Education
for Sustainable Development:
Practice and Priorities in the UNECE Region
A Report on a Preliminary Study
European ECO Forum
January-May 2004
Supported by the Environment for Europe Fund of the UK
Government’s Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to express their gratitude to the
many busy people who freely gave of their time to respond to our question schedules. The
full list of respondents appears under Annex I.
We also wish to thank the UK Government’s Department of
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which has provided financial support for this study
through the Environment for Europe Fund.
Correspondence
Living Earth Foundation
5 Great James Street, London WC1N3DB
Tel: 020 7440 9750 Fax: 020 7242 3817 e-mail: paul.vare@livingearth.org.uk
Centre for Environment and Sustainable
Development ECO-Accord, Russia
Centre ECO-Accord, PO Box 43, 129090 Moscow, Russia
Tel/fax: 7-095-921-51-74; +7-095- 924-4004; +7-095-924-40-63
e-mail: elias@leadnet.ru
Executive Summary
There were two principal objectives in conducting this project:
(i) To conduct an initial survey of ESD policy and its relationship to
practice in Russia, Bulgaria and the UK, in light of the Statement on Education for
Sustainable Development (ESD) endorsed at Kiev 2003;
(ii) To prepare a proposal for a region-wide survey of practice, needs
and priorities in ESD in a number of countries of the UNECE region (representing different
sub-regions – EECCA, CEE and Western Europe) to complement the new UNECE ESD
Strategy.
The three countries covered by this study, Russia, Bulgaria and UK,
represent important UNECE sub-regions: Western, Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), Eastern
Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia (EECCA), plus EU, non-EU and EU accession countries.
This survey was qualitative and was conducted through semi-structured
interviews with government officials and ESD specialists in the three countries plus brief
meetings with members of the UNECE ESD Task Force who attended a meeting at Geneva in
February 2004. The survey was supported by a review of policy-related literature.
An analysis of ‘key themes’ emerging from the survey provided the
following learning points:
The UNECE ESD Strategy ‘defines’ ESD through a set of principles.
Provided broad goals and principles are agreed, the detailed definition of ESD should
emerge through the process of implementation
While ESD is seen as much more than environmental education (EE), it
is clear that a great debt is owed to the practice and advocacy of those educators working
in EE.
The role of economics needs to more explicit in ESD because:
- the contradiction between SD and current patterns of economic
development should be explored as a core component of ESD
- it is part of the integrated whole of sustainable development (SD)
- people with a good grounding in SD can better serve the needs of
national economies
- recognition of the importance ESD to the economy should enhance
engagement by those who have hitherto seen sustainability as a disconnected ‘green
issue’
The private sector has much to offer formal education both as a
provider of context and generator of funding for specific programmes
Multi-stakeholder structures are recommended for implementation of
the Strategy although the need for high-level government co-ordination is emphasised by
respondents
Implementation at the national level requires a component of research
into existing practice
The amount of effort required in re-orientating education towards SD
should not be underestimated
Educational, economic and social sectors should become increasingly
engaged in order to build a broader funding base for ESD
National governments need to commit themselves to allocate funds to
donor-supported ESD projects and programmes so that the level of state responsibility or
‘buy-in’ is sufficient to ensure success
The role of the UNECE ESD Strategy is to:
provide goals and set broad objectives which can be agreed
internationally
suggest novel approaches and ways forward
provide a framework for international assistance
provide a means by which civil society can hold governments to
account
put SD and ESD on the public and political agenda
suggest implementation structures that provide a balance between
top-down process that aim to ‘deliver’ and complex multi-stakeholder processes that
aim to ‘engage’
The impact and influence of the UNECE ESD Strategy will be enhanced if
it appeals to a variety of different actors within governments for different reasons.
Chief among these will be that it:
outlines ESD objectives and principles while acknowledging that a
clear contextualised understanding of ESD is something that can best be achieved through
implementation
recognises policy development as a multi-directional process rather
than a top-down exercise
suggests that relevant implementation structures are identified at
the national level
recommends that policy makers and multi-stakeholder implementing
structures learn from existing good practice
makes explicit the connections between sustainability and the
economic drivers of society thereby demonstrating that sustainable development, ESD and
the economy are part of an indivisible whole
The need for a separate document to supply illustrations of successful
practice and policy implementation structures became apparent through the survey.
A proposal for a region-wide survey of policy, practice and needs
leading to the publication of a companion document and updateable website to accompany the
UNECE ESD Strategy has been produced to accompany this report.
The report highlights a number of issues that the UNECE ESD Task Force
might wish to consider as they prepare their comments for the next meeting to be held in
Rome in July 2004. It is hoped that this report will reach Task Force delegates before
they attend this meeting.
Contents
Executive Summary
1 Introduction
1.1 Background
1.2 Purpose and scope of this study
1.3 Survey methods
2 Notes on national contexts
2.1 Bulgaria
2.2 Russia
2.3 The United Kingdom
3 Key Themes from Interviews 5
3.1 Defining ESD
3.2 Is ESD an extension of EE?
3.3 The role of economics
3.4 Formal/non-formal links
3.5 The implementation process
3.6 Implementation structures
3.7 Capacity building
3.8 Resources
3.9 Key Learning Points
4 To what extent will the UNECE ESD Strategy influence domestic
policies?
4.1 The role of the UNECE ESD Strategy
4.2 Key Learning Points
4.3 The potential of international agreements
4.4 From Policy to implementation
4.5 Key Learning Points
5 The Next Phase
6 Concluding Remarks
Annexes integral to the report:
Annex I List of Respondents
Annex II References
Annex III Project Objectives
Available on request:
Interview Transcripts
Abbreviations
DfES Department for Education and Skills
DEFRA Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
CEE Council for Environmental Education, UK
ECO Environmental citizens’ organisation
EE Environmental education
EECCA Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia
EPR Environmental Performance Reviews
ESD Education for sustainable development
EU European Union
NGO Non-governmental organisation
SD Sustainable development
UNECE United Nations Economic Commission for Europe
Education for Sustainable Development:
Practice and Priorities in the UNECE Region
1 Introduction
1.1 Background
The education for sustainable development (ESD) Strategy that
is being drafted on the initiative of the Environmental Ministers of the United Nations
Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) region and coordinated by the UNECE is a pioneer
example of a region-wide strategic approach to ESD. It will be agreed and implemented by
fifty-five member states including some of the world’s most successful economies,
economies in transition and those facing significant economic, environmental and social
problems.
This study set out to assist the UNECE ESD Task Force and other stakeholders in
achieving a clearer understanding of the principal concerns in implementing ESD policies
in the UNECE Region and sought to identify ways of complementing the development and
implementation of the ESD Strategy.
The study was conducted by a consortium of NGOs (ECO Accord, Russia; Living Earth
Foundation, UK; Borrowed Nature, Bulgaria) under the banner of the European ECO Forum.
1.2 Purpose and scope of this study
The full list of specific objectives of this survey appears under Annex IV although
these can be condensed to give two principal objectives in conducting this project:
(i) To conduct an initial survey of ESD policy and its relationship to practice in
Russia, Bulgaria and the UK, in light of the Statement on Education for Sustainable
Development (ESD) endorsed at Kiev 2003;
(ii) To prepare a proposal for a region-wide survey of practice, needs and priorities
in ESD in a number of countries of the UNECE region (representing different sub-regions
– EECCA, CEE and Western Europe) to complement the new UNECE ESD Strategy.
The three countries covered by this study, Russia, Bulgaria and UK, represent important
UNECE sub-regions: Western, Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), Eastern Europe, Caucasus and
Central Asia (EECCA), plus EU, non-EU and EU accession countries. The countries also offer
a comparison of educational systems: highly prescriptive centralisation in Bulgaria;
federal and regional components in Russia; centralised but reducing curriculum
prescription in the United Kingdom where there are also increasing distinctions between
the devolved national systems. Provision for informal and non-formal education also varies
with the UK having a long tradition of non-governmental involvement although the NGO
sector is now vibrant in all three countries.
1.3 Survey methods
This was a qualitative survey conducted through semi-structured interviews (mostly
face-to-face, some by telephone) with individuals directly concerned with ESD
policy-making in the three countries. Interviews were held with a range of government
officials (covering education, the environment, trade/ economy) and a number of academic
and NGO respondents. Interviews were also conducted with members of the UNECE ESD Task
Force at their meeting in Geneva, February 2004.
The full list of respondents appears under Annex I. Data gathered in the form of
interview transcripts were analysed and a number of ‘themes’ or priority areas were
identified; transcripts and interview notes are available on request. This work was
augmented by a review of policy-related literature (see Annex II).
2 Notes on national contexts
2.1 Bulgaria
The survey involved interviews with eight respondents in Bulgaria representing
different educational stakeholders – five from environmental and educational NGOs, one
from the Ministry of Education and Science, one from the Ministry of Environment and Water
and one from the Education Department of the Sofia University’s Faculty of Biology.
Important issues raised by respondents included: the necessity of equal coverage of
social, economic and environmental components, the need for both students and teachers to
participate in ESD, issues of ethics and ethnic tolerance, the characteristics of each age
group and the need for an integrative approach to education.
Nearly all respondents stated that the economic aspect is very important for ESD. Most
respondents considered the role of economics to be unclear in the first draft of the UNECE
ESD Strategy, others thought the coverage inadequate while some could not identify it at
all.
On the question of how the UNECE ESD Strategy could become a part of the national
educational policy, there were two broad categories of opinion; firstly that the Ministry
of Education and Science should take the lead and secondly that there should be a new
national educational platform with the participation of more stakeholders to plan the ESD
strategy and curriculum.
An Education Development Strategy is currently under development in Bulgaria; this
presents an opportunity to incorporate the UNECE ESD Strategy, however, this could slow
down the development process. It was noted by the Bulgarian researcher that there was
currently little understanding in Bulgaria about ESD at the educational policy-making
level.
There is a strong and growing interest among various Bulgarian stakeholders in ESD. All
eight respondents felt that it was important that implementation of the ESD Strategy
should be a state policy and priority and some stated that external funding should only be
used if accompanied by state engagement. The role of the Ministry of Finances is seen as
important, not only for funding but also in demonstrating political commitment and
sensitivity towards ESD problems and dilemmas.
Bulgaria’s joint project with the World Bank for modernisation of the national
education system has been allocated a total amount of EUR 15.3 million, however only 30-35
% will be utilised (Mrs. Ryima Nayar, World Bank Project Manager pers. comm.). This
situation suggests that limitations at state-level policy-making in the educational sector
may have consequences for national educational reform including the development of ESD.
2.2 Russia
The education system in the Russian Federation is currently in the process of reform. This
is applicable to all stages of education from pre-school to the higher education system.
On the one hand this brings additional complications to the introduction and development
of ESD in Russia, on the other it may provide opportunities for ESD development at
different levels of federal education system.
The Russian school system is adapting to a new structure of curricula and syllabi. All
disciplines will be organised in three main groups: the federal component (including
obligatory disciplines), the regional component (regulated at the regional level) and
elective courses that will be selected by each school. Perhaps the most significant level
for ESD is the regional component. This was confirmed in the course of the interviews that
were conducted in Russia.
There can be space for introduction of sustainable development issues in the regional
context. Another opportunity is direct communication and awareness of school
administrations and introduction of ESD components via elective courses. The federal
component does not include many opportunities, however the ESD element could be allowed in
environmental and social disciplines.
The higher education system in Russia already opens a number of opportunities for ESD.
It may become a pioneer of the ESD at national level. Russian standards for higher
education allow the introduction of SD elements via environmental and ecological
disciplines. SD has been included in the scope of responsibility of the
Scientific-methodological council on ecology and environmental sciences of Russian
classical universities. SD issues are already included in a number of courses. However, a
general strategy and action program on ESD in higher education is needed. New options may
be opened in the process of introducing the Bologna agreements in the Russian higher
education system.
Non-formal and informal education in the Russian Federation is ready for ESD as well.
There are numerous initiatives of educators, NGOs, local authorities that support and
promote ESD development. Some steps are being made in awareness-raising, mostly by NGOs.
The mass media are still not greatly involved in the process, so there is plenty of room
for improvement here. New opportunities for ESD development may be found at regional and
local levels as well as within the system of national education.
In general there are good preconditions for ESD development in the Russian Federation,
however better coordination, more information and methodological materials, stronger
policy support and a number of other factors are needed for the success of ESD in the
whole country.
A number of significant strengths in the country exist. These included:
§ rich human resources
§ good theoretical science
§ a good coordination system in education
§ a high level of teachers’ and pupils’ mobility
§ good cooperation between the federal Ministry and regions
§ a
highly developed system of national education
§ strong interest and a
wide range of initiatives from NGOs and public
However, the study underlined a number of important issues and concerns for ESD and in
particular for the implementation of the UNECE ESD Strategy in the Russian Federation.
These were:
§ there needs to be a
legislative definition of sustainable development
§ a clear agreement on
the meaning of ESD is required
§ the necessity to
further develop a National Strategy and Action Plan and adopt it at the highest possible
level
§ tax benefits for the
private sector supporting ESD are needed
§ national co-funding for
ESD projects is crucial for ther success, but not enough currently
§ grants for small-scale
projects on ESD are needed
§ support to NGOs and
other non-formal and informal activities is needed
§ better
involvement of mass media is very important
2.3 The United Kingdom
There are several positive developments to report: the National Curriculum in England and
Wales demands and encourages schools to give children an understanding of sustainable
development and now includes Citizenship as a subject. The Department for Education and
Skills has recently launched an Action Plan for Education for Sustainable Development
which includes an objective on teaching and learning that schools and local authorities
are encouraged to address as well as objectives on managing the school estate in a more
sustainable manner. The Learning and Skills Council which focuses on post-16 vocational
education has produced its own position statement From Here to Sustainability that
builds on the agency’s existing commitment demonstrated through its Learning to Last projects.
The international development assistance from the UK also highlights the need to address
sustainable development.
The Department for Education and Skills and Department for Environment, Food and Rural
Affairs jointly hosted the UK’s cross-sector Sustainable Development Education Panel
which convened over a five period making recommendations on how different sectors of
society could address the need for more effective ESD.
However, official statements in favour of sustainable development education have not
been backed up with resources, particularly the time and flexibility required to pilot new
approaches to education or the funds to support experimentation. The focus on carefully
prescribed targets in numeracy and literacy as well as regular standardised testing, the
results of which are used to generate national league tables of schools, have all
militated against experimentation in ESD and other areas in the formal sector. Except
where specific funding and/or relaxation of ‘the rules’ is granted e.g. in Education
Action Zones that focus on disadvantaged areas.
The tensions that exist between economics, a driving force behind educational, social
and environmental policy, and sustainable development are not highlighted in formal
education. Indeed, the role of economics in society is barely addressed in the National
Curriculum, while sustainable development is not mentioned in the latest initiative for
enterprise education launched in the UK, Enterprise and the Economy in Education -
the ‘Davies Report’. In a society steeped in materialist values which drive
economic growth, there are no policy statements that explicitly aim to counterbalance this
unsustainable trend, for example, by encouraging education that promotes alternative ways
of valuing people and experiencing the world.
The NGO sector comprises a wide variety of organisations from well-established and
well-resourced charities with decades of experience (e.g. the National Trust, RSPB, WWF,
Friends of the Earth) to a multitude of smaller, often locally based groups that focus on
action for change in specific contexts. The Council for Environmental Education provides a
cross-sector platform for networking and advocacy serving many groups working in ESD
related fields in both the voluntary and state sectors.
While there are many examples of good practice and high-level institutional support,
there are clearly areas where the UNECE ESD Strategy could complement existing policy
without being overly prescriptive.
To summarise, UK strengths in ESD include:
§ clear commitment to SD
among agencies working for further and higher education
§ a wide-ranging action
plan for ESD across the education sector
§ an independent platform
(CEE) for co-ordinating organisations acting in support of ESD
§ cross-sector thinking
on ESD promoted through the SD Education Panel
§ well resourced,
pro-active NGOs that put ideas into action
§ recognition (albeit
recently secured) of the significance of education to the UK’s SD strategy
Weaknesses highlighted by this study include:
§ no clear articulation
at the highest level of what ESD will mean for education providers
§ no clear programme of
capacity development among educators to enable them to engage with ESD
§ a framework of
curriculum and inspection that militates against experimentation in ESD
§ a lack of coherence
between the private sector and formal education on ESD initiatives
§ a failure of formal
education to tackle the apparent contradictions in policies and practices that emphasise
economic growth while exhorting learners to achieve sustainability
§ no indication of how
ESD initiatives will be resourced or rewarded
3 Key Themes
This section draws on the qualitative data gathered from semi-structured interviews
carried out between January and April 2004 (as outlined above under 1.3). As well as
interviews with government officials and others from the three study countries, brief
meetings were held with members of the UNECE ESD Task Force during their February meeting
in Geneva. Interview transcripts (Appendix I) are available on request.
3.1 Defining ESD
Attitudes to this issue cover the full range of possibilities including those with a
prepared definition to offer:
ESD is "how people learn about sustainable development, both through formal and
informal education and how to contribute to sustainable development."
Department for Education and Skills, UK
Others felt that …a definition would be impossible (Global Action Plan, UK)
One principal difficulty is that sustainable development (SD) itself is not always
clearly defined (and not legally defined in Russia). While most respondents call for
clarity, in general there is a pragmatic acceptance that a broad description covering key
concepts is needed rather than a tight definition.
The definition of SD is not precise itself. It is also a concept…Concepts are
better. Models are much better. Therefore we do not and cannot give a clear
definition of ESD, but can create a model and agree on an understanding. So we need a
model of ESD.
International University in Moscow, Russia
It is necessary to agree on general issues that are being meant under ESD, especially
given the fact that the Strategy should be a framework document.
Association for Environmental Education (ASEKO), Russia
There are arguments for and against (a definition). ESD is very poorly
understood so it probably wouldn’t help on balance. Meaning is only really established
through operating with it, and so in fact a statement of goals may help.
Geographical Association, UK
The latter approach which might be characterised as ‘do it in order to define it’
was echoed by an expert at the Bulgarian Ministry of Education and Science:
…it is important for an engagement to exist at national level in order to make
(ESD) operable. This way it will be made more concrete and will give an opportunity for a
bigger number of interested people to identify themselves with the questions raised in the
defined directions of work.
Ministry of Education and Science, Bulgaria
The educationalists’ view appears to be that provided broad goals and principles are
agreed, the detailed definition of ESD becomes part of the process of implementation.
The UNECE ESD Strategy ‘defines’ ESD through a collection of principles. The broad
goal of ESD of course is to promote sustainability but this does not clarify what needs to
be done and by whom. The ESD Strategy suggests actions but work is required at the
national level to ensure that a common understanding is achieved of how the activities are
linked to broad objectives in each country.
On the issue of definitions, the interviews also highlighted the need to identify and
clarify terms as some confusion may arise given the international nature of this document.
Examples cited included: non-formal/additional education and curriculum/syllabus.
3.2 Is ESD an extension of EE?
While accepting that ESD has been promoted by those working in environmental education
(EE), very few respondents felt that EE should be the main carrier subject. In fact it was
seen as a mistake to consider ESD simply as ‘a reorientation of EE’ as stated in the
Draft ESD Strategy. There is a need to widen perspectives away from the traditional
‘green’ issues and shift the balance towards the economic and social spheres. Some
respondents saw the re-orientation of education per se as a role or justification
for the UNECE ESD Strategy.
ESD is about SD, so it is not EE. It is about changing a paradigm of the development of
civilisation.
International University in Moscow, Russia
I think that the Draft Strategy can be broadened by adding more information about the
social and economic components. This is of special importance because ESD is actually
about competencies, values, attitudes and beliefs.
Ministry of Education, Bulgaria
Social issues are seen as critical by several Bulgarian and Russian interviewees with
specific reference being made to ‘conflict resolution’ in Russia and ‘democratic
citizenship’ in Bulgaria. In the UK, a recurring theme was the need to go beyond
traditional environmental concerns in order to make education ‘relevant’.
The challenge is trying to make it 'real' to teachers as well as within the national
curriculum. We want to make SD relevant, to get away from the rainforest. Everybody who
wants to do SD seems to talk about the rainforest.
Department for Education and Skills (DfES), UK
A strong element of traditional EE has been the emphasis on ‘experiential
learning’. This was seen as directly linked to the call to make education ‘real’:
…you can’t expect people to value things they have no experience of. The
informed citizen has: One, an intellectual understanding and two, an emotional commitment,
"I care". Without those two you don’t have the finished product.
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, UK
While ESD is seen as much more than EE, it is clear that a great debt is owed to the
practice and advocacy of those educators working in the environmental field. In promoting
ESD, we should be careful not to diminish the importance of good quality environmental
education.
3.3 The role of economics
Virtually all respondents expressed the need to emphasise economics in ESD.
Three distinct types of responses can be detected. Firstly, the view that economics needs
to be included because it is simply part of the integrated whole of sustainable
development:
ESD is an integral part of basic economic decision making.
Ministry of Economic Development, Russia
To my opinion, the ESD is exactly that place where it is important to realise the
economic aspect as a necessity for each individual – this way the motivating link
between the economic and social domains would be created.
Open Education Centre, Bulgaria
I’m happy with economics taking the lead as it must intersect with the environmental
and social.
Geographical Association, UK
The second type of response stresses the importance of the economy and how questions of
sustainable development might help to serve this:
If Shell were involved in implementing an ESD programme it would be far more powerful
to say our goal was profitability and the environmental and social would tie into that.
From a government point of view it would probably be the same.
Shell International
Sustainable development may offer big opportunities for the UK to deliver the
knowledge-driven economy. The UK can’t compete on price so we need to compete on our
knowledge base, on higher, added value.
Department for Trade and Industry, UK
However, discussions on incorporating SD in the UK’s enterprise education raised a
perceived conflict of interests between calls for sustainability and the demand for
economic growth in a competitive global market:
…there’s a dichotomy; our job is to make us more competitive so the usefulness
of this document (the Draft ESD Strategy) depends on our having SD people who can
add value to our economy.
Department for Trade and Industry, UK
The third view recognises that this contradiction between SD and current development
patterns lies at the heart of ESD. It may not be for educators to resolve such issues but
ESD should provide opportunities to explore these contradictions so people can consider
their own responses e.g. through their patterns of consumption. This raises the issue of
the capacity of educators to engage with such issues (see 3.7):
…when you move into the economic and social you’re into hard politics. And
schools are chronically ill equipped to deal with it.
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, UK
Recognition of the importance of ESD to the economy raises the prospect of a more
serious engagement in ESD by those who have hitherto seen it as a ‘green issue’
disconnected from the economy. This may in turn have implications for resources (3.8). In
the UK, a telling comparison can be made between the impressive financial commitment to Enterprise
and the Economy in Education (The Davies Report 2002) and the UK’s ESD Action
Plan, which the Government expects to be implemented with no additional resources. It
is also regrettable to note a missed opportunity – sustainable development is not
mentioned in the Davies Report.
3.4 Formal/Non-formal Links
The call for relevance among respondents highlights the need for engagement with
society beyond schools. Private sector involvement is widely seen as a necessary thing but
also as something that is not easily achieved. Bulgarian and British respondents mention
placements at workplaces for pupils as a necessary part of the curriculum. However, such
programmes are not currently orientated towards SD:
The links are stronger at primary level because parents are more involved in their
children’s education... At the secondary level, the links are weaker – there’s a lot
of material… but learning is not linked to social change.
Global Action Plan, UK
A private sector respondent made the case for industry getting more deeply involved in
the formal sector, something that would work better where policies encourage or build on
such involvement:
In Kazakhstan we did it (education programmes) as an
informal add-on but we found that when we went to the teachers we did much better.
Wouldn’t it have been great if they had been involved at the start? Wouldn’t it have
been great if this had been in the curriculum? Wouldn’t it have been great if the
government had planned for this and wanted this…?
Shell International
The private sector has much to offer formal education both as provider of context and
generator of funding for specific programmes. As well as policies that encourage such
involvement, a number or respondents suggested tax instruments to facilitate this (see
3.8).
3.5 The Implementation Process
Among respondents there is a distinction between those who call for national action
plans and those who want strategies. In most cases this is an opportunity to combine the
top-down 'strategy' process with a bottom-up process of identifying existing practice and
street-level solutions, disseminating these through new and existing networks and building
up the policy in this way.
The next step in Russia may be national (federal) and then regional strategies. Another
suggestion is to pilot the ESD strategy in three regions of Russia and adjust national
policy based on this experience. Some respondents stress the need to have UNECE
sub-regional specificity provisions in the Strategy: there are some specific needs for
sub-regions and they may be formulated in the main text, while the general priorities and
goals are common.
…problems of regionalisation of the Strategy should be addressed, or at least
described. For the UNECE Strategy there will be at least three or four groups of countries
with common problems and tasks in ESD and these groups should be identified. These groups
are EECCA, Northern countries, Southern Europe, Western Europe, even under the general
umbrella of the Strategy these groups have national and regional specific issues.
Moscow State University, Russia
To be effective and workable, the Strategy needs to strike a balance between avoiding
prescription on the one hand and supplying a level of detail necessary to translate policy
into practice on the other. A bottom-up approach to policy making that seeks to identify
existing good practice before developing the strategy has the advantage of building
on existing strengths:
We already have a number of programmes running – if you don’t reflect that, we
would find it difficult to relate to this strategy... … you’d hit a brick wall… The
fact is, that in the absence of a Government framework, company programmes come up in a
vacuum. So the earlier you engage with us and what we do, the better. Companies move
slowly, budgets are tight so it comes back to a bottom-up approach.
Shell International
Implementation at the national level would clearly benefit from a component of research
of existing practice by different education providers including NGOs and the private
sector.
3.6 Implementation Structures
All respondents recommend the involvement of a broad range of stakeholders in the
implementation of the ESD Strategy at the national level. The widely recommended model
draws on organisations from the private sector, NGOs and government agencies. However, the
involvement of the private sector was not clearly stated in the Draft ESD Strategy.
(The Draft Strategy) says, "NGOs have…" again, so do companies. If you
exclude certain stakeholders, you don’t get the full picture. A key stakeholder is
missing – the economic force.
Shell International
Respondents stress the need to take the next steps at the national level under a
co-ordinated mechanism, usually with the education ministry in a co-ordinating role. The
need for high-level government co-ordination is specifically stressed in Russia:
It depends on the way in which the group is established. For example the Chair of the
Inter-agency Working Group on accession of Russia to the WTO is a vice Prime Minister. If
he signs the decisions they immediately become (by status) a Governmental Order. If the
ESD WG will have such status (deputy Prime Minister to chair the inter-agency group) then
its decisions will be important… Even with involvement of several Ministries… its’
decisions will be valid only for participating Ministries. To involve another Ministry we
will need to ask Government to invite it.
Ministry of Education, Russia
This need for clearer high-level support for implementation was echoed in the UK:
In spite of the rhetoric, teachers aren’t sure enough, it doesn’t have status
and status is everything.
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, UK
3.7 Capacity Building
The amount of effort required if governments are serious about re-orientating education
towards SD should not be underestimated. This is relevant to all those involved in ESD and
the teaching profession in particular:
…it needs to be understood that ESD is very challenging teaching. Teachers
therefore need to be engaged right at the start. Most models of teaching here, and I
suspect more so in Eastern Europe, are models of delivery. Schools are dominated by an
‘answer culture’ – even when enquiry models are used, answers are supplied. There
needs to be more of a culture of argument, where there are not clear-cut answers.
Geographical Association, UK
Similar concerns are raised in Bulgaria…
…there is a very long way to go. Firstly, the philosophy of entire education in
Bulgaria, i.e. the mentality of the people who are engaged in education should be changed;
this is a very hard process.
TIME Foundation, Bulgaria
…and in Russia
I come again to a conclusion that SD should be a course for future teachers in their
first years of education. Plus we need a new culture for interactive methods use. This
(interactive) way of thinking almost does not exist among Russian teachers.
ASEKO, Russia
It is suggested that this issue is in danger of being overlooked because the process of
ESD is not well understood at the policy level:
The gap between government-level rhetoric and school level is profound. The big
problem here is that all UN documents on this theme are built on a false premise… that
ESD is about the transfer of knowledge. This is a minor partner in ESD – we’ll only
find sustainability if it’s in hearts. The UN over-simplifies the process and
underestimates the difficulty in really teaching this in a way that people see it as
relevant to them and really care about it. The gap is in understanding what a teacher has
to do.
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, UK
This perceived policy-practice divide is an issue that ESD policy formulation needs to
address, something that would be achieved most effectively through the participation of
practitioners in the policy development process (see section 4.1).
In the Russian Federation, the low level of teachers’ salaries is seen a specific
cause of diminished capacity. It also has an impact on gender balance, leading to a
predominance of woman teachers, which is seen as a systemic problem.
If you look at graduates of Moscow pedagogical schools – only about 10% start
working at schools, after 2 years this decreases to 2% and lower. Of course this depends
on salary: salaries for teachers are too low to attract young and educated people.
ASEKO, Russia
We also need to ensure 50-50% gender balance for teachers, attract men to our
schools. Satisfactory level of salaries for teachers is one of the keys to achieve that.
International University in Moscow, Russia
A specific issue in the UK is the way in which centralised curriculum planning has
‘de-skilled’ senior members of the teaching profession. This will have an impact of
the capacity of schools to develop locally relevant programmes and materials:
…curriculum development expertise is very fragile. The planning of the curriculum,
the materials and strategies to engage new learning… it used to be done by
teachers, exam boards – chief examiners developed syllabuses… much of this expertise
is now gone.
Geographical Association, UK
3.8 Resources
Respondents were keen to stress that a real commitment to ESD will have resource
implications. There is an apparent contradiction between government support for ESD,
including a demand for impacts, and the failure to identify how these demands, with their
concomitant capacity-building needs, will be financed.
At present, ministries of environment usually provide resources for national
environmental education initiatives. As sections 3.2 and 3.3 demonstrate, ESD is not
limited to EE; it is therefore inappropriate to limit ESD funding to environmental
budgets. This may open the possibility of a broader funding base for ESD as educational,
economic and social sectors become increasingly engaged. Before this benign funding
environment is realised however, there are serious concerns particularly among NGOs in the
UK:
In some countries, funding for education, particularly non-formal, comes from
environment ministries. If DfES (education ministry) is leading on ESD and the
Council for Environmental Education gets a lot of its funding from Defra (environment
ministry), what’s likely to happen? Can that be addressed somehow?
Council for Environmental Education, UK
…there is a danger of DfES taking the lead because there is no sign of money to
replace the funding that Defra provides to NGOs through the Environmental Action Fund.
Global Action Plan, UK
The possibility of governments applauding broader funding opportunities in theory yet
taking the opportunity to reduce funding in practice is a real threat. In Norway for
example, government funding for an active EE network was about to be withdrawn to cut
costs; it was only rescued by the efforts of a committed and watchful official (Norwegian
delegate to UNECE ESD Task Force, pers comm.). This illustrates how funding and
strategic thinking need to go hand in hand in order to avoid sporadic efforts with limited
impact.
Donor assistance for ESD is especially important in South-eastern Europe and EECCA
countries. Different forms of grants and loans were mentioned in the interviews with
co-financing by recipient countries being considered crucial to achieving success in
national level ESD projects. Respondents emphasised the need for national governments to
commit themselves to allocate funds to these ESD projects and programmes so that the level
of state responsibility or ‘buy-in’ is sufficient to ensure success.
As for donor support – if this (ESD) is 100% supported by donors, then it will exist
in a parallel world. Unfortunately this is the usual practice… ...In the case of there
being joint projects, the input from both foreign and Russian partners should be clearly
identifiable, this will be more effective. Our experience shows that if there is a budget
input from our side, projects are more effective. …On the other hand, when people
contribute resources, they become more responsible for outcomes.
Ministry of Education, Russia
Small-scale projects can be supported by grants and there is a clear need to establish
a mechanism, financed at national level, to support the additional/non-formal ESD
activities undertaken by NGOs. Such support may provide opportunities for some of the
experimentation that is so important in building up human capital and developing good
practice.
We need resources first of all for publishing new materials (long list given).
We also need resources to support innovative programs, teachers, NGOs, those who work in
the area of EE and ESD and have interesting projects. Another priority is training,
support of participation and organisation of different events, conferences and
consultations at national level, work with youth and children…etc.
Ministry of Natural Resources, Russia
Additional support and resources for ESD Strategy implementation at national and local
level may be found by involving the private sector in the process.
My personal view is that what would sell this… to Shell (and indeed any third
party involvement) is if you identify the benefit to the company.
Shell International
In Russia, special mention was made of fiscal mechanisms to encourage businesses to
support ESD activities, particularly among Russian government officials and NGOs. A
special chapter in the ESD Strategy on financial provisions is recommended.
…it is a very important task (private sector involvement), but business is
afraid in Russia to support ESD and other education activities because of the taxation
system.
Ministry of Natural Resources, Russia
We tried many times to come with legislative initiatives for tax reductions and special
benefits for those (businesses) supporting education, but failed… These tax
benefits are very important to attract private sector resources for ESD and education in
general
Ministry of Education, Russia
While exhortations can be made to governments to support ESD in this way, it is
unlikely that such support will be forthcoming while SD is perceived as being distinct
from the national economy. In the same way that the strategy identifies the importance of
early years education and work with disadvantaged groups, so it should stress the crucial
importance of sensitisation among the most powerful in society.
3.9 Key learning points
The following learning points can be drawn from this review of key themes:
§ The UNECE ESD Strategy
‘defines’ ESD through a set of principles. Provided broad goals and principles are
agreed, the detailed definition of ESD should emerge through the process of implementation
§ While ESD is seen as
much more than environmental education (EE), it is clear that a great debt is owed to the
practice and advocacy of those educators working in EE.
§ The role of economics
needs to be more explicit in ESD because:
- the contradiction between SD and current patterns of economic development should be
explored as a core component of ESD
- it is part of the integrated whole of sustainable development (SD)
- people with a good grounding in SD can better serve the needs of national economies
- recognition of the importance ESD to the economy should enhance engagement by those
who have hitherto seen sustainability as a disconnected ‘green issue’
§ The private sector has
much to offer formal education both as a provider of context and generator of funding for
specific programmes
§ Multi-stakeholder
structures are recommended for implementation of the Strategy although the need for
high-level government co-ordination is emphasised by respondents
§ Implementation at the
national level requires a component of research into existing practice
§ The amount of effort
required in re-orientating education towards SD should not be underestimated
§ Educational, economic
and social sectors should become increasingly engaged in order to build a broader funding
base for ESD
§ National governments need to
commit themselves to allocate funds to donor-supported ESD projects and programmes so that
the level of state responsibility or ‘buy-in’ is sufficient to ensure success
4 To what extent will the UNECE ESD Strategy influence domestic policies?
4.1 The role of the UNECE ESD Strategy
A principal role of the UNECE ESD Strategy is clearly one of providing goals and
setting broad objectives which can be agreed internationally.
One way or another, all of them (national educational policies) are connected
with SD and ESD, but the ESD is still missing a well defined vision, aims and expected
results. In this sense, the realisation of the Strategy is necessary and comes just in
time.
Ministry of Education and Science, Bulgaria
Beyond this, officials may want it to identify novel approaches and ways forward. The
potential novelty of ideas in the Strategy was seen as a strength by the UK’s Department
for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
It would really help if this was innovative in terms of the way we do things
nationally; if we see new words, new ideas…
Defra, UK
By contrast, the UK’s Department for Education and Skills (DfES) response suggested
that their familiarity with ideas in the Strategy meant that it would be well received:
…we agree with much of what is in there - it's as if they read our Action Plan!
…The Strategy adds weight to our own efforts on ESD…
DfES, UK
With one department valuing the Strategy for reinforcing its own thinking and another
looking for fresh ideas, it is clear that the influence of the UNECE ESD Strategy will
depend on its ability to appeal to a variety of different actors within governments,
perhaps for very different reasons.
For Defra, the principal role of the Strategy was not to influence national policy but
to provide a framework for international assistance:
It is hard to see how these international agreements add directly to our capacity or
ideas – because we already have access (to those). From our point of view, the
motivation is the other way around. A major goal is to promote sustainable development
internationally... …We are not reliant on this process for our information. Defra’s
motivation is to support SD and environmental protection internationally.
Defra, UK
International agreements can be used as a framework for attracting funding by
governments, however, rather than influencing policy at national level, there is a danger
that they simply reflect donors’ priorities. Care is needed to ensure that the UNECE ESD
Strategy pays enough attention to the needs of countries that receive development
assistance.
For their part, NGOs and others in civil society, tend to use international agreements
to hold governments to account. A clear example of this is the monitoring material
compiled by Stakeholder Forum linked to UNCED and Agenda 21 (Fig 1).
| 2.6 Government in
cooperation with Teacher Representatives, Teacher Unions |
| 2.6.a Activities:
Administration |
| Source |
Recommendation |
Target Group |
Target Date |
Reference |
| CSDVI, Decision 6/3
Section C,
Art. 7 b (v) |
Has the government reoriented teacher training
in formal education systems towards sustainable development? |
Teachers |
|
|
| |
1.) If yes: a.) How and When? b.)
What was the impact?
c.) How was it measured?
2.) If not: Why not? |
Fig 1: Extract from Stakeholder Forum monitoring material
(Source: www.earthsummit2002.org)
NGOs have an important role to play in international processes, reflecting public
opinion and raising issues of public interests and concern. At a first glance this may
have less impact then practical projects, however participation in policy development
helps to clarify the roles and duties of all actors and set up appropriate frameworks for
further cooperation:
If it is the case that politicians are more interested in winning votes than in
listening to expert advice, the public’s interpretation of educational knowledge becomes
critical. (OECD 1995; p.23)
4.2 Key Learning Points
The role of the UNECE ESD Strategy is to:
§ provide goals and set
broad objectives which can be agreed internationally
§ suggest
novel approaches and ways forward
§ provide a framework for
international assistance
§ provide a means by
which civil society can hold governments to account
§ put SD and ESD on the
public and political agenda
§ suggest implementation
structures that provide a balance between top-down process that aim to ‘deliver’ and
complex multi-stakeholder processes that aim to ‘engage’
4.3 The potential of international agreements
ESD was given a positive impetus by a global, non-binding agreement from the United
Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED). Agenda 21 was the first action
oriented programme to link global concerns with local action. The role accorded environmental
and development education in Chapter 36 of Agenda 21 is closely aligned to that of
ESD.
As interviews with government officials have highlighted, knowledge can be shared
through the development of international agreements. According to the OECD (1995), such
international knowledge can be applied in the following ways:
§ ‘Pooling wisdom’
§ Using an
‘international template’ to view domestic developments in a different light
§ Using international
‘benchmarks’ to assess performance of international systems
The UNECE ESD Strategy will increase its influence if it provides opportunities for
international comparisons and will gain importance in the national context if it speaks to
the political concern of the time. While such concerns vary over time and place, economic
development is a perennial concern to all national governments.
Taylor et al (1997) show how arguments about the effects of an emergent global economy
are used to justify numerous national policies aimed at producing multi-skilled, flexible
and more productive workers. International agencies such as the OECD and World Bank have
utilised economic imperatives to influence education policies, resulting in some
convergence of policy developments within western economies (OECD, 1995; World Bank 1999).
Some economically driven objectives (i.e. the need for a flexible and adaptable workforce)
appear in Chapter 36 of Agenda 21 (Keating 1993) but there is no overt mention here of how
‘sustainable development education’ might serve the economy. The UNECE ESD Strategy
would do well to make the connections between sustainability and the economic drivers of
society more explicit.
4.4 From Policy to implementation
In trying to locate the potential of this Strategy within the UK, the Department of
Trade and Industry was non-committal:
The Strategy is a very noble document, it reflects the issues that need to be taken
into account. Like most internationally agreed pieces of work, it’s a complicated
compromise… Its status depends on which bit of the UN it started in – that’s often a
political issue.
Department of Trade and Industry, UK
While the UNECE ESD Strategy certainly calls for fresh actions, it does not have the
status of a legally binding instrument. Where should its impact be felt therefore? The
DfES appeared to pass the responsibility back to Defra:
Our ministers (in Education) don’t talk about international documents; the
environment ministers do.
DfES, UK
Defra also emphasised the importance of the document’s status:
If it’s a legal instrument, there’s a formal process of transposing it into
national legislation followed by ratification. Then there are documents of political
commitment – if we sign it then we mean it. It will be a principle to which we already
subscribe so there is no need to act.
Defra, UK
The need for official recognition of the value of the Strategy is most stark in the
Russian Federation where the policy process follows a classic top-down model.
Russia belongs to those countries where to ensure that something is done we need laws,
regulations, etc. from the top. If there is no official document, almost nothing can be
done. Even when a decision is made it may not be implemented. It is too risky to expect
that something will be done without it.
Moscow State University, Russia
Top-down educational policy-making has tended to be a feature of the last two decades
in the UK as suggested by the statement from RSPB that status is everything (section
3.5). However, it is clear that in any context, policy cannot be a one-way street. Bowe
and Ball (1992) identify a policy cycle with three distinct facets, noting that:
…even with a highly detailed piece of legislation on the statue books, education
policy is still being generated and implemented both within and around the educational
system in ways that have intended and unintended consequences for both education and
its surrounding social milieu. (Bowe & Ball 1992; p.19, their italics)
To clarify this continuous policy cycle they provide the following heuristic
representation (Fig 2):
Fig.2 The continuous policy process (Source: Bowe and Ball 1992)
Figure two illustrates how the aims of policy makers are refined and modified at the
policy writing stage and further adapted as policy is put into practice. The results of
policy-in-use are communicated back through the system, in this way practitioners may
actually modify the intentions of policy makers.
A practical example of this process in the ESD context can be found in an account given
by the Ofsted, the UK’s Office for Standards in Education (EAC 2003). It has been widely
recognised that schools tend to concentrate on achieving successes in areas where they
will be inspected such as academic achievement. However, there is currently no criterion
for assessing a schools’ progress in implementing ESD. In attempting to define what
criteria might be used for this purpose, an Ofsted inspector initiated a review of
existing practice taking place in 26 schools. The schools were identified through earlier
inspections as being likely to exemplify good practice in the promotion ESD.
The survey results were published to provide an inspiration to other primary and
secondary schools (Ofsted 2003). The process focused on seven SD concepts identified by
the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority although the resulting publication outlines
seven key areas that were assessed by the inspectors and provides a checklist for school
self-evaluation. Although this is still some way off from a statutory requirement, it is
clear that this survey of classroom practice has provided a valuable resource for those
who are developing policy in ESD.
In order to strengthen the linkages between policy and practice (including
experimentation through pilot projects) this process of multi-directional policy
development must first be recognised by those who currently view policy making as a
top-down affair. The development of multi-stakeholder implementing structures could prove
to be a wasted effort if their role was to simply draft policy rather than learn from
existing good practice. The private sector respondent from Shell International stressed
the importance of recognising the existing efforts of private companies – something that
can be achieved through a reflexive process.
The idea that decisions are taken on the basis of continuous (or at least regular)
reflection on the actual conditions in which they are taken is an approach Giddens terms social
reflexivity:
‘Reflexivity’ here refers to the use of information about the conditions of
activity as a means of regular reordering and redefining what that activity is. (Giddens
1994, p.86)
This has resonance with the ideas of respondents cited in section 3.1 on the definition
of ESD, i.e. only by implementing it can we fully understand what it is.
Responsibility for co-ordinating the implementation process at the national level will
fall to national governments. If they choose to take an inclusive, reflexive approach to
policy development and implementation, it is likely that the policy process will exemplify
rather than contradict the ethos of ESD and sustainability.
An example of such an approach was provided in the mid 1990s where the Scottish
Environmental Education Council co-ordinated the development of a national EE strategy
through an inclusive process of research, asking stakeholders in all sectors of society
what they did already, what more they felt was needed to be done and what they themselves
could do (SOEnD 1993). Although the government of the day was reluctant to ratify the
strategy, to a large extent implementation had already begun through the strategy
development process.
As a final checklist, we can review three factors that affect the success of
implementing policy (Rein 1983 in Taylor et al 1997):
§ complexity of the
implementation process
§ clarity of policy goals
§ extent of resource
commitment
Given the discussion on the need for reflexivity, there is clearly a balance to be
struck between a streamlined top-down process of implementation that can ‘deliver’ and
a complex process that aims to ‘engage’ many different actors. In seeking to achieve
this balance, policy makers may identify implementation structures that comprise
parts of many organisations drawn from ‘pools of organisations’ that could potentially
be involved in implementing policy (Hjern and Porter in Hill 1993). For it’s part, the
UNECE ESD Strategy should suggest that relevant implementation structures are identified
at the national level. However, it would fall to a different kind of document to supply
illustrations of successful implementation using these means.
The second of Rein’s critical success factors, the setting of clear policy goals has
already been identified as an important role for the UNECE ESD Strategy; for this reason,
the Strategy outlines objectives and key principles while acknowledging that a clear
contextualised understanding of ESD is something that can best be achieved through a
review of practice.
The issue of resource commitment has also been discussed, chiefly through the
recognition that sustainable development, ESD and the economy are part of an indivisible
whole.
4.5 Key Learning Points
The impact and influence of the UNECE ESD Strategy will be enhanced if it appeals to a
variety of different actors within governments for different reasons. Chief among these
will be that the Strategy:
§ outlines ESD objectives
and principles while acknowledging that a clear contextualised understanding of ESD is
something that can best be achieved through implementation
§ recognises policy
development as a multi-directional process rather than a top-down exercise
§ suggests that relevant
implementation structures are identified at the national level
§ recommends
that policy makers and multi-stakeholder implementing structures learn from existing good
practice
§ makes explicit the
connections between sustainability and the economic drivers of society thereby
demonstrating that sustainable development, ESD and the economy are part of an indivisible
whole
5 The Next Phase
Many respondents in this study called for examples of good practice both at the policy
and implementation level while interviews with delegates attending the UNECE ESD Task
Force Meeting in Geneva (February 2004) helped to identify possible components for such a
document. Through the discussion above, it is apparent that a separate document would
provide a valuable companion to the UNECE ESD Strategy supplying illustrations of good
practice and policy implementation structures.
A publication to complement the UNECE ESD Strategy would overcome the need to keep the
Strategy short and not too prescriptive while providing much needed detail on how
the ideas might be implemented and what they might look like in a variety of contexts. A
full proposal for undertaking this work has been produced to accompany this report.
The companion document would not provide guidelines per se. Concerns were
expressed about producing non-binding guidelines that require resources but do not
contribute greatly to the implementation process.
Don’t over develop the guidelines. Other things, such as programmes of initiatives
could be created besides this strategy – and ideas on how to support this. It requires
enthusiasm from somewhere to give it life... Countries, individuals, groups, money will
deliver this.
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, UK
The need for a driving force was echoed by one of the delegates interviewed at Geneva:
It’s always useful to have… a driving force because bureaucrats don’t make it
happen.
Norwegian delegate to UNECE ESD Task Force
On the question of what constitutes ‘good practice’, the same delegate stressed the
need to demonstrate the implementation of ideas and concepts in the strategy. A
more detailed checklist was provided by another delegate:
Possible criteria for good practices on ESD may be based on the general need to
measure the outcomes/results of ESD. These may be measured in terms of:
- knowledge and understanding;
- skills and capabilities;
- attitudes and values;
- behaviours and dispositions.
Good practice in ESD should impact these four areas…
Irish delegate to UNECE ESD Task Force
Another suggestion on criteria for good practice was to link ESD practice to
sustainable development itself:
Answer the challenges of the principles of SD. We have bookshelves of products but
this is not yet clear. The challenge is how to connect learning to the SD principles, i.e.
people, planet, profit, participation plus inter-generational and north-south
perspectives.
Dutch delegate to UNECE ESD Task Force
An Italian delegate to the Task Force emphasised the need to include ‘Type 2
initiatives’ as this would build on the World Summit for Sustainable Development at
Johannesburg while another delegate highlighted the need to make information
region-specific:
The need to address the issue of sub-regions is important. Because it covers so many
countries, the Strategy is necessarily weak so any supporting documents need to be a more
context specific.
Spanish delegate to UNECE ESD Task Force
Detailed studies may be proposed for sub-regions in order to assist ESD Strategy
implementation in say, the EU, accession countries, EECCA and South-eastern Europe. The
results would facilitate the incorporation of the ESD Strategy into national programmes
and assist in the effective mobilisation of national resources and targeted donor
assistance. The survey could be comparative in nature examining practice to gain a clearer
understanding of the challenges and successes in implementing ESD policies in different
contexts.
Another aspect to consider is the dissemination of any findings:
It is very important to make people aware that they need the data base on good
practices on ESD, so that they use it.
Irish delegate to UNECE ESD Task Force
Given the high degree of cross-referencing demanded by these potential uses, the
outputs could be presented on a searchable database accessible on the internet. This
website would be multi-dimensional and could be updated regularly. Website hosting
arrangements would need to be discussed and agreed at the outset.
The process of developing this resource should contribute to the capacity of
organisations in participating countries to work together, thus exemplifying
sustainability principles. The proposal that has been developed (Annex I) thus includes
training for NGO representatives and others who will assist in identifying and analysing
good practices. Field visits and a regional conferences will give added value to the
capacity-building process.
It is suggested that these activities can be co-ordinated by ECO-Forum with its
region-wide coverage drawing on contributions from governments, international
organisations, NGOs and educators.
As well as supporting those implementing the UNECE ESD Strategy, this work would be of
direct benefit to those within in UNESCO who are working on the UN Decade for ESD.
6 Concluding Remarks
During the preparation of this report, the UNECE ESD Strategy
has been elaborated by a drafting group meeting at Geneva, London and The Hague. The next
step is a further Task Force meeting to be held at Rome in July 2004.
The Executive Summary of this report highlights a number of issues that the UNECE ESD
Task Force might wish to consider as they prepare their comments for the Rome meeting. It
is hoped that this report will reach Task Force delegates before they attend this meeting.
The authors of this report are highly supportive of the efforts of UNECE Member States
in drafting the ESD Strategy. The report offers suggestions in a positive manner in order
to maximise the usefulness and ultimately the impact of the ESD Strategy across the UNECE
region.
Paul Vare, Living Earth Foundation, UK
Victoria Elias, ECO Accord, Russia
Stoyan Yotov, Borrowed Nature, Bulgaria
May 2004
Annex I List of respondents
Respondents from the Russian Federation
1. Dr. Arthur L. Demchuk, Deputy Dean, Faculty of Philosophy, MSU (responsible for
curricula), LEAD program fellow, teaching political sciences..
2. Mr. Vadim B. Kalinin, President of the Association for Environmental Education
(AsEkO), author of an ESD Concept and numerous publications on ESD in Russia.
3. Prof., Acad. Nikolai S. Kasimov, Dean, Faculty of Geography, Moscow State
University, Chair of Scientific-Methodological Council on EE and ESD for Russian
Universities, Chief negotiator of the UNECE ESD Strategy from Russia
4. Prof. Dmitri N. Kavtaradze, Head of the Department of Natural Resources’
Management, School of Public Administration, Moscow State University / Director of NGO
"EcopolisPress"/ laureate of the RF Presidential Prize on education for
developing EE and ESD in Russia.
5. Ms. Yulia V. Smirnova, Head of the Programs Department in the Department of Regional
and National Education, Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation
6. Dr. Alexei V. Talonov, Deputy Head of the Department of International Cooperation,
Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation
7. Ms. Nadezhda F. Tsertsek, Leading specialist, Ministry of Natural Resources
(responsible for all activities on EE on behalf of the MNR RF, Secretary of the
Consultative Council on EE with the MNR)
8. Prof., Acad., Gennadiy A. Yagodin, Dean of High School of Environmental Studies,
Head of Dept. of Environment and Sustainable Development, International University in
Moscow (he was the founder and Rector of this University in 1992-2003, former Minister of
Education of the USSR)
Respondents from the United Kingdom
1. John Baker, Department for Trade and Industry
2. Matthew Bateson, Shell (External Affairs)
3. Libby Grundy, Director of the Council for Environmental Education
4. Sarah James and Peter Wilkinson, Department for Education and Skills
5. Dr David Lambert, Chief Executive of the Geographical Association and Research
Associate of the London Institute of Education
6. Trewin Restorick, Director of Global Action Plan
7. Andy Simpson, Head of Education, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
8. Philip Stamp, Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
Respondents from Bulgaria
1. Asya Asenova, Assistant at the Department of Methodology in Biology Teaching,
Faculty of Biology, Sofia University
2. Mariana Bancheva, Chief Expert at the Ministry of Education and Science
3. Nadya Boneva, Executive Director at the TIME Ecoprojects Foundation
4. Mariana Barouh, writer and Senior Expert at the Dept. of Environmental Strategies
and Programs in the Ministry of Environment and Water
5. Petya Ivanova, President of the Centre for Education, Culture and Ecology ’21
(Center 21) NGO, team member at The Ministry of Education and Science (MES) working on
standards of syllabus content and author of EE materials
6. Kliment Mindjov, Chairman and a founding member of Borrowed Nature Association
7. Tatyana Miteva, Biology teacher, co-founder of the Earth Forever Association and
author of EE materials
8. Prof. Rumen Valchev, PhD, President of the Bulgarian Foundation on Negotiation and
Conflict Resolution, Editor in Chief of the Open Education Journal and former Deputy
Minister of Education
Annex II References
Bowe R and Ball S J (1992) Reforming Education and Changing Schools: Case Studies in
Policy Sociology, Routledge, London
Davies H (2002) Enterprise and the Economy in Education, HMSO, London
Department for Education ad Skills (2003) Sustainable Development Action Plan for
Education and Skills, DfES, London
EAC (Environmental Audit Committee) (2002) Learning the Sustainability Lesson, The
Stationery Office, London
Giddens A (1994) Beyond Left and Right, Polity, Cambridge
Hill M (1993) A Policy Reader, Harvester Wheatsheaf, Hemel Hempstead
Keating M (1993) The Earth Summit's Agenda For Change : A plain language version of
Agenda 21 and the other Rio Agreements. The Centre for Our Common Future, Geneva.
McKeown R and Hopkins C (2003), EE doesn't equal ESD, in Environmental Education
Research Vol. 9 N0. 1, 2003
OECD – Centre for Educational Research and Innovation (CERI) (1995) Knowledge
Bases for Education Policies: Proceedings of a conference held in Maastricht, The
Netherlands on 11 - 13 September 1995, OECD, Paris 1996
Ofsted (2003) Taking the first step forward… towards an education for sustainable
development: Good practice in primary and secondary schools. Ofsted, London
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University Press, Buckingham
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strategy for environmental education in Scotland. HMSO, Edinburgh.
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Books, Totnes
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Websites:
www.unece.org/env/wgso/SustainableDevelopment/ESD/welcomeESD.htm
www.dfes.gov.uk/highereducation/hestrategy/freedoms.shtml
www.earthsummit2002.org/es/national-resources/education.PDF
www.oecd-pisa.org
Annex III Project Objectives
The initial proposal to the Environment for Europe Fund included the following
objectives for this project:
(i) To conduct an initial survey of ESD policy and its relationship to practice, in
light of the Statement on Education for Sustainable Development endorsed at Kiev 2003, in
Russia, Bulgaria and UK
(ii) To begin to clarify the Task Force's own understanding of ESD and its role in
supporting the Environment Strategy for the Countries of Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and
Central Asia
(iii) To assess needs and obtain the Task Force’s guidance on the content of a
region-wide survey
(iv) To prepare a proposal for a region-wide survey that will, inter-alia,
provide a detailed picture of practice, needs and priorities in ESD in a number of
countries of the UNECE region (representing different sub-regions – EECCA, CEE and
Western Europe)
(v) To identify appropriate means to be deployed in conducting this wider survey
(vi) To identify partners who are willing to support the survey, both financially and
in-kind
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