Tag: Sustainability

The present book (with chapters translated in Spanish and English) seeks to contribute with current global efforts, most of them framed as part of the United Nations 2030 Agenda, for a revolution in the education practice (or for a new paradigm of education to emerge) to address the unsustainability challenges humanity is facing. The book compiles 25 chapters from 29 authors, representing 11 countries, in which the authors reflect on how education policies, processes and practices would primarily seek to cultivate a new level of ecological responsibility, as well as sustainability and global citizenship consciousness. The chapters provide insights of the type of education practice that seeks to address the disconnect between acquiring knowledge and the commitment to contribute with the common good and the well-being of all. The content presented in this book correspond to some of the presentations offered at the Earth Charter International Education Conference: Leading the Way to Sustainability 2030. The conference was organized by the Earth Charter Center for Education for Sustainable Development at the University for Peace and took place on 29 – 31 January 2019.

YouTube link to the launch on 22 December, 2020

Leading the Way to Sustainability 2030

Organizer: Earth Charter Center for Education for Sustainable Development at the University for Peace, Costa Rica
UNESCO Chair on Education for Sustainable Development with the Earth Charter

Context (from the Earth Charter website)

In 2019, the UN High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development will be focusing on the progress of SDG 4: Ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning (among other interrelated goals), and will launch the Global Sustainable Development Report.  This report will be the first of a quadrennial series that will inform the high-level global reviews of the 2030 Agenda at the United Nations. In this sense, 2019 is an important year not only for governments, but also for civil society in general, to review the progress made towards the realization of the SDGs, specifically on education.

Education is central to the mission of the Earth Charter International, which is why it established an Education Center, whose activities highlight the importance of incorporating sustainability values and principles into the processes of learning and decision-making. The Center forges new paths in education for sustainable development, global citizenship education, and emerging leadership paradigm. The Center’s work is implemented under the framework of the UNESCO Chair on Education for Sustainable Development with the Earth Charter, which works to generate educational programmes and research activities specifically on the intersection of sustainability, ethics and education.

Considering this context, ECI is organizing a conference on education around the SDG 4 target 7 implementation and the importance of education for the Earth Charter Initiative mission. The overall objective is to bring together academics and practitioners who have been using the Earth Charter in the sphere of education (through teaching or research), to present their experiences and share their lessons learned, and how these connect with the SDG 4.7, which states:

By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development.

This conference will contribute to the overall objectives of the EC+20, and will serve as a preamble for the major EC+20 networking event to take place in 2020.   In addition, the conference will offer some training opportunities for participants.