by: Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)

Education is a key agent for change towards sustainable development. Education for sustainable development (ESD) builds the capacity of individuals, communities and society as a whole to make informed judgements and choices in favour of sustainable development. Because ESD is not only about teaching the subjects relevant to sustainable development but also about participatory learning process, its introduction at the national and local levels is a complex and evolving process that often implies the challenge of transforming existing approaches to education.

Responding to the new challenge of ESD, in 2005 the environment and education ministers of United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) member States adopted the UNECE Strategy for ESD. Work under the Strategy constitutes an important contribution of the UNECE region to the United Nations Decade on ESD. It is done in collaboration with UNESCO, the lead global agency for the Decade.

The UNECE Strategy for ESD is a policy tool that helps the countries of the region to introduce and promote ESD in national formal, non-formal and informal education in their respective countries. It aims at developing policy, regulatory and operational frameworks to support ESD, equipping educators with the necessary competences, ensuring that adequate tools and materials for ESD are accessible, promoting research on and development of ESD, and strengthening regional cooperation on ESD.

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