On September 20th, 2021, four Global Schools Advocates participated in the International Conference on Sustainable Development in the context of the Berlin Declaration on Education for Sustainable Development.
Adopted in May 2021 at the UNESCO World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), the Berlin Declaration states that ESD, “anchored in SDG 4.7 and as an enabler for all 17 SDGs, is the foundation for the required transformation, providing everyone with the knowledge, skills, values, and attitudes to become change agents for sustainable development.” It calls on governments to embed the principles of ESD--and its corresponding themes of Global Citizenship Education (GCED), 21st-century skills, and other subjects named in Target 4.7 (referred to collectively as “Transformative Education”)--into education at all levels. Achieving this ambitious goal requires the input, dedication, and—above all—the ingenuity of educators to ensure that learners of all ages are equipped with the “knowledge, values, and skills” called for by the Berlin Declaration and a global community of transformative education advocates.
Four Global Schools Advocates, George de la Cruz, a teacher from the Philippines, Santha Nair, a primary school ESL teacher from Malaysia, Javeria Rana, a primary and secondary school educator from Pakistan, and Lilian Oloo, an early childhood educator from Kenya, participated in the session.
The session was moderated by Chandrika Bahadur, Director of the SDG Academy and Chair of the Mission 4.7 Secretariat; and Julia Zimmerman, Program Officer at the Ban Ki-Moon Centre for Global Citizens and Member of the Mission 4.7 Secretariat.
Watch a recording of the session here.
