Background

In December 2002 The United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution 59/237 to launch a UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development that should go from 2005 to 2014. In this resolution the General Assembly "encourages Governments to consider the inclusion ... of measures to implement the Decade in their respective education systems and strategies and, where appropriate, national development plans". Furthermore, the General Assembly "invites Governments to promote public awareness of and wider participation in the Decade, inter alia, through cooperation with and initiatives engaging civil society and other relevant stakeholders, especially at the beginning of the Decade".

Goal

The overall goal of the DESD is to integrate the values inherent in sustainable development into all aspects of learning to encourage changes in behavior that allow for a more sustainable and just society for all.

It is expected that this educational effort will encourage and generate changes in behaviour that will create a more sustainable future in terms of environmental integrity, economic viability, and a just society for present and future generations.

Within the broad goals established by the General Assembly, subgoals for the DESD at the national level are to:

• Provide an opportunity for refining and promoting the vision of and transition to sustainable development - through all forms of education, public awareness and training.
• Give an enhanced profile to the important role of education and learning in sustainable development.

The objectives of the DESD are to:

• facilitate networking, linkages, exchange and interaction among stakeholders in ESD;
• foster an increased quality of teaching and learning in education for sustainable development;
• help countries make progress towards and attain the millennium development goals through ESD efforts;
• provide countries with new opportunities to incorporate ESD into education reform efforts.

Key documents for the UNDESD

• Framework for the UN DESD International implementation Scheme
• International Implementation Scheme
• UNESCO Action Plan for DESD
• Regional Strategies
• • Europe - UNECE
  • Latin America
  • Asia-Pacific
• General Assembly Resolution on the Decade
• UNESCO Resolution on the Earth Charter

For more information, see: UNESCO (English) or Década de Educación para el Desarrollo Sostenible (Spanish)

Source: UNESCO Framework for the UN DESD - International Implementation Scheme