The concept note, submitted to the UNCSD, traces the emergence of education as a policy instrument for the transition to sustainable development and provides elements of a successful outcome to the Conference.
23 February 2011: The UNCSD Education Working Group has submitted a concept note, titled “Framing Policy Dialogues: A Well-Prepared Society,” to the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio 2012).
The concept note traces the emergence of education as a policy instrument for the transition to sustainable development and says that 20th century approaches and models to global environmental security are still being used. The note identifies four issues: narrowing structural learning gaps in a global environmental governance framework; engaging diverse stakeholders in sustainability; building governmental capacities based on responsive models of learning; and integrating “Knowledge to Action for All Levels of Decision-makers” into UNCSD processes.
The note recommends informal strategy meetings with delegations and related groups on “Environmental Education for Sustainability” to: develop a clear vision, identify policy mechanisms, and create next steps leading to implementation within the final negotiated outcomes of the UNCSD.
A successful outcome of the UNCSD, according to the note, would include: developing “an institutional responsiveness that engages the public as part of a systems-wide strategy to understand what’s working, what’s not, and potential options to address the crises;” and “a vision of cooperative action from local to global and global to local, positioning Environmental Education and Sustainability as a visible action-based priority.” [Publication: Framing Policy Dialogues: A Well-Prepared Society]