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TOMORROW TODAY United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization TOMORROW TODAY United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization DISCLAIMER The authors are responsible for the choice and presentation of the facts contained in this document and for the opinions expressed therein, which are not necessarily those of UNESCO and do not commit the Organization. This publication may be freely quoted. Acknowledgement of the source is requested. Requests for the reproduction or translation of this publication should be directed to the publisher. ISBN 0-9536140-8-5 © 2010 Tudor Rose. All rights reserved. To purchase a hard copy of this book, please see the order form at the end of this pdf. Published by Tudor Rose on behalf of UNESCO. www.tudor-rose.co.uk Additional copies of this publication are available for purchase from Tudor Rose. Acknowledgements Compiled by: Sean Nicklin and Ben Cornwell Edited by: Michele Witthaus, Karen McCandless, Rebecca Lambert Designed by: Paul Robinson and Leigh Trowbridge Project Manager: Stuart Fairbrother Cover design: Paul Robinson and Leigh Trowbridge Cover image: Young pupils gather around a UNICEF-provided map of the world at Samuel D. Hill Public School, a combined primary and secondary school in Tubmanburg, capital of the north-western Bomi County, Liberia. © UNICEF/NYHQ2007-0602/Giacomo Pirozzi Asian & Pacific Training Centre for Information and Communication Technology for Development (UN-APCICT- ESCAP) Australian Research Institute in Education for Sustainability (ARIES) Bay of Bengal Programme Inter-Governmental Organisation (BOBP-IGO) Canadian Commission for UNESCO Centre for Environment Education (CEE) Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Foundation for Liberal and Management Education (FLAME) German Commission for UNESCO Handong Global University Hong Kong Institute of Education Indian National Commission for Cooperation with UNESCO Institute of Advanced Studies of the United Nations University (UNU-IAS) Institute of Sustainable Education, Latvia Japanese National Commission for UNESCO Korean National Commission for UNESCO Manitoba Education Mercy Relief National Commission of the People’s Republic of China for UNESCO National Institute of Education, Singapore Qatar University Rhodes University RMIT University SADC Regional Environmental Education Programme Science, Technology and Environment Partnership Centre (STEP), Brunei SEAMEO-RIHED Shangri-La International Hotel Management Ltd. Sultan Idris Education University Swedish National Commission for UNESCO Swiss National Commission for UNESCO Tokyo Institute of Technology United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) University of Crete University of Plymouth []3 Foreword IRINA BOKOVA, DIRECTOR-GENERAL OF UNESCO Education for sustainable development is born out of a very simple idea: reaching sustainability will require more than legal frameworks, financial resources and green technologies, it also needs us to change the way we think – change that can best be obtained through education. The international community first recognized the role of education in achieving sustainable development in 1992, when participants at the Earth Summit held in Rio de Janeiro adopted Agenda 21, Chapter 36 of which is devoted to promoting public awareness and training. Since then, these policy ideas have taken shape, and educators around the world are seeking to ensure that their teaching incorporates the principles and values of sustainability. As the United Nations agency with a mandate for education, UNESCO is uniquely placed to support countries to promote sustainable development through formal and non-formal learning. As leader of the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD, 2005-2014), proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 2003, the Organization facilitates partnerships with a wide range of players, including youth and media groups; fosters research and the sharing of information and good practices; and provides a framework for monitoring and evaluation. It has also convened major events such as the 2009 UNESCO World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development held in Bonn, Germany. The publication Tomorrow Today, which is being produced in time for the presentation of the DESD mid-Decade report to the UN General Assembly in November 2010, sets out the opportunities and emerging challenges in the area of sustainable development, and identifies innovative means for addressing them. The diverse voices in this book clearly demonstrate that reorienting our education systems in line with the principles of sustainable development is essential for helping learners to understand and act upon such threats as climate change, poverty, food scarcity and the loss of biodiversity. Building the sustainable world of tomorrow requires concrete action today. This book provides some answers as to how, through education, we can prepare a better future for all. I thank our partner Tudor Rose and all the contributors who have made Tomorrow Today possible. Image: © UNESCO/Michel Ravassard Irina Bokova Director-General of UNESCO []4 Contents Acknowledgements ........................................................................................3 How the Education for Rural People policy contributes to sustainable development .............................................................38 Foreword by Irina Bokova, Director-General, UNESCO ................................4 Lavinia Gasperini, Senior Officer, Agricultural Education, Office of Knowledge Exchange, Research and Extension, Food and Agriculture Preface by Werner Faymann, Federal Chancellor of Austria ...........................7 Organization of the United Nations Statement by The Honourable Diane McGifford, Chair, Council of Education for sustainable cities .......................................................42 Ministers of Education, Canada ....................................................................8 Training and Capacity-building Branch, UN-HABITAT Statement by Prof. Dr. Annette Schavan, Federal Minister of Desertification is not about deserts: meeting drylands challenges Education and Research, Germany ................................................................9 through education ...........................................................................45 Luc Gnacadja, Executive Secretary, UN Convention to Combat Desertification Statement by Tatsuo Kawabata, Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan ....................................................................10 Integrating sustainability in teaching and learning: the role of the Earth Charter .............................................................................48 Statement by Micheline Calmy-Rey, Federal Councillor, Head of Mirian Vilela, Executive Director, Earth Charter International Secretariat, the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs and Member of the Earth Charter International UN High-Level Panel on Global Sustainability ............................................11 Unlocking the potential of ESD for green growth .............................49 Statement by Jacques Diouf, Director-General, FAO....................................12 Kang Sangkyoo, Korean National Commission for UNESCO Statement by Achim Steiner, Executive Director, United Nations The private sector and education for sustainable development .........52 Environment Programme ............................................................................13 John Fien, Professor of Sustainability, RMIT University, Australia and Statement by Anna Tibaijuka, Executive Director, UN-HABITAT ...............14 Rupert Maclean, Professor of International Education, Hong Kong Institute of Education Statement by Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, Executive Director, UNFPA...............15 Reaching young people with sexual and reproductive health and HIV Statement by Konrad Osterwalder, Rector, information and services in Mozambique .........................................54 United Nations University ...........................................................................16 Adolescent and Youth Programme in collaboration with the Mozambique Country Office, UNFPA Statement by Ján Kubiš, Executive Secretary, UNECE .................................17 Promoting education for sustainable development in China ............58 Statement by Josette Sheeran, Executive Director, World Food Programme ..18 Shi Gendong, Executive Director, and Wang Qiaoling, Academic Secretary, National Working Committee for the UNESCO Project on ESD in China Envisioning, coordinating and implementing the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development ................................................19 Establishing enriched learning in Japan: participation Mark Richmond, Director, Division for the Coordination of UN Priorities and partnership ...............................................................................62 in Education, Education Sector and Platform Manager, Intersectoral Nobuo Fujishima, Secretary-General, Japanese National Commission for Platform on Education for Sustainable Development, UNESCO UNESCO, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan From Tbilisi to Bonn: