ESD and Global Citizenship Education

Launching the Education First Initiative in September 2012, the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon highlighted the connection between education and development: ‘Our internationally agreed development goals are a complex tapestry and education is the indispensable thread.’ The initiative aims to ensure quality, relevant and transformative education for everyone. Its three priorities are to ensure that every child goes to school; the quality of learning is such as to be transformative; and that it inculcates a sense of global citizenship. The Education First Initiative recognizes education, throughout the document, as a major driver of change towards environmental sustainability, sustainable living, gender equality, economic opportunity, health and in inculcating a sense of being a responsible global citizen. As sustainable development goals evolve, the Education First Initiative gives an opportunity for education for sustainable development (ESD) to be integrated into the strategies and work programmes as a key driver to achieve these goals. At a recently held UN DESD Reference Group meeting, during a session to discuss the ‘Advancing Policy on ESD’, one of the major components of the proposed framework on ESD post 2014, the group noted that