Unfolding the Power of ESD : Lessons Learned and Ways Forward : report of the conference

The report aims to inspire and inform international, national and local efforts to elaborate and accel­erate ESD around the world. It makes four main recommendations: Involve ESD: ESD can facilitate dialogue and learning on critical sustainable development issues. ESD should be conducted in more open and inclusive ways. Transboundary partnerships and governance structures are necessary to give ESD more traction. Expand ESD: Link ESD to the Convention on Biological Diversity. ESD should address the global health risks. Efforts to promote green skills through Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) should be acknowledged and integrated into ESD. Early Childhood ESD should be part of the post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals. Use ESD to reorient education: ESD addresses the quality dimension of the Education for All (EFA) agenda. UNESCO should enhance the dialogue and concrete connections between the Education for All (EFA) initiative and ESD. Ministries of Education and other authorities should use ESD to strengthen the quality of edu­cational programs and strategies. There is a strong need for following up official national SD and ESD policies, in order to help scaling up and spreading innovative practices. Make ESD policy context-sensitive: A process of mediation is needed to translate and adapt general aims and principles to meaningful and supportive policy at the local level.<p>The conference ”The Power of ESD –Exploring Evidence &amp; Promise” was organized by the Swedish International Centre of Education for Sustainable Development (SWEDESD) and Gotland University, Visby, Sweden. It brought together 120 ESD pol­icy, research and practice experts from 35 coun­tries for three days of intensive knowledge exchange and knowledge co-production.