Event
ESD for 2030 Regional Meeting on Transforming the Futures of Education: Mainstreaming Education for Sustainable Development in Learning Systems
UNESCO and the are delighted to announce their co-organization of the forthcoming ESD for 2030 Regional Meeting on Transforming the Futures of Education: Mainstreaming Education for Sustainable Development in Learning Systems ESD, to be held from 2 through 4 July 2024, at , in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The meeting will be co-hosted by the Ministry of Education of Malaysia, with generous support provided by the Government of Japan through the Japanese Funds-in-Trust (JFIT); the (JCF); and Sunway University.
In a world confronting the compounding crises of climate change, inequality, and social unrest, education emerges as a critically important tool for fostering resilience, empathy, and sustainability. Recognizing the growing imperative for transformative education, and as part of an ongoing conversation on ESD in Asia-Pacific, this regional meeting will explore – through knowledge exchange, policy dialogue, and cooperative action – promising and innovative ways to equip our current and future generations with the knowledge, skills, and values needed to address the complex challenges of our times.
Revolving around the theme, ‘Mainstreaming Education for Sustainable Development in Learning Systems’, this three-day meeting will feature a diverse range of sessions and activities, including global and regional ESD insights, expert panels, site visits, and working sessions, all towards embedding the sustainable development goals (SDGs) and principles throughout Asia-Pacific learning systems in a holistic, transformative, and innovative manner. As will be underscored throughout the meeting, ESD must be not only integrated, or ‘mainstreamed’ into existing curricula, but also into regional pedagogies and assessment tools and methods, and not just within academic settings, but also throughout communities through youth initiative and beyond in the public commons.
Building upon the progress achieved at the (2023) and the ESD-Net Global Meeting (2023), this year’s regional meeting takes a closer look at the most promising ways to mainstream Education for Sustainable Development in the region’s learning systems. Thematic areas will include school curricula, pedagogy, and assessment frameworks, as well as exploring localized, practice-based ESD models, while homing in on social-emotional learning (SEL) and twenty-first-century skills development.
Meeting objectives
The ESD for 2030 Asia-Pacific Regional Meeting aims to accomplish the following:
- Enable policy dialogue and knowledge exchange among key stakeholders on emerging thematic issues related to ESD, to inform policy and practice at national and regional levels
- Take stock of the recent development of ESD for 2030 Country Initiatives, and empower UNESCO Member States and strategic education partners in the region towards advance planning and implementation
- Expand and provide collaborative opportunities through the platform of the Asia-Pacific Regional ESD-Net
Specifications for Sessions
—For ‘invitation only’ technical sessions and events, participants from selected countries will be invited to attend the Asia-Pacific meeting in person, based on the status of their engagement in developing an ESD Country Initiative. Key stakeholders in ESD and/or the development of ESD Country Initiatives will also be invited, such as UN personnel and that of regional organizations, ASPnet school representatives, academics, experts from specialized institutes and related organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and youth representatives. Kindly note that representatives from High-Income and selected Middle-Income Countries are requested to self-fund their in-person participation.
—For the public session of 3 July 2024, . Due to limited capacity of the venue, in-person registration will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Participants are also expected to self-fund their in-person attendance.
*This link will be accessible for around three months after the announcement was first published. If you have difficulties accessing the documents, please email: ap-esd(at)unesco.org
Modality and language
The Meeting will be organized in a hybrid mode (i.e. it will comprise both in-person sessions and selected virtual sessions, the latter via Zoom conferencing). Selected sessions will be live streamed on UNESCO and partners’ social media pages.
Sessions on 3 July will be open to all registered participants, including members of the public. Additional technical sessions and events will be accessible ‘by-invitation only’. The working language of the meeting is English. Working documents will also be made available in English only.
Venue and dates
2 – 4 July 2024
Sunway University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
For more information:
For further queries, kindly contact the respective UNESCO field office(s) covering your country, or the Secretariat at: ap-esd(at)unesco.org.
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