Mapping the mainstreaming of education for sustainable development across SDG4.7 : a comparative analysis of the mainstreaming of ESD in Cyprus, Greece, Malta and Turkey

Abstract

Prior to the pandemic, environmental crises had been catapulted to the forefront of the collective conscience. The understanding that over 75% of land and 66% of the ocean was either transformed or degraded (IPBES, 2019), that over a million species were threatened with extinction over the next few decades (IPBES, 2019) and that we had but a decade remaining to stop the negative feedback loop towards uncontrolled climate catastrophe (IPCC, 2019) was gaining global familiarly. Considering both global health and environmental crises, the role of education is more important than ever. The Covid-19 pandemic has presented an unprecedented opportunity to “build back better,” by allowing us to rethink our choices, our values and primarily, allowing us to re-imagine a world in which we want to live. Education for Sustainable Development is the power that can lead us to the deep societal transformation needed to create more just, prosperous, resilient and sustainable societies. Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) “empowers learners to take informed decisions and responsible actions for environmental integrity, economic viability and a just society, for present and future generations, while respecting cultural diversity” (UNESCO, 2019a). ESD, as an approach to supporting sustainable development, integrates key education concepts and processes that foster a learner’s contribution to a socially, environmentally and economically prosperous future. It includes critical issues into curricula such as climate change, sustainable consumption and production, disaster risk reduction (DRR), biodiversity conservation and gender equality (among others). It also encourages the expansion beyond pure cognitive comprehension towards the inclusion of socio-emotional and behavioral dimensions. As societal transformation through effective and innovative learning is the end goal, ESD strives to “empower learners of any age, in any education setting to transform themselves and the society they live in” (UNESCO, 2019a). The objective of the present report is to summarize the state of ESD implementation in Cyprus, Greece, Malta and Turkey. This report will summarize and share the successes and challenges highlighted within National Implementation Reports, as such a summary could be an important contribution to UNESCO, as the organization is currently facilitating dialogues to establish the direction of the new global programme for ESD. For that reason, these four countries within the regional scope of the UNESCO Regional Bureau in Venice, Italy, were chosen for the preliminary study. For the purpose of this study, the binary data contained within the National Implementation reports of Cyprus, Greece, Malta and Turkey were extracted to summarize the state of ESD implementation.