Dear reader,

The UNESCO World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development – Moving into the Second Half of the UN Decade was held from 31 March to 2 April 2009 in Bonn, Germany. It brought together 900 participants from 147 countries, among them 49 Ministers and Deputy-Ministers. Participants further included representatives of UNESCO Member States as well as Associate Members and Observers, UN agencies, civil society organizations, education institutions, youth, the private sector, and individual experts.

At the mid-point of the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014), the Conference highlighted the essential contribution of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) to achieving quality education worldwide, provided a forum for international exchange on ESD, discussed what has been achieved so far, and developed strategies for the second half of the UN Decade. In the final plenary session participants adopted the Bonn Declaration by consensus. Taking stock of the experience and knowledge gained in the first years of the Decade, the Bonn Declaration recognizes that "we now need to put this knowledge into action" and proceeds to identify concrete steps to be taken. 

In this final newsletter, the organizers of the World Conference are happy to announce the publication of the Conference Proceedings in English, available for download below (further language editions to be published soon). The Bonn Declaration has been translated into nine languages - English, French, Spanish, German, Arabic, Russian, Chinese, Danish, Japanese - and can also be downloaded below. 

The momentum created by the Bonn Conference gives us fresh energy and a unique opportunity to further work together in order to promote quality education that enables sustainable development to become a reality for all. We hope that the Proceedings and the Bonn Declaration – reflecting the discussions at the World Conference in Bonn – will provide a good read and offer guidance to all of us for the successful implementation of the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development in its second half.

We sincerely thank you for your interest in the run-up to the Bonn Conference over the last year and look forward to continued cooperation.

Sincerely yours,

The Conference Organizers
UNESCO, German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, German Commission for UNESCO