Open Symposium
The Role of Universities in the Promotion of Education for Sustainable Development in Africa (ESDA)

Summary of Event:

The sustainable development challenge is deep-rooted and requires a holistic approach. In the endeavor to meet these challenges and to link with the Millennium Development Goals, in 2002, the General Assembly adopted the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD), spanning from 2005 to 2014. It aims to change the approach to education by integrating the principles, values, and practices of sustainable development.

With Japan and UNU's long-standing commitment to DESD and development in Africa, United Nations University Institute of Advanced Studies (UNU-IAS) and the newly established United Nations University Institute for Sustainability and Peace (UNU-ISP) convened its first joint symposium on "The Role of Universities in the Promotion of Education for Sustainable Development in Africa" on 27 February 2009 at the Elizabeth Rose Hall, UNU in Tokyo. Supporters included Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) and Ministry of Environment (MOE) of Japan.

The symposium consisted of presentations by experts in the area of sustainable development and education in Africa to discuss the challenges the continent faces in higher education. This symposium further developed the new UNU programme, Education for Sustainable Development in Africa, and it followed the three days of consultation with African and Japanese university experts on Education for Sustainable Development.


Further Resources:
 

		Download the Meeting Report here (1.6 MB).
		Download the Programme here.
		View the event on the UNU Video Portal.
		Read the UNU-IAS editorial - ESDA, RCEs and Prosper.Net: UNU's Contributions towards the UNESCO World Conference on ESD 2009 in Bonn and Beyond

For further information on ESD, please visit http://www.ias.unu.edu/efsd.


Contact:

Yoshie Oya, UNU-IAS Programme Associate
Tel: 045-221-2334, Email: oya@ias.unu.edu