The UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD, 2005-2014), offers an opportunity to rethink the manner in which we approach global challenges. Since its international launch in New York on 1 st March 2005, the DESD has made considerable progress in terms of concrete activities and actions on the ground. Apart from the regional and national launches, progress has been achieved in both institutional and programmatic areas at international, regional and national levels. However, given the scale and severity of the global challenges we face, much still remains to be done.
The mid-point of the Decade is a good moment for the international community to reflect on its understanding of and commitment to the Decade. lt is also a moment to take stock of what has been achieved so far, to consider the key lessons learned and to decide on priority measures towards achieving the goals of the Decade.
This 2009 DESD Global Report Learning fora Sustainable World: Review of Contexts and Structures for Education for Sustainable Development presents a succinct yet insightful overview of the contexts in which regions and countries around the world are trying to develop Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and related forms of education and learning. Regional and national realities have shaped how the development and promotion of ESD have occurred, thereby engendering a variety of interpretations of ESD. In the next half of the Decade, we need to focus on finding the unifying dimensions in our thinking about ESD and work towards identifying ways to translate general themes into particular applications responsive to local needs.
The report also sheds light on the structures that countries have put in place to promote and facilitate ESD. Policies, coordination mechanisms and budget allocations, to name a few, constitute the basic building-blocks necessary if progress in ESD is to be achieved. Though progress is satisfactory, we need to do more by mobilizing further political support in countries where ESD is not yet a priority. This mid-Decade review comes at a time when the economy, social, environmental and cultural realms of global society are faced with daunting challenges.
Today, more than ever before, the need for a holistic approach to learning and teaching becomes both vital and urgent. lf its potential to contribute to the paradigm shift in thinking, learning and teaching fora sustainable world is to be realised, ESD has to move to the political centre-stage. The perspectives in this review should serve as a backdrop for not only making the DESD a success but also for ensuring that ESD occupies a salient position on international, regional, national and local agendas.
