<P><FONT color=#33711E><STRONG>Plenary Session 1: <br>Implementation Strategies for the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development</STRONG></FONT></P>
Rainbow Room, 5th Floor
14:00 - 16:00
Keynote Address:
A Conceptual Framework of ESD in the Asian Context
Samuel Lee, Secretary-General, Korean National Commission for UNESCO
There is a lack of widespread awareness and understanding of the concept of “Education for Sustainable Development” (ESD). This is partly because of the complexity, ambiguity and evolving character of the concept of “Sustainable Development” (SD). A commonly quoted definition of SD was provided in the so-called Brundland Report, “Our Common Future.” According to this definition, SD is “development that meets the needs of the present generation without sacrificing the ability of future generations to meet the own needs”. While this is an appropriate and rational definition, it is difficult to convey to learners the complexity of the factors underlying this definition. This definition incorporates an understanding of the need to sustainably provide (now and in the future) all the factors necessary for human survival, including: water, food, clean air, and human rights. This definition also recognizes that all kinds of problems, including poverty, environmental degradation, wasteful consumption, population growth, health issues and illiteracy are interrelated and require comprehensive, ongoing solutions. Some of the confusion about the concept of “ESD” is because of a misunderstanding about the differences between “Environmental Education” (EE) and ESD. This paper examines these and other issues and examines how the concept of ESD is approached differently in different countries. The paper then describes some of the priority concerns for ESD in an Asian context.
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