Japan Sets Plan for UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development

The Japanese government adopted its implementation plan for the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (UNDESD) on March 30, 2006. The plan was prepared by the Ministry of the Environment with input from the public. The purpose of the UNDESD is to incorporate the concepts of sustainable development into education. Japan played a leading role in proposing a resolution on the UNDESD, which was adopted unanimously at the 57th session of the UN General Assembly in 2002. The ten years of the UNDESD began in 2005. Each participating country was to come up with implementation measures as part of its educational strategies and development programs by the end of 2005.

The major objectives set by the Japanese government are as follows:
- encourage every citizen and entity in the country to participate in initiatives to build a sustainable society in the period from 2005 to 2014;
- achieve progress in an integrated way on the environment, economy, and society, with a focus on environmental conservation;
- increase the awareness about challenges facing developing countries, and strengthen cooperation with them.

The UNDESD calls on developed countries, including Japan, to give top priority to the integration of environmental consideration into socioeconomic systems. Under its implementation plan, Japan aims to build a sustainable and healthy society and economy while protecting the environment. To this end, the plan focuses on such initiatives as shifting lifestyles and industrial structures away from mass production, consumption and disposal and toward sustainability, and the conservation of biodiversity.

To promote education for sustainable development, the plan stresses the importance of participatory approaches that value the search for solutions and putting ideas into practice, rather than just knowledge transmission. The plan also puts an emphasis on improving people's capacity (1) to understand the factors behind specific problems or phenomena; (2) to think systematically and from objective and multidimensional perspectives; (3) to offer constructive criticism and alternatives; (4) to analyze data and information; and (5) to communicate with others. In addition, the plan places an importance on raising awareness of issues related to sustainable development, such as cultural diversity, inclusiveness, equal opportunity, and respect for the environment.

http://www.esd-j.org/en/
http://portal.unesco.org/education/en/ev.php-URL_ID=27234&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html

Posted: 2006/06/24 03:39:46 PM
Japanese version