ESD

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)

The UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD, 2005-2014) was proclaimed by the General Assembly in 2002 and launched in 2005. UNESCO, the leading UN agency for the Decade, prepared-through an extensive consultation process -an International Implementation Scheme (IIS), which was adopted by the UNESCO Executive Board in October 2005, in accordance with the request of UN General Assembly. The DESD provides a global framework for the diverse actions and educational initiatives for a more sustainable future. The SD needs a multi-directional approach to contribute in resolving the current problems that Africa faces. ESD is thus a response to these problems through a process of education and learning. From the half-way of the DESD onwards, the member countries of UNESCO and its Secretary are encouraged to focus on the input of the ESD and to build up results of the first half of the DESD.

From 31 March to 2 April 2009, the "World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development – Moving into the Second Half of the UN Decade" was held in Bonn, Germany. Conference participants have developed clear mechanisms for enhanced cooperation in the implementation of the UN Decade, especially focusing on the exchange between developing countries, those in transition and industrialized countries

In June and July 2009, as a follow-up of the Bonn Conference, UNESCO BREDA has organized two ESD meetings in Africa with National Commissions and ESD representative: one for Central and Western Africa in Dakar and one for Eastern and Southern Africa in Nairobi (with support from Nairobi Cluster Office). Participants have exchange on best practices, developed action plans for the next part of the DESD and indicators for assessing progresses and gaps during the next half of the Decade.

From these meetings, it has been stressed that the major challenge is to define effective strategies to

UNESCO Africa work:

Function 1: Gather and analyze information, and facilitate networks around ESD between SSA countries and the rest of the world at a global level

Function 2: Coordinate ESD in SSA countries

• Share information and knowledge related to ESD and its added value

• Support the implementation of ESD

• Support the coordination, especially through the setting-up of coordination mechanisms

• Monitor and evaluate gaps and progresses

UNESCO Africa results:

Evaluation of ESD activities and DESD

• 2 reports on the status of ESD in West & Central Africa and in East and South Africa

• A generic framework for Action for the next part of the DESD in SSA (assorted with indicators) developed during ESD workshops

Information sharing & identification of goods practices

• The ESD in SSA Observatory: receive, store and share information onESD in SSA

• ESD in SSA blog & monthly Newsletter : share information regularly

Advocacy and Capacity-building

• a sub-regional consultative meeting on the improvement of the 2006 strategy

• 2 national trainer of trainers workshop (2008) on the perception of ESD

• 2 sub-regional workshops on action plan and indicators for the next half of the DESD in SSA

• of the Sandwatch project in West Africa