Why Education for
Sustainable Development
In the conference on Environment and Development held by the UN in Rio de Janeiro 1992 it was agreed by all countries to form a sustainable development for 21st century named Agenda 21. In this it was stated that education is essential to further a sustainable development and to improve peoples ability to solve environmental and development problems.
Ten years later, in 2002, a UN World Summit Meeting took place in Johannesburg in which status was stated over the progress of sustainability of each country. In the meeting it was realized that education is one of the most important tools in the work for a sustainable world. Subsequently UN adopted a resolution to speed up the process of Education for Sustainable Development covering the next decade 2005-2014.
The UN organisation, UNESCO, is the coordinator of the project for the period 2005-2014. The responsibility for carrying out the work lies within the UNESCO National Commission in each country.
UNESCO’S vision for the decade:
“A world in which all people have a possibility of getting education and learn the values, behaviour and way of living that support a sustainable future and a positive development of society.”
