UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development 2005–2014 National Action Plan for Germany 2011 EDUCATION | SCIENCE | CULTURE | COMMUNICATION UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development 2005–2014 National Action Plan for Germany 2011 Content Table of contents Welcoming notes .................................................................................... 4 Foreword ................................................................................................ 6 The UN Decade of ‘Education for Sustainable Development’ 2005–2014 ............................. 7 Objectives of the National Action Plan ...................................................12 Documents ............................................................................................17 UN Resolution: ‘United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development’ (2002) ................................................................................................................................. 17 ‘Hamburg Declaration’ by the DUK on ‘The Learning of Sustainability’ (2003) ................................... 19 Bundestag resolution to initiate an ‘Action Plan for the UN World Decade of Education for Sustainable Development’ (2004) ................................................................................ 21 Recommendation by the KMK and DUK on ‘Education for Sustainable Development at School’ (2007) ........................................................................................................................................ 26 Bundestag resolution to ‘Continue the active implementation of the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development’ (2009) ............................................................................... 32 ‘Bonn Declaration’ by the UNESCO World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development (2009) ....................................................................................................... 34 Declaration by the HRK and DUK on ‘Universities for Sustainable Development’ (2010) .................. 39 Discussion paper by the DUK on ‘Delivering Future Capacity in the Kindergarten’ (2010) ................ 42 Policy paper on ‘Biological Diversity and Education for Sustainable Development’ .......................... 45 Statement for the Preparatory Process of the Earth Summit 2012 (Rio+20) by the National Committee for the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2011)................................................................................................................................. 51 2 Content How is the Decade being implemented in Germany? ............................52 The institutional framework ..................................................................................................................... 52 Contribution of the Federal states ........................................................................................................... 55 World Decade Projects ............................................................................................................................. 57 Cities and Local Authorities of the World Decade ................................................................................. 64 Official Measures of the World Decade .................................................................................................. 66 The ESD portal, Days of Action and annual themes .............................................................................. 68 Decade Timeline ...................................................................................................................................... 69 Next steps .............................................................................................70 Strategy for the Second Half of the Decade ........................................................................................... 70 Outlook ...................................................................................................................................................... 77 Appendix ...............................................................................................78 List of abbreviations ................................................................................................................................. 78 Bibliography .............................................................................................................................................. 79 Members of the National Committee ..................................................................................................... 80 Institutions at the Round Table ................................................................................................................ 82 Contact information .................................................................................................................................. 85 Publishing credits ..................................................................................................................................... 88 3 WelComing notes Welcoming note by the German President Creating a bright tomorrow involves ask­ Development plays an important role ing the right questions today. Convincing in sensitising people to these issues and solutions and patterns of behaviour need integrating them into the processes of to be developed and put into action. The lifelong learning. UN Decade of Education for Sustainable German President Christian Wulff, Patron of the UN Decade Education for Sustainable Development. Welcoming note by the Director of the UNESCO Division of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development UNESCO’s vision regarding Education novative pedagogies, and links education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is to other development priorities nationally clear: every human being should benefit and internationally. The conference set from an education that provides the val­ the stage for the second half of the UN ues, competences, knowledge and skills Decade and reaffirmed the commitment required to shape the future in line with of Member States, partners and UNESCO the demands of sustainable develop­ to the DESD, for which UNESCO is the ment. ESD creates active and responsible lead agency. citizens ready to address challenges like climate change and to act in an increas­ Building on the outcomes of the Bonn ingly complex world. It is the objective of Conference, UNESCO has increased its the UN Decade of Education for Sustain­ efforts to assist Member States and other able Development (DESD, 2005–2014) stakeholders to revise education poli­ to in tegrate this fundamental education cies, plans and curricula in the light of con­­cept into all areas of education and ESD. The biggest challenge of our time, learning. climate change, now plays a central role in our ESD activities and will be an im­ The UNESCO World Conference on portant strategic focus of our programme ESD in 2009 in Bonn, which was kindly in the coming years, together with biodi­ hosted by the German Government, reaf­ versity and disaster risk reduction. These firmed that ESD is crucial for attaining three themes provide key entry points quality education. ESD increases the rel­ into the broader agenda of ESD. evance of learning content, provides in­ 4 WelComing notes UNESCO is concentrating some of its education initiative. The German imple­ concrete efforts in ESD on those de­ mentation of the Decade, which is coor­ veloping and least developed countries dinated by the National Commission for most in need of assistance. At the same UNESCO with funding from the German time, we will continue to raise the profile Government, has successfully combined of ESD at the global level, including in political advocacy with the promotion of connection with the UN Conference on concrete practical education projects. On Sustainable Development to be held in that basis, ESD in Germany has enjoyed June 2012 in Rio de Janeiro, where the a remarkably high level of stakeholder essential contribution of education and involvement across society and an extra­ learning to achieving green societies ordinary degree of visibility. must be recognized. UNESCO is also working towards ensuring that the imple­ I am therefore honoured to welcome this mentation of ESD will continue beyond revised National Plan of Action for the the end of the Decade in 2014. Given the UN Decade and wish all stake holders massive global challenges we are facing, involved every success in the coming equipping individuals and societies for years. UNESCO continues to count on building a viable future is something that Germany’s vital contribution towards certainly will remain on the global educa­ maintaining and increasing the momen­ tion agenda. tum of the Decade. We look forward to working with Germany as a close partner From the beginning of the Decade in in the effort, through ESD, to ensure the 2005, Germany has been one of the most relevance of education today. active countries implementing this major Mark Richmond Director, Division of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development UNESCO 5 ForeWord Foreword Dear Readers, Climate change, famine, the extinction of The first National Action Plan was pub­ species – in view of the many challenges lished back in 2005. It identified four we face in Germany and worldwide it strategic goals for Germany: 1. Further has long become clear that we must ex­ develop and pool activities in the field of plore new approaches in our behaviour, Education for Sustainable Development,