UNESCO announces ESD-Net 2030 Sub-regional meetings for Asia-Pacific

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) supports efforts to equip learners with the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes needed for a more inclusive, just, peaceful and sustainable world. ESD is recognized globally as an integral element of Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4) and a key enabler of all remaining SDGs.

As the lead agency on ESD, UNESCO has developed a new framework, ESD for 2030, to enhance the global efforts on ESD. At the national level, UNESCO is fostering nationwide multi-stakeholders’ commitment to ESD, namely ESD for 2030 Country Initiatives.

A new global ESD network and upcoming Regional Meetings

To facilitate the implementation of ESD for 2030, UNESCO has also launched a new global network: ESD-Net 2030, the aim of which is to provide a platform of exchange and collaboration guided by four main objectives: 1) knowledge sharing and mutual learning; 2) advocacy; 3) collaboration; and 4) monitoring and evaluation.

As part of ESD-Net 2030 and in response to the recent call for action of the Transforming Education Summit (TES; 2022), with the generous support of the Government of Japan, through the Japanese Funds-in-Trust (JFIT), UNESCO is organizing Regional Meetings to share the progress, needs, challenges and development of Country Initiatives. Additionally, in the lead-up to these Regional Meetings, UNESCO will organize a series of virtual consultation meetings to aid UNESCO Member States with the preparation, planning and implementation of their Country Initiatives.

Regional ESD meeting of June 2023, and preparatory sub-regional online meetings, March–April 2023

In the Asia-Pacific region, UNESCO has proposed to hold a regional ESD meeting in June 2023, which will represent an opportunity to support countries in the region in formulating and implementing their Country Initiatives to mainstream ESD in education and development. 

A series of four preparatory, sub-regional online meetings will be carried out from March through April according to the following regional categories: (1) Central Asia; (2) East Asia and South-East Asia; (3) South and West Asia; and (4) Pacific. The sub-regional online meetings seek to take into consideration each sub-region’s on-the-ground reality, by identify specific challenges and highlighting a contextualized approach which will inform the regional meeting. In addition, these sub-regional consultations will build on local wisdom and contribute to the realization of the overall goal of accelerating regional progress towards SDG 4 and ESD in general.

Objectives of sub-regional online meetings

• Promote the awareness of ESD among key education stakeholders and ensure a consistent understanding towards crucial concepts, including ESD for 2030 Framework, ESD-Net and ESD Country Initiatives  
• Provide a mutual learning and capacity-building opportunity for Member States in the planning and implementation of Country Initiatives, especially for countries that have only just initiated or have not yet formulated their country initiative plans
• Strengthen collaboration and partnership at the national and sub-regional levels through the participation of key implementing partners to tackle and overcome common sub-regional challenges in the implementation of ESD

Dates and times of sub-regional online meetings

• South and West Asia: 1 Mar 2023 (10.00–13.00, GMT+5.30)
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• East and South-East Asia: 10 Mar 2023 (9.00–12.00, GMT+7)
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• Central Asia: 4 Apr 2023 (10.00–13.00, GMT+6)
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• The Pacific: 27 Apr 2023, (13:00–15:30, GMT+13)
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Type of event: Zoom webinar (by invitation)

Organizer: UNESCO Bangkok

Language of webinar: English

Participants

Participants of selected countries are invited to four respective webinars, each themed by sub-region as outlined below:

For each country, 5-7 participants will be invited from the following categories:

1. Representatives from each country’s ESD for 2030 Country Initiative working group, including:
   a) government officials involved in the Country Initiatives (including the focal point and representatives from Ministries of Education, and other ministries involved in the Country Initiative), and
   b) key stakeholders of each Country Initiative who are expected to enhance national and regional cooperation in further promoting and implementing ESD.
2. Other key regional partners, national partners, stakeholders and members of ESD-Net 2030, namely international and regional IGOs, NGOs, professional networks, UNESCO Chairs, research institutions and academia, individual experts and youth, as appropriate. The expected profiles include education professionals (e.g. curriculum developers, teacher trainers, educators), researchers, practitioners including youth working in formal, non-formal and informal settings, and in associated areas of ESD.

For more information: f.khan(at)unesco.org (cc: d.cai(at)unesco.org; sl.tan(at)unesco.org)