UNESCO World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development. Learn for our planet. Act for sustainability.

The UNESCO World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) was held online from 17 to 19 May 2021 in Berlin.

The UNESCO World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) was held online from 17 to 19 May 2021 in Berlin. This event gathered participants to take part in ministerial roundtables, plenaries and workshops. The conference intended to provide impulses to further strengthen ESD in educational policy as well as practice and to accompany the strategic design of the new program “ESD for 2030”. Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is crucial to empower people to have the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes to meet these crises and other sustainable development challenges. The new ESD for 2030 framework provides us with an important opportunity to move away from the disastrous path of climate and other emergencies by transforming our societies through education.

An important result of the UNESCO World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) was the adaption of the Berlin Declaration on Education for Sustainable Development: In it, the delegates of the Conference emphasise the urgent need for action and their commitment to implement Education for Sustainable Development in order to form the basis for the urgent change towards sustainability.

Ilustration — Visualisation of the Berlin Declaration © Deutsche UNESCO-Kommission/Anja Riese

Visualisation of the Berlin Declaration © Deutsche UNESCO-Kommission/Anja Riese

Impressions from the conference

Angela Merkel — © BMBF/BILDKRAFTWERK/Kurc

Frau auf Bildschirm — © BMBF/BILDKRAFTWERK/Kurc

Aktionsplan — © BMBF/BILDKRAFTWERK/Weiler

More information and materials on the UNESCO World Conference.

Find videos from the event, articles and interviews on ESD, and more.

Additional videos

Stream from 19th May: UNESCO World Conference on ESD | La conférence mondiale de l’UNESCO

Stream from 18th May: UNESCO World Conference on ESD | La conférence mondiale de l’UNESCO

Stream from 17th May: UNESCO World Conference on ESD | La conférence mondiale de l’UNESCO

Video: Learning to change the world! What is Education for Sustainable Development?

Press review

UNESCO
Learn for our planet. a global review of how environmental issues are integrated in education

National Launch Conference : Date: 12.03.2021

In addition, a National Launch Conference kicked off the programme in Germany on May 19th, 2021.

ESD Weeks : Date: 12.03.2021

The ESD Weeks take place throughout Germany from May 1 to 31 2021. The over 100 events include a wide range of topics and types of events including discussion rounds, online workshops, expert days, guided (virtual) tours and simulation games.

Pre-conference workshops : Date: 12.03.2021

In preparation for the UNESCO World Conference on ESD, UNESCO organized a series of workshops in cooperation with the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the German Commission for UNESCO as an advisory partner.