ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION WITHIN THE

CONTEXT OF UNDESDBy

Mohamed Al-AawahUNESCO Cairo Office

UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development

The DESD (205-20014) declared in Dec. 2002 at 57th session of the United Nations General Assembly adopted .

The DESD offers an opportunity to promote the vision of a more sustainable and just global community through different forms of education, public awareness and training activities.

Gives visibility to the critical role of education and life skills programmes in enabling communities

Objectives of the UN DESD

To encourages Governments to consider the inclusion … of measures to implement the Decade in their respective education systems and strategies and, where appropriate, national development plans

To integrate values, activities and principles inherently linked to SD in all forms of education and learning and to help realize a change in attitudes, behaviors and values to ensure a more sustainable future in social, environmental and economic terms.

To offer the opportunity to reorient various dimensions of education, training and governance, and to enable all stakeholders to view the world through a lens of concern for sustainability.

UNESCO’s Strategic Action

UNESCO focuses its efforts on four key areas of strategic action: 1) enhancing synergies with different education and

development initiatives and strengthening ESD partnerships; 2) developing and strengthening capacities for ESD; 3) building, sharing and applying ESD-related knowledge; 4) advocating for ESD, and increasing awareness and

understanding of sustainability.

UNESCO’s Strategic Action

In each area of strategic action, UNESCO strive to stimulate fresh initiatives, promote new forms of cooperation, boost the spread of good practices in ESD and place strong emphasis on enhancing partnerships in ESD to better mobilize and engage with key stakeholder groups.

Key Arab Region challenges

In the Arab States region, ESD is primarily focused on environmental issues and has a stronger presence in formal education than in non-formal and informal education. Policy-makers, administrators, and teachers need to be given more space to make changes, to experiment, and to take risks to accomplish new educational and sustainability goals.

Key Arab Region challenges and opportunities for ESD

The ESD Regional Framework for the Arab States identifies a number of specific challenges for the implementation of ESD in the region:

Understanding the broad and inclusive concept of ESD and its inter-linkages with a number of other cross-cutting themes and initiatives in order to integrate it into school curricula, educational materials and activities;

Integrating the values and traditions of the Arab States in the planning and implementation of ESD, in particular using them to inform the development of ESD curricula and teaching materials;

Providing the necessary funding and training and promoting the principle of equal partnership;

Enhancing cooperation through the participation of international organizations and bodies in ESD development and implementation.

How UNESCO is collaborating with the UNCCD secretariat ?

The cooperation UNESCO and UNCCD aims at strengthening collaboration between countries affected by desertification, land degradation and drought (DLDD) taking into account south-south cooperation. It further aims at increasing awareness and fostering an advocated approach on the development and implementation of policies and measures based on experiences, lessons learnt and technological and scientific research that contribute to addressing DLDD.

UNCCD Strategy

OPERATIONAL OBJECTIVES AND EXPECTED OUTCOMES:1. Advocacy, awareness raising and education

To actively influence relevant international, national and local processes and actors in adequately addressing desertification/land degradation and drought-related issues.

Outcome 1.1: Desertification/land degradation and drought issues and the synergies with climate change adaptation/mitigation and biodiversity conservation are effectively communicated among key constituencies at the international, national and local levels.

Outcome 1.2: Desertification/land degradation and drought issues are addressed in relevant international forums, including those pertaining to agricultural trade, climate change adaptation, biodiversity conservation and sustainable use, rural development, sustainable development and poverty reduction.

Outcome 1.3: Civil society organizations (CSOs) and the scientific community in the North and the South are increasingly engaged as stakeholders in the Convention processes and desertification/land degradation and drought are addressed in their advocacy, awareness raising and education initiatives.

Environmental Education

Environmental education is key for respecting nature and for achieving international agendas, including the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)

Education, communication, and public awareness are essential elements in ensuring improvements in the quality of life of all people and their environment, eradication of poverty, reducing inequalities and promoting sustainable development.

Climate Change Education for Sustainable Development at UNESCO

Education is an essential element of the global response to climate change. It helps young people understand and address the impact of global warming, encourages changes in their attitudes and behaviour and helps them adapt to climate change-related trends.

Through its Climate Change Education for Sustainable Development Programme , UNESCO aims to make climate change education a more central and visible part of the international response to climate change. The programme aims to help people understand the impact of global warming today and increase "climate literacy" among young people.

It does this by strengthening the capacity of its Member States to provide quality climate change education; encouraging innovative teaching approaches to integrate climate change education in school and by raising awareness about climate change as well as enhancing non-formal education programmes through media, networking and partnerships.

UNESCO responds to climate change through education within the framework of the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD).

Objectives of the Programme

Strengthen the capacity of Member States to provide quality climate change education for sustainable development at primary and secondary school leve

Encourage and enhance innovative teaching approaches to integrate quality climate change education for sustainable development in schools

Raise awareness about climate change and enhance non-formal education programmes through media, networking and partnerships

UNESCO-UNEP International Environmental Education

Programme (IEEP) Over the last decade the UNESCO-UNEP International

Environmental Education Programme (IEEP) has developed the Environmental Education Series focusing on the incorporation of EE into primary and secondary curricula, teacher education, university general education, technical and vocational education and non-formal education.

The EE Series includes prototype modules on environmental themes, on guidelines for EE development, and on EE curricula dimensions for various levels of education.

Education Materials Cont.,,

Educational Kit for combating Desertification (Arabic Version Available)

Teaching Resource kit for dryland Countries (Arabic Version Available)

Learning Kit on Biodiversity UNESCO-CBD Learning Kit Teaching Resource Kit for Mountain CountriesLink: http://www.unesco.org/new/en/natural-

sciences/environment/ecological-sciences/capacity-building-and-partnerships/educational-materials

Forthcoming workshop

Experts Meeting on Climate Change Education for Sustainable Development in the Arab Region (2015): a three-day regional expert meeting will focus on the challenges that climate change poses to education systems in the Arab region. The meeting would set the stage for UNESCO’s action in support of countries in the Arab region for the remaining years of the UN Decade on Education for Sustainable Development and beyond. The meeting will develop recommendations and a plan of action to promote education as an important means to enhance adaptation to climate change in the context of sustainable development in Arab countries.

UNESCO Programme for Dryland Region

The implementation of program-oriented action in the Arab region, especially in the fields of research, education, training, awareness raising, policy and advocacy and capacity building, like the project Sustainable Management of marginal Dryland (SUMAMAD) , contributes to improve the understanding and to raise awareness about the effects of desertification, land degradation and drought as well as the benefits of sustainable land management.

 

Thank You For Your Attention