Dear reader,
Only 11 days are left until the UNESCO World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) begins on 31 March 2009 in Bonn, Germany. Organizers of the Conference are UNESCO and the German Ministry of Education and Research, in cooperation with the German Commission for UNESCO.
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| | © UNESCO / Andrew Wheeler |
| | High-Level Segment – Over 50 participants confirmed
On the afternoon of the first conference day, a High-Level Segment will take place from 14.30-17.30h. Ministers from all over the world as well as high-level representatives of United Nations Agencies are invited to attend. Over 50 Ministers and Vice Ministers have already confirmed their participation, among them for example China, Sweden, Costa Rica, Oman and Namibia.  More |
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| | © DUK |
| | Bonn Declaration
The main outcomes of the UNESCO World Conference on ESD will be captured by a Bonn Declaration on ESD. It is expected that the short, concise document will contain a call for action and recommendations for the second half of the UN Decade of ESD. A drafting group will be responsible for writing the Bonn Declaration on the basis of the outcomes of conference sessions. It will include ESD experts and experienced drafters, the general rapporteurs of the conference, the thematic cluster rapporteurs, and representatives of UNESCO Member States’ electoral groups. |
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| | © WCCB |
| | Rapporteurs of the Conference designated
Two General Rapporteurs will be responsible for feeding the outcomes of the conference back to participants. Mary Joy Pigozzi, member of the UNESCO High-level Panel for the DESD and Senior Vice President at the Academy for Educational Development in Washington D.C., and Kartikeya Sarabhai, Director of the Centre for Environmental Education, India, have kindly accepted the invitation to serve as General Rapporteurs. In addition, four cluster rapporteurs will work with Kartikeya Sarabhai and synthesize the outcomes of the workshops belonging to the four thematic clusters of the conference. General and cluster rapporteurs will also be members of the drafting group for the conference final declaration. More |
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| | © DUK |
| Participants for "Young ESD Voices" selected
Among 550 applicants from more than 120 countries, 25 participants from all world regions between 18 and 35 years of age have been selected to take part in the workshop "Young ESD Voices". The workshop will be held on 30 March 2009 at the German Commission for UNESCO in Bonn, Germany. Participants will also take part in the World Conference from 31 March-2 April 2009. More |
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| World Conference documents online
The Information document of the UNESCO World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development is now available in English, French, Spanish and German on the Conference website. Moreover, first background documents of workshops can now be downloaded. More |
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| | © DUK |
| | Over 700 Conference participants from 150 countries
Short personal descriptions of World Conference participants, having entered their data in the registration form, are now available online. Over 700 persons from 150 countries have registered for the Conference. More |
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| | © Gaia Education |
| ESD Projects Exhibition finalised
An exhibition with 25 ESD projects will be shown. The innovative projects are balanced both in terms of regions and types of education settings. The exhibitors will show for instance a Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle on water and energy, community design in eco villages, and a school campaign registering the CO2-emissions on the way to school, and another 22 good practices of Education for Sustainable Development. More |
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| | © pixelio / Hofschläger |
| German ESD Round Table after World Conference
World Conference participants are invited to join the German ESD Round Table on 3 April 2009, 9.00-17.30h in Bonn, Germany (separate registration essential). More than 200 participants from a wide range of institutions and backgrounds will participate in the Round Table taking place in the Headquarters of Deutsche Telekom. Central elements of the event will be reporting from the World Conference, reviewing the results for the implementation of the UN Decade in Germany, exchange between German and international stakeholders, and identifying key priorities for the second half of the Decade in Germany. More |
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| | © OR |
| World Conference participants invited to Hamburg on 3 April 2009
Hamburg is not only the first "Official City of the DESD" in Germany, but also was recently awarded "European Green Capital 2011". Hamburg invites the participants of the World Conference in Bonn for a meeting with DESD stakeholders and the World Future Council on Friday, 3 April 2009, to Hamburg (separate registration essential). More |
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| | © UNESCO / Soler-Roca |
| Journalist accreditation online
Journalist accreditation is possible via the Conference website until 30 March 2009, 13.00h (UTC (GMT) + 1 hours). Journalists are invited to observe the conference and attend two press conferences at the World Conference Center Bonn: 31 March 2009, 12.00h and 2 April 2009, 16.30h. Moreover, accredited journalists may visit ESD projects on 31 March 2009. More |
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