for Sustainable Development in the framework of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, in accordance with General Assembly resolution 72/222.
The report offers a review of the implementation of Education for Sustainable Development, in particular through its Global Action Program, in the framework of the 2030
Agenda. It also provides an overview of the draft framework for education for sustainable development for the period 2020–2030, entitled “Education for Sustainable Development: Towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (ESD for 2030)”. It further makes recommendations for education for sustainable development implementation in the future.
In her presentation, Ms. Roudil shared the “solid progress on the implementation of education for sustainable development, as well as the strengthened international recognition of its importance”. Substantial progress has been achieved in all five priority areas of the Global Action Program, namely policy advancement, transformation of learning environments, capacity-building of educators, youth empowerment and sustainable solutions at the local level.
To sustain this momentum beyond the Global Action Program ending in 2019, UNESCO developed a framework through broad consultations with various stakeholders. Ms. Roudil explained that the new ESD for 2030 framework aims to “strengthen education for sustainable development in an effort to build a more just and inclusive world”. The framework will emphasize the learning of knowledge, skills, values and behaviors that can empower every learner to contribute to sustainable development. It will be officially launched at the Global Conference on Education for Sustainable Development, to be held in Berlin, Germany in June 2020.
Ms. Roudil reiterated UNESCO’s commitment to harnessing partnerships for education. As the UN specialized agency entrusted to lead and coordinate the achievement of the education goal, UNESCO will continue to support member states and other stakeholders “to make sure education helps us achieve the world we want; to transform lives and build a sustainable future for our planet for all”.
This report, amongst others presented on sustainable development, was unanimously welcomed at the General Assembly. This demonstrates a clear acknowledgement of education’s key role in the 2030 Agenda, as well as of UNESCO’s efforts to champion education for sustainable development. The Group of 77 and China will also introduce an updated General Assembly resolution on education for sustainable development to the Second Committee. Member states will negotiate and adopt this resolution later this year.
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