Can ESD and GCED rule the world? UNESCO HA NOI '19

UNESCO Forum for Education for Sustainable Development and Global Citizenship Education.
2019

"One small step for a man one giant leap for mankind."

Is sustainability a forgotten factor in today’s educational systems in the world? If so, which approaches shall we need to consider when introducing and maintaining sustainability and global citizenship to our schools? Can GCED really lead the world?

Bearing these questions in mind, the UNESCO 2019 Forum on Education for Sustainable Development and Global Citizens attracted several expectations from the over 350 delegates who were present in Hà Nội, Viet Nam. The forum was unprecedented for several civil society and private sector leaders to connect with senior policy making leaders, education experts, educators, and students from over 100 countries around the world.

As an ESD Leader who comes from a country where its educational system witnesses increasing deteriorating conditions for both teachers and students, campaigning for education for sustainable development remains yet another challenge for the Tunisian civil society to conquer. This is where the forum was helpful to learn and unlearn so much about the matter.

For iBuild Africa and its project SDGthon, it was enlightening to learn about the findings of the study that was carried in 8 different countries and the rationale behind the three holistic approaches adopted when talking about education, namely: cognitive, social and emotional, and behavioral learning. Although SDGthon's struggles remain assuring a sustainable support from the government to the implementation of ESD strategies within schools, meeting initiatives with the same struggle helped brainstorm for a collective alternatives.

(c) UNESCO Forum for Education for Sustainable Development and Global Citizenship Education.

From a former ISIS member to ministers and young students, the two-day forum gifted its participants with a beautiful mosaique of narratives that paved the way for their tellers to change the community in their own way. What was lacking was maybe the voice of ESD leaders on stage.

 It is my personal belief that civil society youths can sometimes provide more realistic lessons and recommendations learned from hands on experiences within their communities than what is written on papers by government officials.

On the other hand, ESD and GAP leaders had the chance to meet again to evaluate and update the networks’ members about the post-Paris forum actions. With the numerous initiatives developed and grown during that period, ESD leaders re-emphasized the importance of moving forward with the plan to establish a platform that will give everyone the exposure and the opportunity to connect to the over 11,000 youth around the globe. The round-tables and vivid discussions also unleashed a vision to share a collective survey to keep track and measure the impact of the ESD and GAP leaders.

Hosted in the historical city of Hà Nội, UNESCO Forum aspired to make history and simplify the language around Education for Sustainable Development and Global Citizenship Education.

So to answer the question, can ESD and GCED lead the world?
They may. If only we put our trust into more government-grassroots collaborations and hold ourselves accountable for the promises we do not implement.