The Unesco World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) took place from 17 to 19 May 2021 as an online gathering hosted from Berlin by Germany.
Unesco is the coordinating agency of the United Nations for ESD based on the Organisation’s oversight role for the broad education strand in the UN 2030 Agenda, and in particular for SDG 4.7, that links education for sustainable development to citizen education in a global perspective.
In 2020 UNESCO published a roadmap for education for sustainable development focussing on knowledge, skills and attitudes to build a more sustainable world.
At the World Conference Flanders was represented by the Education and Training and Environment Departments. Moreover, the Flemish project ‘SDGs@school”was selected as good practice to be presented at one of the discussion fora of the Conference.
Flanders was actively involved in the preparation of the Berlin Conference through membership of the SDG-Education 2030 Steering Committee and of the drafting group for the World Declaration on Education for Sustainable Development. [link: https://en.unesco.org/sites/default/files/esdfor2030- berlin-declaration-en.pdf]
The Berlin Declaration puts the main focus on learning for sustainable development throughout all levels and strands of education and training, formal and non-formal.
Humanitarian concerns are not forgotten, but on the contrary clearly coupled to caring and learning for the planet.
Flanders will make good use of the guidance of the Berlin conference in preparing for the upcoming UN conferences on Biodiversity (COP 15) and Climate Change (COP 26).
