Education for Sustainable Development in the Framework of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

A/RES/78/156View PDF

Who created this mandate?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 18gEducation for sustainable development, published in 2023.

What other versions does this mandate have?

5 versions · 2018–2025

This is an older version — the most recent is A/RES/80/141

2025A/RES/80/141Education for sustainable development in the framework of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable DevelopmentLatestCompare with previous version
2023A/RES/78/156Education for sustainable development in the framework of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable DevelopmentCompare with previous version
2022A/RES/76/209Education for sustainable development in the framework of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable DevelopmentCompare with previous version
2020A/RES/74/223Education for sustainable development in the framework of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable DevelopmentCompare with previous version
2018A/RES/72/222Education for sustainable development in the framework of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

Versions are identified automatically by matching titles within the same organ (~97% accuracy on a manual audit).

What subjects does this mandate have?

3 topics

Development Education Programme Implementation Sustainable Development

What does this mandate say?

20 operative paragraphs

Takes note of the report of the Director General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization on education for sustainable development, which provided a review of the implementation of education for sustainable development in the framework of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development;

Takes note with appreciation of the Berlin Declaration on Education for Sustainable Development, the outcome statement of the World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development, held from 17 to 19 May 2021 online from Berlin, organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and the Government of Germany;

Reaffirms education for sustainable development as a vital means of implementation for sustainable development, as outlined in the Aichi-Nagoya Declaration on Education for Sustainable Development and the Berlin Declaration on Education for Sustainable Development, and as an integral element of the Sustainable Development Goal on quality education and a key enabler of all the other Goals, and welcomes the increased international recognition of education for sustainable development in quality education and lifelong learning;

Calls upon the international community to provide inclusive and equitable quality education at all levels – early childhood, primary, secondary, tertiary and distance education, including technical and vocational training – so that all people, irrespective of sex, age, race or ethnicity, and persons with disabilities, migrants, Indigenous people, children and youth, especially those in vulnerable situations, may have access to lifelong learning opportunities that help them to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to exploit opportunities to participate fully in society and contribute to sustainable development;

Reaffirms the commitment at the very heart of the 2030 Agenda to leave no one behind and commit to taking more tangible steps to support people in vulnerable situations and the most vulnerable countries and to reach the furthest behind first;

Calls for the scaling up of efforts by relevant stakeholders to better collaborate to strengthen implementation of the framework entitled “Education for Sustainable Development: towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals” (ESD for 2030) at the global, regional and national levels, as well as to promote education responses to sustainable development challenges in all three pillars;

Encourages Governments and other relevant stakeholders to commit to building resilient, inclusive, quality education systems by (a) providing increased support to teachers and educational personnel, including through targeted professional development for digital and pedagogical skills; (b) investing in skills development, including social and emotional learning and well-being, and psychosocial support, and mental health for inclusive recovery, sustainable development, decent work and enhanced employability, and full and productive employment; (c) eradicating poverty, combating inequality and bridging the digital divide through open education resources and equitable, affordable and inclusive technology-supported learning, based on critical thinking and sustainability principles with a proper assessment of risks and benefits and by ensuring that the access, development and use of technologies are responsive, safe, equitable and inclusive; (d) building emergency preparedness and response capacity of education systems; and (e) building more inclusive education by ensuring gender equality and non-discrimination in access to knowledge and skills;

Encourages Governments and other stakeholders concerned to scale up education for sustainable development action through the implementation of the “Education for Sustainable Development: towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals” (ESD for 2030) framework and its road map;

Encourages Governments to increase efforts to systemically integrate and institutionalize education for sustainable development in the education sector and other relevant sectors, as appropriate, including through, inter alia, the provision of financial resources, the inclusion of education for sustainable development in relevant policies and the development of the capacities of policymakers, institutional leaders and educators, as well as through the strengthening of research and innovation, and monitoring and evaluation on education for sustainable development in order to support the scaling up of good practices;

Reaffirms the commitment to continue to increase investment in inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning opportunities for all, including early childhood education, youth and adult literacy programmes and initiatives, digital education, cultural education, education for sustainable development, digital technologies for education, skills enhancement, affordable higher education and vocational training, education in emergencies and teachers’ continuous professional development, recognizes that early childhood education and care can generate substantial benefits for children, and reaffirms the commitment to address barriers to girls’ education, gender and disability gaps and to promote gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls in and through education and safe, healthy and stimulating learning environments that enable all learners to achieve their full potential and physical, mental and emotional well-being;

Encourages all countries, intergovernmental bodies, organizations of the United Nations system, relevant non-governmental organizations and all other relevant stakeholders to enhance international cooperation in supporting the efforts of developing countries towards the realization of the full potential of education for sustainable development;

Emphasizes the importance of further developing and implementing educational and public awareness programmes, training scientific, technical and managerial personnel, fostering access to information and promoting public participation in addressing climate change challenges;

Decides to continue to give consideration, as appropriate, to the contribution of education for sustainable development in the follow-up and review framework of the 2030 Agenda;

Notes Member States’ engagement throughout the Transforming Education Summit process, including through national consultations, and invites the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and relevant stakeholders, including the Sustainable Development Goal 4-Education 2030 High-level Steering Committee, to support Member States, upon their request, in the country-level implementation of their national commitments made during the Transforming Education Summit process, as well as other relevant national strategies for transforming education and accelerate national efforts towards Goal 4;

Reaffirms the mandated role of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, as the specialized United Nations agency for education, to lead and coordinate the Education 2030 agenda; including through the strengthened Sustainable Development Goal 4-Education 2030 High-level Steering Committee, and encourages the High-Level Steering Committee to take all steps necessary to achieve maximum cooperation and coordination in order to make effective progress towards Goal 4;

Invites the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, as the lead agency for education for sustainable development, to continue to coordinate the implementation of the framework entitled “Education for Sustainable Development: towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals” (ESD for 2030) through its road map, in cooperation with Governments, United Nations organizations, funds and programmes, non-governmental organizations and other stakeholders, and to continue to advocate the importance of ensuring adequate resources for education for sustainable development, and calls upon the United Nations system to increase efforts to mainstream a gender perspective into the implementation of the framework;

Invites the organizations of the United Nations system, in particular the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, to continue to provide support and assist States, upon their request, in developing their national capacities to promote education for sustainable development, including through knowledge-sharing and standard-setting, youth empowerment and mobilization, the exchange of best practices, data collection, research and study;

Invites the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and other relevant United Nations bodies to continue to assess, in consultation with Member States, progress towards the achievement of education for sustainable development;

Encourages all countries, relevant intergovernmental bodies, organizations of the United Nations system, relevant non-governmental organizations and all other relevant stakeholders to give due consideration to the contribution of education to the achievement of sustainable development in the formulation of national, regional and international development policies and international cooperation instruments;

Requests the Secretary-General to submit to the General Assembly at its eightieth session an action-oriented report on the implementation of the present resolution, and decides to include in the provisional agenda of its eightieth session, under the item entitled “Sustainable development”, the sub-item entitled “Education for sustainable development”.

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