12 November 2014: A three-day conference on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), convened by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the Government of Japan, concluded with a declaration calling for urgent action to mainstream education for sustainable development (ESD) and include ESD in the post-2015 development agenda.

Over 1,000 participants attended the conference in Nagoya, Japan, marking the end of the UN Decade of ESD (2005-2014) and launching the Global Action Programme (GAP), which aims to actively integrate sustainable development into education.

At the conference, UNESCO presented the Final Report for the Decade of Education on Sustainable Development, titled ‘Shaping the Future We Want.’ The report concludes that as the target date for achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) approaches, education for sustainable development is a catalyst towards more holistic, integrative and critical ways of tackling sustainability issues.

On the occasion of the conference, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) highlighted the development of the 10-Year Frame Work of Programmes (10YFP) Sustainable Lifestyles and Education Programme (SLE), jointly coordinated with UNESCO. The UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20) in 2012 mandated the 10YFP on Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) as a global framework for international cooperation on SCP. The SLE is a component of the 10YFP and aims to advance sustainable lifestyles through developing and promoting low-carbon lifestyles, educating young people and others on sustainable lifestyles, and shaping the lifestyle choices of future generations.

The Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) is a partner in the SLE, together with the Governments of Sweden and Japan, and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Project leader Peter Repinski, SEI, said that the organization will work with scientists, economists and local communities to explore alternative “to do more and better with less,” improve resource efficiency, reduce pollution and waste, and promote a higher quality of life and wellbeing. [UN Press Release] [UNESCO Press Release] [Publication: Shaping the Future We Want] [UNEP Press Release] [SLE Programme of 10YFP] [SEI Interview on SLE] [SCP Clearinghouse on Sustainable Lifestyles]