INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION IN FORMATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION

In the article is reviewed the way of formation environmental education from the relative uncertainty of its aims and tasks to the universal recognition as a leading factor for achieving stability and sustainable development of the modern worldwide community. Four periods of activation international cooperation in environmental education were characterized, each played an important role in developing theory and practice of environmental education. The first period of international cooperation for the conservation of nature in connection with the intensive development of industry began before the Second World War (1939). At this stage, the main activity was limited with legal regulation of objects of common sea fishing outside the jurisdiction of separate states. The second historical period for International Cooperation (1940 – 1962) is connected with United Nations (UN) creation, organization of International Union of Nature Protection (IUCN) and acceptance of statute specialized on agency UN with educational, scientific and cultural questions (UNESCO). The third period (1962 – 1992) begins from appearance of monograph R. Carson «Silent Spring» and from UN General Assembly resolution «Economical development and environmental protection», which declares that conservation and sustainable use of natural resources are responsible for all states. In Stockholm took place UN conference with environmental question, which had an important role in theory and practice of environmental education development, emphasized its necessity. As result of Stockholm Conference was a special program UN with environmental questions acceptance (UNEP), which was further developed at international conference in Belgrade (Yugoslavia), which appeared «Belgrade Charter». 1977 inTbilisi (Georgia) was organized the first intergovernmental conference with environmental education questions. Heads of 66 States, members of UNESCO took part in her development. The fourth modern (global) period begins since 1990, when there are fundamentally important changes in paradigm, aims, tasks and content of environmental education. Since the beginning of 90ʼs. environmental problems, environmental education and sustainable development are researched as problems, which are connected organically. In 1992, inRio de Janeiro (Brazil) the UN Conference was organized with environmental questions and development, which emphasized the importance of environmental education as a mean of saving life on the planet, as a decisive factor for sustainable development of modern world again. Thus, the number of global projects showed, that the governments of the world have adopted the necessary national laws and regulations for implementing the ideas and aims of education for sustainable development in their national education system, to practice of environmental organizations and daily business activities