The United Nations Decade on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)

UNDAF Inter-Agency Working Group Meeting,

National Seminar on ESD and the UNDP/UNESCO Mission

Education for sustainable development (ESD) aims to help people to develop the attitudes, perspectives, skills and knowledge to make decisions and act according to them for the benefit of themselves and others, now and in the future.

The United Nations General Assembly declared the United Nations Decade on Education for Sustainable Development for 2005-2014 (UNDESD) which seeks to integrate the principles, values and practices of sustainable development into all aspects of education and learning. UNESCO had been designated as the lead agency for the Decade.

In many developing countries active involvement of the United Nations Country Team and the inclusion of ESD issues to the United Nations Development Assistance Frameworks (UNDAF) are provided a basis for national assistance. In Armenia alone with those countries collaboration with donor organizations became also crucial in the process of developing national strategies and frameworks to support ESD.

UNESCO together with UNDP, UNICEF and other sister UN agencies s is actively taking part in implementation of the UNDAF for 2010-2015 in Armenia. United Nations Development Assistance Framework is a program document between the Government and the United Nations Country Team that defines the collective actions of the UN to the achievement of national development. The Government and the United Nations Country Team included into UNDAF for 2010-2015 in Armenia activity  where UNESCO is contributing (as a leading UN Agency) together with UNDP and UNICEF towards on introduction of the sustainable development principles into the education curriculum.

In order to fulfill its commitments UNESCO Moscow Cluster Office and UNDP Office in Armenia are organizing a joint mission to develop a joint UNDP-UNESCO-Government of Armenia project on integration of sustainable development into education. The mission will meet UN agencies, key governmental partners (Ministry of Nature Protection, Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, Ministry of Education and Science, educational institutions) and environmental NGOs within the period of 08 – 11 November 2011.

The mission will also take part in the two main activities on ESD in Yerevan: On 09^th November 2011 the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Armenia, UNESCO Moscow Office and UNDP Armenia will organize a National Seminar on Education for Sustainable Development to be held on in Best Western Congress hotel with participation of the international organizations, governmental agencies, different education institutions and environmental NGOs of Armenia to discuss the issues of integrating the principles, values and practices of sustainable development into education.

On 10 November 2011, UNDAF Inter-agency Working Group Technical Coordination Meeting will discuss issues related to introduction of the sustainable development principles into the education curriculum with presentations from UNESCO and UNDP.

Based on the joint UNDP/UNESCO mission, National Seminar and UNDAF Inter-agency Working Group Meeting results joint UNDP-UNESCO-Government of Armenia project on integration of sustainable development into education will be developed and more people in Armenia will know more about ESD.