Tomorrow today; 2010 - unesdoc - Unesco

Image: Nat. Comm. UNESCO ChinaThe Second International Forum of Education for Sustainable DevelopmentDeveloping multi-level international-Chinese exchange andcooperation in ESDThe sixth and final creative characteristic of ESD in Chinais that China attaches great importance to the localizing andimplementing of international ESD conception and experienceexchange in this regard between China and foreign countries.China also pays great attention to the promotion of ESD in itseducational and teaching reforms in schools and joint cooperationbetween schools and social organizations in promoting ESDin China.China started carrying out ESD projects more than 10 years agowith the aim of accomplishing steady localization of internationalESD concepts in the country as soon as possible. Inter-regionaland inter-school experience exchange activities were conducted atappropriate times. In the past decade, the ESD project group hashosted nine national workshops in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhouand Hong Kong. It also launched four ESD international forumsin Beijing in 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2009 under the themes of‘Toward the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development’,‘Education Promotes Sustainable Development: Global CommonUnderstanding and Local Practice’, ‘Creative Practice of Educationfor Sustainable Development’ and ‘ESD: International DevelopmentTrend and China’s Practical Mode’. These four international forumshave effectively promoted the interaction and coherenceof China’s ESD with international experience andraised China’s ESD impact in the world.In addition, China has also made greater effortstowards carrying out educational and teaching reformsand deepening cooperation between schools andsocial organizations, in support of China’s importantpolicy of pushing forward all-round ESD. Approvedby the UNESCO China National Committee in 2002,the National ESD Working Committee has so farinvited leading officials in the sectors of environmentalprotection, economy, science, culture andpublic health to take part in the committee’s work.These senior officials either took responsibility forimportant work or gave special reports at the nationalworkshops and international forums. Representativesof a number of higher education institutions, enterprises,non-governmental organizations and rare andprecious animal and plant reserve zones are invitedto be permanent members or council members of theBeijing ESD Association, the first civilian ESD socialorganization in China to be approved by the BeijingMunicipal Bureau of Civil Affairs in 2004.[ 61 ]