MEDIMUN XII Annual Session 2020
RESEARCH REPORT – General Assembly 3 Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Mediterranean Model United Nations XII 2020
Contents Topic 1: The question of climate induced migration from the Sahel region……...3 Topic 2: The question of LGBTQ+ rights and military service…………………………8 Topic 3: The question of improving education for young people in sustainable development………………………………………………………………………………………14 Mediterranean Model United Nations XII 2020
Topic 1: The question of climate induced migration from the Sahel region.
Introduction
The EU is struggling to cope with the so- called “migration crisis” that has emerged over the past few years. Designing the right policies to address immigration requires a deep understanding of its root causes. Why do Africans decide to leave their home countries? While the dream of a better life in Europe is likely part of the explanation, one also needs to examine the prevailing living conditions in the large and heterogeneous sub-Saharan region.
Definition of Key Terms
1. Climate Induced: There is no universally agreed definition of climate- induced human mobility, but broadly, it refers to movement of people driven by sudden or progressive changes in the weather or climate. This can include temporary and permanent, seasonal and singular, as well as voluntary and forced movement. 2. Migration: Movement of people to a new area or country in order to find work or better living conditions. 3. Sahel Region: The Sahel is the biogeographic zone of transition in Africa between the Sahara to the north and the Sudanian Savanna to the south. Having a semi-arid climate, it stretches across the south-central latitudes of Northern Africa between the Atlantic Ocean and the Red Sea.
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General Overview
African regions are expected to be the most affected by impacts of climate change such as hotter and drier climates, oscillations in precipitation patterns, droughts and land degradation. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) estimates that up to 90 million ha of drylands in sub-Saharan Africa could experience drought. The Sahelian countries like Senegal and the Sudan could lose just over 50 % of their agricultural capacity and Mali 30-40 %. On the other hand, the Sahelian region and particularly West Africa has a long history of population movements and represents a multitude of migration patterns and trajectories. Mobility has been common in West Africa since pre- historic times and has included both cyclical migrations linked to agricultural production styles, as well as more permanent movements resulting from the search for economic opportunities and changes of the environment.
People potentially at risk of being displaced because of desertification: 135 million
Number of people who have fled because of floods, famine and environmental disasters: approximately 24 million (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR): 2002)
People at risk of sea-level-rise by 2050: 162 million
People at risk of droughts and other climate change events by 2050: 50 million
People estimated to become permanently displaced “climate refugees” by 2050: 150–200 millions
Environmentally displaced people by 2010: 50 million (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) 2007) Mediterranean Model United Nations XII 2020
Refugees due to climate change by 2050: 250 million (Christian Aid 2007)
People displaced by 2030: 78 million (Global Humanitarian Forum 2009)
Major Parties Involved
1. Agenda for Sustainable Development (UN, 2015) 2. Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 (SFDRR) (UNISDR, 2015) 3. New Urban Agenda (UNHABITAT, 2016). 4. United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change – (UNFCCC)
Previous Attempts to Resolve the Issue
1. Climate-induced mobility is gaining some attention in international debates on migration and displacement. Understanding of the protection needs of those forced to move by intensive and extensive risk has increased over the last year, but this has not as yet led to policy change or legislative reform. 2. The research project “Migration, Climate and Environmental Changes in the Sahel” investigates the social-ecological conditions of population movements in Senegal and Mali, to contribute to a better understanding of the complex relationships between (climate-related) environmental changes and migration. 3. In 1990 the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) indicated “The gravest effects of climate change may be those on human migration as millions will be displaced” 4. Just over 20 years ago, the executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) reported that “as many as 50 million people could become environmental refugees” if the world did not act and support sustainable. 5. The outcome from the United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III), the New Urban Agenda, outlines a global strategy around urbanisation for the
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next two decades. It should be an important framework for addressing issues of climate induced migration. 6. The UN Global Commission on International Migration report, Migration in an interconnected world: new directions for action, notes that disasters and environmental degradation are drivers of migration. 7. A Global Migration Group (GMG) was set up in 2006 to bring together the heads of UN agencies to advance a coherent approach to migration, although the UNFCCC was not included, and climate change has not been discussed much to date. 8. Some UN agencies within the GMG are beginning to integrate work on climate-induced migration into their programmes.
Possible Solutions
1. Collaboration with the government and NGOs (non-governmental organizations). 2. Introduction of schemes for the reduction of natural gas emission in the atmosphere to reduce climate change (i.e. rising of temperatures, change in rainfall patterns and sea levels) with annual reports and validated data. 3. Encourage the use of wind power as a renewable, clean energy resource, biofuels over fossil fuels and other environmentally friendly resources. Mediterranean Model United Nations XII 2020
4. Provide a stable environment with adequate living conditions in Sahel with suitable facilities and conditions regardless of the size of each family. 5. Raise awareness of the issue through social, environmental and scientific education with the help and support of eco-organizations, vocational education committees. 6. Increase awareness of human rights through social, personal and health education.
Appendix/Appendices https://news.globallandscapesforum.org/viewpoint/can-we-address-climate- induced-migration/ https://us.boell.org/2019/05/31/correlation-between-climate-change-and- migration-margins-mainstream http://climatemigration.org.uk/moving-stories-the-sahel/ https://www.researchgate.net/publication/ 299744375_Migration_in_the_West_African_Sahel_- _more_than_a_response_to_climate_change https://www.klimanavigator.eu/dossier/dossiers/057930/index.php?printview=1 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4847105/ https://www.climatechangenews.com/2012/04/27/climate-change- desertification-and-migration-connecting-the-dots/
Sources https://www.odi.org/sites/odi.org.uk/files/resource-documents/10996.pdf http://www.micle-project.net/uploads/media/micle-wp1-2012-en.pdf? fbclid=IwAR0-cHZGSShuVQFfZ4ZeiyswKL5-ap49MD3s- HueypNwJdxX6I0Tm4FxQNY https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959378018301596? fbclid=IwAR1JUKFFhYDQavGXzyzjEVEEXbhAUAjCLppl1PtTOCmnGAEStsc3AtQ60 MA
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Topic 2: The question of LGBTQ+ rights and military service.
Introduction:
While the LGBT community has seen increased representation in the military in the past decade, strides are still being made to improve acceptance, integration and health for gay and transgender service members.
Today, gay and transgender military service members enjoy far more rights than they did even five years ago—but the fight continues to increase visibility and acceptance for this group in the armed forces.
Definition of Key Terms:
1. LGBTQ+: An initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer rights. 2. Lesbian/Gay/Queer: Homosexual, sexually attracted to people of one's own sex. 3. Bisexual: Sexually attracted not exclusively to people of one particular gender; attracted to both men and women. 4. Transgender: Denoting or relating to a person whose sense of personal identity and gender does not correspond with their birth sex. 5. Human Rights: Moral principles or norms that describe certain standards of human behaviour and are regularly protected as natural and legal rights in municipal and international law. 6. Abuse: Treat with cruelty or violence, especially regularly or repeatedly. 7. Military: The armed forces of a country. Mediterranean Model United Nations XII 2020
8. Military Service: Time spent serving in the armed forces, especially as a compulsory period for young people in some countries.
General Overview:
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ+) personnel are able to serve in the armed forces of some countries around the world: the vast majority of industrialized, Western countries, in addition to Brazil, Chile, South Africa, Israel, and South Korea. The rights concerning intersex people are vaguer.
This keeps pace with the latest global figures on acceptance of homosexuality, which suggest that acceptance of LGBTQ+ communities is becoming more widespread mostly if not only in wealthy countries, not religiously bounded.
However, an accepting policy toward gay and lesbian soldiers does not invariably guarantee that LGBTQ+ citizens are immune to discrimination in that particular society. Even in countries where LGBTQ+ persons are free to serve in the military; activists claim that there remains room for improvement. Israel, for example, a country that otherwise struggles to implement LGBTQ+-positive social policy, nevertheless has a military well known for its broad acceptance of openly gay soldiers.
History has seen societies that both embrace and reject openly gay service-members in the military. But more recently, the high-profile 2010 hearings on "Don't ask, don't tell" in the United States propelled the issue to the centre of international attention. They also shed light both on the routine discrimination, violence, and hardship faced by LGBTQ+- identified soldiers, as well as arguments for and against a ban on their service.
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Major Parties Involved:
1. American Military Partner Association: A non-profit organization for the partners, spouses, and families of America's LGBT service members and veterans. 2. American Veterans for Equal Rights: A non-profit organization which supports and advocates for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender veterans of the United States Armed Forces. 3. Blue Alliance: An American non-profit organization of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Alumni of the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. An independent organization that does not represent the US Air Force Academy Association of Graduates nor the U. S. Air Force Academy. 4. Knights Out: An organization of West Point alumni, staff and faculty who support the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people to serve openly in the U.S. military and who wish to educate young officers about the issues and contributions of LGBT troops. 5. OutServe-SLDN: A network of LGBT military personnel, formed as a result of the merger between OutServe and the Servicemembers Legal Défense Network. It was one of the largest LGBT employee resource groups in the world. 6. USNA Out: An American non-profit organization of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Alumni of the U. S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It is an independent 501(c)(3) organization that does not represent the Naval Academy Alumni Association nor the U. S. Naval Academy. It is the first LGBT organization representing alumni from a federal service academy. Mediterranean Model United Nations XII 2020
7. Veterans Benevolent Association (defunct): An organization for LGBT veterans of the United States armed forces. 8. Transgender American Veterans Association: An advocacy group for transgender veterans from the US military. The “Don't ask Don't tell” policy did not apply to transgender members of the United States military.
Previous Attempts to Resolve the Issue:
1. In 2011, the U.N. Human Rights Council passed a wide-ranging resolution on human rights, sexual orientation and gender identity, expressing concern about violence towards LGBTQ people and commissioning the first-ever U.N. study focused on LGBTQ issues. 2. In 2012, the U.N. General Assembly (UNGA) passed a resolution on extrajudicial killings that included crimes motivated by the victim’s sexual orientation and gender identity. This was the first time that was mentioned in a UNGA-passed resolution. 3. In July 2013, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights launched the U.N.’s Free & Equal campaign to promote understanding of the human rights of LGBTQ people. The campaign has reached an estimated two billion people through traditional and social media and generated a stream of widely shared materials – including these powerful videos. 4. In August 2015, the U.N. Security Council held its first-ever meeting to address the human rights of LGBT people under ISIS. The briefing was convened by the U.S. and Chile, with nine out of 15
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Security Council member countries attending, as well as dozens of other countries. 5. The U.N. refugee agency has played a crucial role in assisting LGBTQ people in fleeing violence and persecution, and in helping them resettle in countries that are more welcoming to LGBTQ people. They have repeatedly updated their guidance on how to effectively and sensitively assist LGBTQ refugees and asylum seekers. 6. When the U.N. released its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015, many countries committed to interpreting their language to ensure that LGBTQ people are not “left behind.” 7. In September 2016, the U.N. appointed Vitit Muntarbhorn to serve as its first-ever Independent Expert on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity. In that role, he has worked to reduce violence and discrimination against LGBTQ people and sought to improve their situation in all U.N. member states. 8. The U.N. has published several ground-breaking reports covering “discrimination and violence against individuals based on their sexual orientation and gender identity,” including guidelines and recommendations for national governments. 9. In July 2017 the U.N. Human Rights office criticized the proposed U.S. ban on qualified transgender people serving in the military. 10.Throughout his tenure (2010-17) UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon repeatedly and consistently used his platform to advocate for equality.
“I Thought I Could Serve as an Openly Gay Man in the Army. Then Came the Death Threats.” Necko L. Fanning at Fort Huachuca, Ariz., during a field exercise in late 2011.
Possible Solutions Mediterranean Model United Nations XII 2020
1. Create Federal Laws against discrimination (current federal laws don’t ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity the way they do regarding sex and religion). 2. Introduce further legislation and implement new legal doctrines to support the Human Rights of victims. 3. Construct new UN international bodies concerned with civic, social and political education to increase awareness of the issue. 4. Make an inter-disciplinary team from which all decisions taken will lead to preliminary recommendations. 5. Encourage further support-teams, perhaps through a computer- based UN website or software, in advantage of the exponential technological developments of the decade.
Appendix/Appendices https://www.cmrlink.org/issues/gays-in-the-military https://www.thebalancecareers.com/policy-concerning-homosexuals-us- military-3347134 https://milspousefest.com/5-lgbt-service-members-changed-military- history/ https://www.huffpost.com/topic/lgbt-military https://apply.army.mod.uk/what-we-offer/what-we-stand-for/lgbt https://www.apa.org/pi/lgbt/resources/military-sexual-orientation https://www.thenation.com/article/trans-military-dadt/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Sexual_orientation_in_the_United_States_military https://time.com/5554531/equality-act-lgbt-rights-trump/
Sources https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Sexual_orientation_and_gender_identity_in_military_service https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT
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Topic 3: The question of improving education for young people in sustainable development.
Introduction:
Good quality education is an essential tool for achieving a more sustainable world. Education for sustainable development (ESD) promotes the development of the knowledge, skills, understanding, values and actions required to create a sustainable world, which ensures environmental protection and conservation, promotes social equity and encourages economic sustainability. The concept of ESD developed largely from environmental education, which has sought to develop the knowledge, skills, values, attitudes and behaviours in people to care for their environment. The aim of ESD is to enable people to make decisions and carry out actions to improve our quality of life without compromising the planet. Moreover, it aims to integrate the values inherent in sustainable development into all aspects and levels of learning.
There are a number of key themes in ESD and while the dominant focus is on environmental concerns, it also addresses themes such as poverty alleviation, citizenship, peace, ethics, responsibility in local and global contexts, democracy and governance, justice, human rights, gender equality, corporate responsibility, natural resource management and biological diversity. It is generally accepted that certain characteristics are important for the successful implementation of ESD, reflecting the equal importance of both the learning process and the outcomes of the education process (adapted from ‘UN Decade of Sustainable Development’ UNESCO).
In addition, UNESCO helps improve education as it aims to improve access to quality education on sustainable development at all levels and in all social contexts, to transform society by reorienting education and help people develop knowledge, skills, values and behaviours needed for sustainable development. It is about including sustainable development issues, such as climate change and biodiversity into teaching and learning. Individuals are encouraged to be responsible actors who resolve challenges, respect cultural diversity and contribute to creating a more sustainable world.
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Link between environmental education (EE), education for sustainable development (ESD) and development education (DE):
The relationship between environmental education, education for sustainable development and development education is complex, and the three often display more similarities than differences. All three are essentially concerned with behavioural change through education and the promotion of values, attitudes and understanding. A core value promoted by the three sectors is respect: respect for yourself, respect for others, respect for the world we live in and respect for the planet. In fact, e nvironmental education developed from the concern that human development was having profoundly damaging effects on the natural environment, and its primary aim is the protection and conservation of the environment including natural habitats and ecosystems. Development education’s primary concern is the reduction of poverty, the promotion of social justice and the improvement of quality of life for people. It addresses basic human needs and links local and global actions. Development education focuses on interdependence and interconnectedness between people on both a global and local perspective, but does not traditionally extend this to ecosystem interdependence or specific environmental concerns. DE primarily focuses on social issues of human rights, social injustice, human poverty and world citizenship. It is concerned with the building of knowledge, understanding, skills, attitudes, values and behaviours necessary to enable people to critically examine the world, its development and to act to make it a more just and equitable place. It has much in common with other forms of social and political education. Human rights education, peace education, multicultural education, education on race and race issues, environmental education and ultimately citizenship education all have overlapping features and concerns with development education, although each has its own distinct character and focus. Education for sustainable development’s primary concern is the improvement of the quality of life for people without damaging the environment. Therefore although all three ‘educations’ have much in common, they differ in their primary goal. The relationship between ESD and other educational sectors is the subject of ongoing debate with the latter often regarding ESD as being ‘part of’ their education. Moreover, what many regard as the closest sector to ESD - environmental education - is not necessarily content to be seen as an equivalent to ESD. Many believe that ESD should embrace all these educational sectors to a certain level Mediterranean Model United Nations XII 2020 and, with sustainable development assuming increasing importance in policy and educational contexts, there will be a need for each of these sectors and their practitioners to explore more closely the commonalities between them. Education for sustainable development expands upon the social and human rights dimension in DE and other educational sectors to include a strong environmental focus. ESD shares many similarities with DE and addresses issues such as climate change, oil shortages, water pollution, the need to maintain biodiversity as well as poverty alleviation and human rights. ESD and DE also employ similar methodologies including: critical thinking and problem solving, experiential learning, role play, guided interpretation, debate, futures thinking and participatory decision making. ESD also helps to develop links between the lives of people locally and in the developing world and encourages us to link our actions at a local level to the needs and management of the planet and its population.
In total here are 17 sustainable development goals.
Targets of Goal 4 (Quality Education):
4.1 By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and Goal-4 effective learning outcomes.
4.2 By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary/kindergarten education, so that they are ready for primary education.
4.3 By 2030, ensure equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education, including university.
4.4 By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship.
4.5 By 2030, eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access to all levels of education and vocational training for the vulnerable, including persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples and children in vulnerable situations.
4.6 By 2030, ensure that all youth and a substantial proportion of adults, both men and women, achieve literacy and numeracy.
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4.7 By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development.
4.A Build and upgrade education facilities that are child, disability and gender sensitive and provide safe, nonviolent, inclusive and effective learning environments for all.
4.B By 2020, substantially expand globally the number of scholarships available to developing countries, in particular least developed countries, small island developing States and African countries, for enrolment in higher education, including vocational training and information and communications technology, technical, engineering and scientific programmes, in developed countries and other developing countries.
4.C By 2030, substantially increase the supply of qualified teachers, including through international cooperation for teacher training in developing countries, especially least developed countries and small island developing states.
Definition of Key Terms:
Sustainable development - the organizing principle for meeting 17 human development goals while simultaneously sustaining the ability of natural systems to provide the natural resources and ecosystem services upon which the economy and society depend.
Important abbreviations:
UNFCCC - United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
ESD - Education for sustainable development Mediterranean Model United Nations XII 2020
DE – Development Education
EE – Environmental Education
SDC - Sustainable Development Council
VECs - Vocational Education Committees
NGOs – Non-governmental Organizations
CDVEC - Ireland Vocational Education Committee
DICE – Development and InterCultural Education
ITE – Initial Teacher Education
UNECE – United Nations Economic Commission for Europe
IBEC - Irish Business and Employers Confederation
SPHE – social, personal and health education
SESE – social, environmental and scientific education
CSPE – civic social and political education
General Overview:
Over 265 million children are currently out of school and 22% of them are of primary school age. Enrolment in primary education in developing countries has reached 91 per cent but 57 million primary age children remain out of school. More than half of children that have not enrolled in school live in sub- Saharan Africa. An estimated 50 per cent of out-of-school children of primary school age live in conflict-affected areas. 617 million youth worldwide lack basic mathematics and literacy skills.
Major Parties Involved:
At the UN World Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa in 2002 where the reorientation of current education systems was outlined as key to sustainable development.
In February 2007, ECO-UNESCO undertook a research project on behalf of Comhar SDC (Sustainable Development Council) on education for
Research Report | Page 19 of 25 Mediterranean Model United Nations XII 2020 sustainable development in Ireland (ECO-UNESCO, 2007). The research remit included the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Strategy on ESD, EU and Irish government policy frameworks, international case studies, and an overview of existing good practice in ESD in Ireland. The research methodology included a questionnaire based survey, adapted from the UNECE guidelines on good practice initiatives, and desktop research to identify examples of good practice projects and programmes in the area of ESD in Ireland. The questionnaire was circulated to a wide range of groups in the formal and non-formal education sectors, including subject associations, subject support services, teachers’ unions, education centres, VECs and youth organisations. Target groups also included NGOs working in the environmental, development, human rights, community and voluntary sectors, and businesses associations including the Irish Small Firms Association, the Irish Small and Medium Enterprise association, the Irish Business and Employers Confederation (IBEC) and others. According to UNECE, projects and initiatives are considered good practice if they are closely related to ESD, generate ideas and contribute to policy development. They must have some of the following outcomes and characteristics:
Focus on educational and learning dimensions of sustainable development; Innovative development of new and creative solutions to common problems; Make a difference and have a tangible impact on those concerned; Have a sustainable effect; Have the potential for replication; Support evaluation in terms of innovation, success and sustainability.
Furthermore, an initial teacher training the work of the Ubuntu Network, based in the University of Limerick, was highlighted based on its support of the integration of DE and ESD into post-primary Initial Teacher Education (ITE) in Ireland. The Development and InterCultural Education (DICE) project also works in ITE at primary level. A significant development since the compilation of the research project has been the certification of a Regional Centre for Expertise at the University of Limerick. The research project also identified potential new opportunities for the delivery of ESD within the education system. Mediterranean Model United Nations XII 2020
For example, at present there are opportunities available within the primary school curriculum, in subjects such as social, environmental and scientific education (SESE) and social, personal and health education (SPHE) to promote ESD. Moreover, the nature of the curriculum and the flexibility of class timetabling allow the teacher to focus on the interrelationship between subject areas, which makes the integration of an ESD approach easier.
The secondary school system offers some opportunities for the integration of ESD, however, second level timetabling and structure do not easily allow for links to be made between subject areas, which is an integral element of ESD. Curriculum areas such as civic social and political education (CSPE), geography, science, social, personal and health education and some areas of business studies provide the best opportunities for ESD integration.
This is an example of a collaborative working model between departments and provides an excellent opportunity for the growth of education for sustainable development in Ireland.
Previous Attempts to Resolve the Issue:
In the past decade, major progress has been made towards increasing access to education at all levels and increasing enrolment rates in schools particularly for women and girls. Basic literacy skills have improved tremendously, yet bolder efforts are needed to make even greater strides for achieving universal education goals. For example, the world has achieved equality in primary education between girls and boys, but few countries have achieved that target at all levels of education.
UNESCO & UNFCCC: these organizations were not only promoting climate-change education in schools; they were also giving teachers the tools and knowledge they need to provide that education through online courses. Already, more than 14 million students and 1.2 million teachers in 58 countries have been engaged in such learning, and 550 business schools have signed on to the Principles for Responsible Management Education, developed by the UN Global Compact.
France: The French Constitution states that, “The provision of free, public and secular education at all levels is a duty of the State.” The education system is founded on the principle of free, secular, neutral education in
Research Report | Page 21 of 25 Mediterranean Model United Nations XII 2020 academic freedom and compulsory schooling for all French and foreign children aged 6 to 16 residing in France. The July 2013 Pluriannual French Republic School Reform Policy Act is designed to correct the impact of social and economic inequalities on academic achievement by upgrading teaching and education in schools and establishments in socially disadvantaged areas and to reduce the educational attainment gap between priority education zone pupils and pupils in the rest of France to less than 10%. Work needs to continue to establish a social mix within French schools. In 2013, a total of 660,000 or 35% of all students received a grant for an eligible course (National Education Ministry, 2015). In addition, lifelong environmental and sustainable development education has been developed for all. The educational establishments are working in support of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Germany: https://www.dw.com/en/sustainability-education-picks-up-in-germany/a- 17087861
Sweden: A new system was introduced. The compulsory school system consist of grades 1–9, starting with the year children become seven years old and ends the year they turn 16. Students leaving grade 9 have completed compulsory school, and are entitled to apply for a three-year upper secondary school education. Upper secondary education offers a mix of vocational and academic programs. Both the compulsory school system and upper secondary education received new curricula in 2011. For compulsory school the curriculum is designed so that students should have achieved certain capabilities and knowledge requirements in grade 6 and in grade 9. For upper secondary there are also competences and knowledge requirements that need to be achieved for each subject area.
Slovenia: students in schools that do participate in the eco-schools project know more about the environment than students in schools that do not. Their attitudes and behaviours however are not affected by the certification program.
Russia: This is one of the countries included in the programme for realising the decade of ESD declared by the UN in 2005. Russian representatives were members of the development group that drew up the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe “Strategy of Education for Sustainable Development”. This event raised hopes for a Mediterranean Model United Nations XII 2020 qualitative change in the state of ESD promotion in Russia, inspired by the practitioners of informal 4.1. The state of education for sustainable development in Russia* 108 education, scholars and authors who are developing methods for implementing ESD as well as international, inter- regional and local ESD projects in Russia. The state of education for sustainable development in Russia is very difficult to describe unambiguously. At first glance, one might say that at the systemic state level ESD in its modern sense does not exist Russia. Yet at the same time, one cannot discount the many projects that have been realised, educational programmes created and the large number of other initiatives and developments existing in this field.
In Russia, the role of government in promoting education for sustainable development is quite small. Practically all the main work at the federal and regional level is carried out by civil society organisations and individual initiative groups in educational and research institutions and organisations. At the same time, tens of prominent projects of all sizes have been realised in Russia during the years of moving from environmental education to education for sustainable development, each of which has made a significant contribution to understanding of ESD and changing educational practice. But while recognising the undoubted merits and achievements of these projects and initiatives, it should be noted with regret that the vast majority of them were of a local character, possessed a small amount of resources and could not change the situation at a systemic level across Russia.
UK: https://www.qaa.ac.uk/docs/qaa/quality-code/education-sustainable- development-guidance-june-14.pdf?sfvrsn=1c46f981_8
Azerbaijan: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/ 16005Azerbaijan.pdf
Education for sustainable development in ECO-UNESCO
ECO-UNESCO is an environmental education and youth organisation. As such, the environment plays a central role in the definition of ESD, while still placing great importance on the education of young people which is participative, inclusive and facilitates their own decision-making. As an affiliate of the World Federation of UNESCO clubs, centres and
Research Report | Page 23 of 25 Mediterranean Model United Nations XII 2020 associations, ECO-UNESCO places great importance on a global perspective in our conception of education for sustainable development to examine how our actions are connected to the world at local, national and international levels. Central to all of the work of the organisation is the empowerment of young people and the protection and conservation of our environment from a local and global perspective. The aims of the organisation are to raise environmental knowledge, awareness and understanding in young people, the promotion of the protection and conservation of the environment, and the personal development of young people.
Possible Solutions:
Schools can:
make sustainability a priority in their improvement plans to ensure they are meeting their commitment to become a sustainable school by 2020 develop a whole-school approach to education for sustainability in the curriculum to enable it to become firmly embedded in teaching and learning ensure that all pupils have access to out-of-classroom learning to support their understanding of the need to care for their environment and to promote their physical and mental well-being provide appropriate training and support to inform and engage teachers so that they understand what is required to make a school sustainable ensure that they manage the school estate carefully and become models of good practice for sustainable living and working.
Appendix/Appendices:
Table: Descriptive statistics (means and standard deviations) for the ESD scales and items: Mediterranean Model United Nations XII 2020
Sources: https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/education/ https://dera.ioe.ac.uk/1089/1/Education%20for%20sustainable %20development.pdf https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/ https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2015/05/why-education-is-the-key-to- sustainable-development/ file:///C:/Users/User/Downloads/ issues_and_trends_in_education_for_sustainable_development.pdf file:///C:/Users/User/Downloads/sustainability-07-15693.pdf
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