Education experts, scientists and environmental specialists will meet in Ahmedabad (India) from 26 to 28 November to examine the key role of education in achieving sustainable development. Entitled “Environmental Education towards a Sustainable Future – Partners for the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD)” the conference is sponsored by UNESCO and UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme), and organized by the Government of India.

According to UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura, “educating for a sustainable future must figure centrally in the global response to climate change”. A keynote address will be given at the opening of the conference by Mark Richmond, Director of the Division for the Coordination of UN Priorities in Education, representing the Director-General. Mr Matsuura will address the closing session on 28 November. A declaration will be adopted at the end of the Conference

The participants will examine the development of environmental education since the first international conference on the subject in Tbilisi 30 years ago, and set a global agenda for the DESD (2005-2014). The conference will be a platform for sharing practices and ideas on initiatives in environmental education throughout the world

As lead agency of DESD, UNESCO will hold workshops on topics including Education for Sustainable Development and Teacher Education; Research for DESD; DESD Monitoring and Evaluation; ESD and Media; Man and Biosphere Reserves (MAB) and World Heritage Sites (WHC) as learning sites for SD; Floods and disaster reduction; and Education for Sustainable Consumption.

This conference is the fourth in a series of international conferences in support of environmental education. The first was held in Tbilisi, Georgia (October 1977), followed by Moscow, Russian Federation (August 1987) and Thessaloniki, Greece (December 1997).

The conference will be hosted by the Centre for Environment Education (CEE), Ahmedabad. It opens at 9:30 a.m. on 26 November and ends at 6 p.m. on 28 November.

courtesy : ahmedabadline.com 

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