UNITED NATIONS ECONOMIC COMMISSION FOR EUROPE

1 UNITED NATIONS ECONOMIC COMMISSION FOR EUROPEL earning from each otherThe unece Strategy for Education for Sustainable DevelopmentUNITED NATIONSNew York and Geneva, 2009 NOTES ymbols of UNITED NATIONS documents are composed of capital letters combined with figures. Mention of such a symbol indicates a reference to a UNITED NATIONS designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the UNITED NATIONS concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

2 This publication may be reproduced in whole or in parts and in any form for education or non-profit purposes, provided acknowledgement of the source is made. unece would appreciate receiving a copy of any publication that uses this publication as a source. Education for Sustainable DevelopmentEnvironment for EUROPE and Sustainable Development TeamEnvironment, Housing and Land Management DivisionUnited NATIONS ECONOMIC COMMISSION for EuropePalais des NationsAv. de la Paix 8-141211 Gen ve 10, SwitzerlandPhone: + 41-(0)22-917 2650, + 41-(0)22-917 2682 Fax: + 41-(0)22-917 0107E-mail: site: ECE/CEP/159iiiForeword Education is a key agent for change towards sustainable development.

3 Education for sustainable development (ESD) builds the capacity of individuals, communities and society as a whole to make informed judgements and choices in favour of sustainable development. Because ESD is not only about teaching the subjects relevant to sustainable development but also about participatory learning process, its introduction at the national and local levels is a complex and evolving process that often implies the challenge of transforming existing approaches to to the new challenge of ESD, in 2005 the environment and education ministers of UNITED NATIONS ECONOMIC COMMISSION for EUROPE ( unece ) member States adopted the unece Strategy for ESD.

4 Work under the Strategy constitutes an important contribution of the unece region to the UNITED NATIONS Decade on ESD. It is done in collaboration with UNESCO, the lead global agency for the unece Strategy for ESD is a policy tool that helps the countries of the region to introduce and promote ESD in national formal, non-formal and informal education in their respective countries. It aims at developing policy, regulatory and operational frameworks to support ESD, equipping educators with the necessary competences, ensuring that adequate tools and materials for ESD are accessible, promoting research on and development of ESD, and strengthening regional cooperation on ESD.

5 To facilitate and evaluate the Strategy s implementation and raise awareness at the national level, as well as share experience within the region, the member States agreed to periodically assess the implementation process based on a unified reporting format and a clear set of indicators. This periodic assessment provides information about countries performance in implementing ESD and about the ECONOMIC , environmental, and social impacts of ESD. This publication brings together the relevant policy documents and a number of practical tools to guide Governments and other stakeholders through the process of assessing the success of ESD in a given national context.

6 While developed in the context of the unece Strategy, the assessment tools also aim at strengthening synergies with other relevant processes, in particular those under the UNITED NATIONS Decade on ESD. They therefore enable the region s input to any global evaluation and can be used by countries in other regions to assess their own progress with ESD. J n Kubi Executive Secretary UNITED NATIONS ECONOMIC COMMISSION for EuropevContentsList of boxes, figures and viii Abbreviations and ix Chapter I: Learning xx 1 I.

7 Setting the scene .. 3 A. The 4 B. The Expert 4 II. Making the indicators 5 A. Some 5 B. Testing the reporting 6 C. Revisions and 7 III. Inside the Expert 8 A. The 8 B. The 8 C. Where 9 IV. 10 A.

8 Maintain a flexible 10 B. Link to existing frameworks and real 10 C. Build a group that 10 Chapter II: The unece Strategy for Education for Sustainable 13 15 16 I. Aim and 16 II. 17 III. 17 IV. Implications for 18 V. Framework for .. 20 Chapter III: Statement on education for sustainable 25 Chapter IV: Report on progress in implementation of the unece Strategy for Education for Sustainable 29 I.

9 31 II. Meeting the objectives of the 32 A. Policy, regulatory and operational 32 B. Sustainable development in formal, non-formal and informal 33 C. Competence within the education 35 D. Tools and .. 36 E. Research and 36 F. Cooperation on education for sustainable 37 G. Conservation, use and promotion of knowledge of indigenous peoples in education for sustainable 38 H. Self-assessment by 38 vi III.

10 Some subregional 38 A. Eastern EUROPE , Caucasus and Central 39 B. South-Eastern 39 C. North America: the example of 40 D. The European Union and other Western European 40 IV. Lessons 41 A. Upgrading existing 41 B. Developing a strategic 41 C. Institutionalizing 41 D. Integrating ESD in the 42 E. Developing ESD 42 F. Raising public 42 G. Disseminating ESD-related .. 43 V.