Building a more sustainable world through education

To integrate the principles, values and practices of sustainable development into all aspects of education and learning and to enhance the profi le of education and learning in sustainable development, the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD) was launched in 2005. The vision of the DESD is to create a world in which everyone has the opportunity to benefi t from education and to learn the values, behaviour and lifestyles required for a sustainable future that effects positive societal transformations. The DESD is everyone’s business. It calls for individuals and groups at all levels to be involved in working towards a more sustainable future. The DESD must be understood within the framework of the broader development agenda. That is why the Decade aims to help countries make progress toward the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) through ESD efforts. For example, by promoting education as a fundamental human right, particularly for women, children, minorities and other marginalized groups, ESD adds its voice to the urgent collective call for primary education for everyone (Goal 2). Similarly, ESD takes on the challenge of ensuring environmental sustainability (Goal 7) by increasing awareness of both the positive and negative impact of human activity on the environment and by encouraging attitudes and behaviour that respect it. ESD substantially contributes to the alleviation of poverty (Goal 1) by emphasizing the important role of education in mobilizing individuals and communities in the struggle for a better quality of life.

Keywordseducation, sustainable development, UN decade of education, combating desertification