The end of the UN Decade for Education for Sustainable Development (DESD) is approaching and education for sustainable development is a major topic of discussion for the post-2015 and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agendas. Earth Charter International and the Earth Charter Center for Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) are prioritizing education and educational initiatives for the next phase of the Earth Charter Initiative. The Earth Charter has a vital role to play in these international agendas and that was recognized at the beginning of the decade by UNESCO in a resolution, and was reaffirmed last year when UNESCO created a Chair on ESD with the Earth Charter.
Earth Charter should be considered as an invaluable tool for ESD and as a guiding framework for education in the post-2015 and SDG initiatives. UNESCO invites individuals and groups to offer their feedback though an open questionnaire about ESD in the post DESD discussion and that questionnaire is still open, although the Web site states the deadline of March 31st.
ECI encourages you to fill out this UNESCO questionnaire (link on the right column) and if you have positive experiences with the Earth Charter in your educational activities, you can mention them here. Here is the link:
http://www.unesco.org/new/en/media-services/single-view/news/questionnaire_on_the_future_of_education_for_sustainable/back/18256/
ECI’s hopes that the new Global ESD Programme that UNESCO is currently developing (to be launched at the end of 2014) will affirm the importance of infusing sustainability values through the educational process and encourages the use of the Earth Charter as an instrument in this endeavor.
As part of these activities, Earth Charter International is partnering with UNESCO and participated in the past month in two separate meetings on the future of the international Education for Sustainable Development agenda. ECI Director Mirian Vilela attended meetings of the DESD Reference Group at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, and then Ms. Vilela and ECI project coordinator Alicia Jimenez attended the Latin American Regional Consultations for ESD post-2015 in San Jose, Costa Rica.