The Earth Charter Working Session

The working session: “Integrating Values of Sustainability into Education” aimed to explore the role of values education in ESD efforts and the Earth Charter as an ethical framework and educational tool for the operationalization of the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development. It also offered a space to exchange views and reflect the values and principles that should be integrated in educational practices. This Working Session, facilitated by Mirian Vilela Director of the Earth Charter Center of ESD, was held from 24 to 27 November. It included presentations, exercises, games, and open discussions. The number of participants that attended each day ranged from 15 to 30 people, coming from universities, government departments, research institutes and a variety of non governmental organizations, representing 10 countries.

Interesting thoughts were generated, the most prominent of them emphasizing that efforts to incorporate values of sustainability should:

• Be contextualized. Much will depend on the cultural context and therefore we need to be sensitive to that.
• Avoid indoctrination. Use educational settings to stimulate ethical reflection so that students will deepen their sense of responsibility for decisions made.
• Consider the use of the Earth Charter as an instrument to stimulate such critical questions and understanding of sustainability, as well as to stimulate a dialogue about the meaning and interpretation of its Principles.

Youth: Trendsetters of ESD

The working session for and by youth was jointly coordinated by UNEP’s South Asia Youth Environment Network (SAYEN) and ECI’s Earth Charter Youth Initiative (ECYI). Members from these two networks played especially active roles, representing countries from around the world. Through an inclusive and collaborative process, this session produced an holistic definition of sustainable development coupled with a call to action to people of all ages, and – gleaned from engaging presentations by youth on their local projects – a set of guiding principles for youth and ESD.

Instead of producing a parallel “Youth Declaration,” as was initially envisioned, the group decided that some young participants should integrate themselves into other working session based on their own expertise and experience, while others should stay behind and produce youth recommendations. In this way, and through direct participation on the Drafting Committee, a strong and diverse youth voice emerged in the final Ahmedabad Declaration. Young people also participated on conference-wide plenary panels (Setting the Tone, Climate Change, Water and Sanitation, HIV/AIDS, and Valedictory Panels).

After the conference, the ECYI was invited to give a presentation during SAYEN’s Core Group meeting on points for further collaboration between these two young sustainability networks. The future looks promising!

Youth Leadership Team Launch

The 4th ICEE played host to an historic moment in the Earth Charter Youth Initiative (ECYI). The Youth Leadership Team (YLT), democratically elected by the ECYI in September 2007, met for the first time in Ahmedabad. The current YLT consists of 11 Representatives, 21 to 27 years old, from Brazil, Canada, China, France, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, Palestine, and Serbia. They are an intelligent, compassionate and fun team!

In preparation for their first meeting, the YLT reviewed key ECYI strategy documents, collected fresh ideas from ECYI members, and drafted a Plan of Action for the duration of their term, 2007-2009. Once in India, YLT Representatives participated in all facets of the Conference, including working sessions on the Earth Charter, Youth, Cities of the Future, Sustainable Consumption, and World Heritage Sites. Furthermore, they spoke on the Water and Sanitation, HIV/AIDS, and Valedictory plenary panels; one YLT Representative even contributed to shaping the final Ahmedabad Declaration as a member of the Drafting Committee. In addition to active participation in the Conference, the YLT’s primary focus was on refining their Plan of Action, which they will begin implementing in early 2008.

Intergenerational Partnership Initiative Launch

Already in August 2007, ECI’s International Youth Coordinator, Dominic Stucker, formed a partnership with the Global Youth Action Network (GYAN), TakingItGlobal (TIG), Peace Child International (PCI), and Youth Action for Change (YAC) that submitted a successful workshop proposal on Intergenerational Partnership to the IUCN for their World Conservation Congress to be held in Barcelona, Spain in October 2008.

The 4th ICEE provided the perfect platform to launch this year-long initiative, which seeks to collaboratively create a “Framework for Forming Intergenerational Partnerships for Sustainable Development” and to get this Framework adopted by the IUCN General Assembly as an official Resolution. The launch workshop that Dominic facilitated in Ahmedabad was a great success, attracting 50 participants from 21 different countries. They ranged in age from 14 to 63, with an average of 32, and were about half women and half men. The workshop produced the “Ahmedabad Draft” of the Framework, which participants volunteered to translate into 14 languages! The idea of forming an “Alliance for Intergenerational Partnership for Sustainable Development” was also born and will greatly enrich the initiative, bringing it to life long before the IUCN Congress.

In collaboration with their partners, the ECYI will be creating an open source IPSD Wiki page, featuring the Ahmedabad Draft and translations. People from all around the world can comment on the Draft and make suggestions, which will be reviewed at strategic events leading up to the IUCN Congress. Furthermore, membership in the Alliance will be outlined and an invitation will be made for organizations and individuals to join.

The Ahmedabad Declaration

An important aspect to highlight is the Conference’s final Ahmedabad Declaration and Recommendations, designed to support and guide the UN DESD. We are pleased to report that the Earth Charter is explicitly mentioned as foundational to building the educational processes that will help people find solutions to the pressing problems and challenges of the 21st century.