Resources

UNESCO Bangkok, with assistance from the Commission on Education and Communication (CEC) of the World Conservation Union (IUCN) in conjunction with Macquarie University in Australia, implemented a project to assist with the important task of monitoring and assessing progress during the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD). This process has been funded by the generous contribution of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology under the Japanese Funds-In-Trust for Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). The DESD provides an important opportunity to enhance the profile of ESD in both formal and informal learning spaces which in turn assists UNESCO Member States with the transformation into sustainable societies. Efforts to promote and integrate ESD at all levels will be key to advancing the reach of the Decade.

Responding to the DESD International Implementation Scheme’s (IIS) recommendation to develop indicators (see Appendix 1), the Asia-Pacific DESD Indicators Project commenced in March 2006. The first stage of the project has resulted in the publication of this Guidelines document which assists UNESCO Member States in the Asia-Pacific region with the development of ESD indicators and monitoring systems at the national level.

The document is intended to provide an important practical resource for UNESCO National Commissions, in addition to other stakeholders, in the area of ESD indicator development. By outlining how to develop national ESD indicators, the Guidelines offers an effective way of building knowledge and increasing ownership of the Decade among stakeholders. Rather than deliver a pre-packaged set of ESD indicators, this document provides countries with a foundation for developing indicators that are relevant to their national contexts.

The objectives of the Guidelines are:

• To assist with understanding the nature of ESD indicators and the different approaches for their use;
• To identify the different types of ESD indicators and what they may reveal about progress;
• To identify important sources, methods and planning tools for both data collection and reporting;
• To encourage UNESCO Member States in the Asia-Pacific region to work collaboratively, share experiences and learn about meaningful monitoring and assessment during and beyond the DESD; and
• To build national capacity to develop ESD indicators and ESD data collection mechanisms at the national level