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Some UN agencies have specific initiatives or programmes which will support and be part of the DESD. These existing range initiatives should form part of the DESD's thrust and, as far as possible, be broadened to include sustainable development perspectives.
“UNESCO should reaffirm the centrality of education for development. As United Nations lead agency, UNESCO should advocate a more coherent coordination of good governance, quality education, financing education and reducing disparities based on gender or income. We should aspire to inclusive quality education – primary, secondary and higher...I am convinced that Education for Sustainable Development based on the interdependence of environment, economy, society and cultural diversity, is the key to a better and more just world of the 21st century.”
Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO on Education – the Road Ahead.
ESD Quote of the Week
There is not one single correct interpretation and use of ESD. Perhaps ESD can be seen as the total sum of diverse ways to arrive at a ‘learning society’ in which people learn from and with one another and collectively become more capable of withstanding setbacks and dealing with sustainability-induced insecurity, complexity and risks. From this vantage point, ESD is about - through education and learning - engaging people in sustainable development issues, developing their capacities to give meaning to SD and to contribute to its development and utilizing the diversity represented by all people - including those who have been or feel marginalized - in generating innovative solutions to SD challenges and crises.
-Review of Contexts and Structures for ESD 2009