REPORT OF UNESCO EXPERT MEETING ON - APCEIU

international organizations and UN agencies, such as Multi-stakeholder Forum for Our Common Future
(UK), Education Forum for Sustainability (US), UNESCO, UNDP, UNICEF, ILO, and UNHABITAT. They
have actively involved in the symposium organized by JFJ (Japan Forum for Johannesburg) in which the
DESD was the central theme discussed during the WSSD. (Hirono 2003: p.293)
To make better understanding the concept of Sustainable Development, it might be safe to re-visit to the
WSSD Plan of Implementation. It has 10 core scopes as mentioned below from which the concept of
Sustainable Development can be abstracted.
(1) Poverty eradication,
(2) Changing unsustainable patterns of consumption and production,
(3) Protecting and managing the natural resource base of economic and social
development,
(4) Sustainable development in a globalizing world,
(5) Health and sustainable development,
(6) Sustainable development of Small Island developing States,
(7) Sustainable development for Africa,
(8) Other regional initiatives,
(9) Means of implementation,
(10) Institutional framework for sustainable development
The Plan of Implementation of WSSD is the document that demonstrates very clearly the goals, objectives,
perspectives, play role of various stakeholders concerned the promotion of SD. However, it is understood
that the concept of SD in this document is basically same with those of the Agend21. It must be said that the
Plan of Implementation proposed the reconfirm the importance of SD with the immediate action to be taken.
Some of the characteristics are the proposals of regional initiative such as the small islands and Africa,
where the introduction of SD programmes was far behind as compared to other regions of the world.
6. Draft UNESCO International Implementation Scheme (2004) – Specifying the
strategic perspectives of ESD -
The Draft IIS (2004) composed with four sections; (1) Education for Sustainable Development, (2)
Stakeholders and Strategies, (3) Implementation and Evaluation, and (4) Programming the Decade.
“Education for sustainable development should not be equated with environmental education. The latter is a
well-established discipline, which focuses on humankind’s relationship with the natural environment and on
ways to conserve and preserve it and properly steward its resources. Sustainable development therefore
encompasses environmental education, setting it in the broader context of socio-cultural factors and the
socio-political issues of equity, poverty, democracy and quality of life. ” (The Draft IIS : p.16)
The ultimate goal is to achieve peaceful coexistence among peoples, with less suffering. less hunger, less
poverty in a world where people will be able to practice their rights as human beings and citizens in a
dignified way. At the same time, the natural environment will play its regenerating role by avoiding biodiversity
loss and waste accumulation in the biosphere and the geo-sphere. (The Draft IIS : p.13)
The Draft pointed the fifteen strategic perspectives under three basic perspectives as such (The Draft IIS:
pp.17-20).These strategic perspectives can be treated as areas of specific objectives for ESD. In other wards,
it might be said that these are the prior areas for promoting ESD abstracted from the specific objectives of
the Agenda 21.
(1) Socio-cultural perspectives
1) Human rights
ESD must equip people to assert their right to live in a sustainable environment.
2) Peace and human security
ESD seeks to build skills and values for peace in the minds of humankind, as
enshrined in the UNESCO Charter.
3) Gender equality
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