The course is offered jointly by the UNESCO Chair on Education for Sustainable Development with the Earth Charter, based at the University for Peace in Costa Rica, and the UNESCO Chair in International Education for Development, based at George Washington University in the United States. Building on the recognition, since the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, of education as a key driver of societal transformation toward sustainability, the course seeks to connect international commitments with practical educational approaches that can contribute to a more just, peaceful, and sustainable world.
Over the years, Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and Global Citizenship Education (GCED) have gained increasing prominence within UNESCO’s education agenda, which has brought together governments, educational institutions, and civil society actors to advance these approaches. Within the 2030 Agenda, SDG 4, Target 4.7 calls on countries to ensure that learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including through education for sustainability, global citizenship, human rights, peace, and cultural diversity. This commitment goes beyond raising awareness: it calls for a transformation of education so that it can better respond to today’s complex global challenges and fulfill its potential as a driver of social change.
The 2023 UNESCO Recommendation on Education for Peace and Human Rights, International Understanding, Cooperation, Fundamental Freedoms, Global Citizenship and Sustainable Development further reinforces this vision, providing an important normative foundation for advancing SDG 4.7. Achieving these commitments, however, requires educators at all levels to be equipped with both the conceptual knowledge and pedagogical approaches necessary to integrate ESD and GCED into their educational practice.
This course seeks to contribute to this effort by strengthening educators’ knowledge and skills in ESD and GCED, while introducing transformative learning approaches that can support meaningful educational and social change. It is designed for institutions seeking to build the capacities of their staff or members in these areas and uses the Earth Charter as an ethical framework for reflection and practice.
Course objectives
- Provide an opportunity to learn and reflect on the theories and practices of education for sustainable development, and to identify synergies and differences between it and other related educational agendas and approaches of transformative learning.
- Develop critical perspectives on global citizenship education, gaining familiarity with the policies, practices, measures, and tools related to global citizenship education.
- Offer a space for participants to exchange their experiences and insights and to connect and collaborate, building a shared professional network.
- Enhance the capacity of the participant to bring these approaches into their context and education practice.
Participants Profile
Educators in their different fields of education from formal, non-formal and informal settings: such as Ministry of Education officials, education evaluators and policy-makers, and preschool, middle or higher education teachers or professors, as well as anyone who has a passion for teaching and sustainability.
The minimum number of participants to offer this course is 15 people. The maximum number of participants is 100 people.
Those who wish to deepen the contents of this course can participate in the Online Certificate on Education for Sustainable Development.
Methodology & Assessment
This five-session course will be offered over a period of five weeks. It involves 30 hours of learning.
It is 100% virtual, it will be conducted through asynchronous sessions and a weekly live session for interaction among participants (1.5 hours long) using Zoom platform. The Moodle platform will also be used for content and asynchronous activities. Participating in the course will involve reading, watching videos, participating in online forums and live sessions and a final essay.
Course Fee
The course fee is USD$400!
We have special discounts for groups and alumni. If you need more information please contact [email protected]
Facilitators
Mirian Vilela
Read more
Close description
Mirian Vilela is the Executive Director of the Earth Charter International Secretariat and the Center for Education for Sustainable Development at UPEACE. Mirian has been working with the Earth Charter Initiative since early 1996. She coordinates the UNESCO Chair on Education for Sustainable Development with the Earth Charter and served as a member of the UNESCO Expert Reference Group for the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD). Over the years she has led and facilitated numerous international workshops, courses and seminars on values and principles for sustainability. Prior to her work with the Earth Charter, Mirian worked for the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) for two years in preparation of the 1992 UN Earth Summit and a year at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). She actively participated in the 2002 World Summit of Sustainable Development, held in Johannesburg, and the 2012 UN Conference on Sustainable Development/Rio+20. Mirian holds a PhD. in Education from LaSalle University and a Master´s Degree in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, where she was an Edward Mason Fellow. She is originally from Brazil.
Laura Engel
Read more
Close description
Laura Engel is a Professor of International Education and International Affairs at the George Washington University in Washington, DC (US), where she directs the GW Global Education Lab, and serves as co-chair of the GW UNESCO Chair in International Education for Development. In 2023-2024, she was a Fulbright Scholar in Costa Rica. As a policy sociologist, her interests focus on the influence of global education policy trends in national and regional systems, with specialization in federal systems. Her current work examines policy developments related to education for sustainable development and global citizenship education at local, state, national, regional, and international levels. Dr. Engel’s research, which has been funded by the American Educational Research Association, the National Geographic Society, and the Stevens Initiative, has been published in four books and over 70 articles, book chapters, and policy briefs. Dr. Engel earned her PhD from the University of Illinois.
Alicia Jiménez
Read more
Close description
Alicia Jiménez is Director of Programmes at the Earth Charter International (ECI) Secretariat in Costa Rica. She is a biologist from the University of Costa Rica, with a MSc in Resource Development from Michigan State University in the United States and a PhD on Education from La Salle University, Costa Rica. Since 1998, she has been working in the field of conservation and sustainable development. She worked in the IUCN Mesoamerica’s Regional Office and the National University of Costa Rica, and has been involved as a visiting professor at the University for Peace. In 2006, she joined the ECI, where she oversees the Earth Charter work especially in Latin America, Africa u0026 the Middle East and Asia Pacific. In addition, she is involved with the Secretariat’s projects on education for sustainable development, facilitating courses, workshops and research processes. As part of her doctoral research, Alicia generated the instruments and methodology of the Earth Charter School Seal. She received a fellowship at Leuphana University (Germany) to work in the area of transdisciplinarity and education for sustainable development.
