In December 2002, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted resolution 57/254 to put in place a United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD), spanning from 2005 to 2014. UNESCO was requested to lead the Decade and develop an International Implementation Scheme (IIS) for the Decade.

This document fulfils the request for an IIS and is the result of extensive consultations with United Nations agencies, national governments, civil society organizations and NGOs, experts and specialists.

The IIS sets out a broad framework for all partners to contribute to the Decade. It is a strategic document that focuses primarily on what nations have committed to achieve through the DESD and under UNESCO’s leadership. It summarizes the goals and objectives of the Decade, and its relationship to other key education movements. It emphasizes the importance of partnership in the eventual success of the Decade and outlines how these might contribute at all levels – community, national,  regional, and international. It outlines UNESCO’s leadership tasks. The IIS also lists key milestones for the DESD. It then lays out seven strategies for moving forward with ESD and describes how this wide range of partners can develop contributions based on their particular contexts. Those not familiar with the background of the Decade or Education for Sustainable Development are referred to Annex I of this document, which provides a succinct summary of key  trends as well as other important background information.

The IIS should foster collective ownership of the DESD. The IIS describes pathways forward in the hope that it will stimulate imagination, creativity, and energy to make the DESD a success. It is envisaged that regions and nations will create plans, strategic approaches, and timetables on the basis of the framework provided by this International Implementation Scheme.

Download the International Implementation Scheme (IIS) in English or Japanese language