UNESCO's Global Action Programme [ GAP ] replaces the DESD on the 1st January 2015 and is intended as "a concrete, tangible contribution to the post-2015 agenda."
Its objectives are to ...
- reorient education and learning so that everyone has the opportunity to acquire the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes that empower them to contribute to sustainable development.
- strengthen education and learning in all agendas, programmes and activities that promote sustainable development.
To enable strategic focus and foster stakeholder commitment, the GAP has five priority action areas:
- Advancing policy – Mainstream ESD into both education and sustainable development policies, to create an enabling environment for ESD and to bring about systemic change
- Transforming learning and training environment – Integrate sustainability principles into education and training settings
- Building capacities of educators and trainers – Increase the capacities of educators and trainers to more effectively deliver ESD
- Empowering and mobilising youth – Multiply ESD actions among youth
- Accelerating sustainable solutions at local level – At community level, scale up ESD programmes and multi-stakeholder ESD networks
Here are some observations – and predictions:
1. The Objectives are so unspecific as to be more properly Aims.
2. Neither mention ESD, as they are written to apply to all education and training.
3. This is good! People might take notice.
4. But all the action areas all apply to ESD.
5. That is, sadly, they only apply to ESD.
6. This relieve all the rest of humanity – who know nothing of ESD, and care less – of the need to do anything at all.
7. How marvellous! Another UNESCO triumph.
8. Meanwhile, the world will continue on regardless, oblivious to all of this.
9. 10 years on, however, it will be seen as another great success.
Responses
The sense of triumphalism and celebration emanating from Japan and its coterie is palpable but mistaken! We are living on borrowed time unless there is real leadership for change.