Proposal Regarding Invigoration of UNESCO Activities in an Era of Diversity: Building a Sustainable Society 

 

Japanese National Commission for UNESCO
31 March, 2014

 

Overview

Proposal Regarding Invigoration of UNESCO Activities in an Era of Diversity: Building a Sustainable Society

 

　UNESCO places great emphasis on efforts to build a sustainable society and has made peace and sustainable development goals of its Medium-Term Strategy for 2014-2021 to address the ever growing need to respect diversity of culture and values as our environment changes and globalization advances.
　We are approaching a stage when we must completely reexamine how to implement UNESCO activities effectively as well as the nature of UNESCO activities in Japan, based on this diversity of the international community and UNESCO activities addressing that diversity.

 

　The Japanese National Commission for UNESCO (JNCU) considers the UNESCO World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)*1 scheduled for November to be a great chance to popularize not only ESD but all UNESCO activities in Japan.  The commission proposes the following items for promoting ESD along with a policy to encourage active participation particularly of young people and corporations in UNESCO activities.

 

 

[1] Further promotion of UNESCO activities through youth and corporate participation

 

1. There is a need to convey in a relatively easy-to-understand manner the appeal of UNESCO activities and their link to people’s livelihoods in order to encourage broad participation in UNESCO activities. Build frameworks such as a portal site to provide comprehensive information on the activities of various organizations that promote UNESCO activities in a broad manner in order to convey in an effective manner the above type of information.

 

2. While respecting the importance of UNESCO activities carried out by organizations such as the National Federation of UNESCO Associations in Japan (NFUAJ), the Asia-Pacific Cultural Centre for UNESCO (ACCU), UNESCO associations and clubs, and university UNESCO clubs, establish a platform separate to JNCU where young people interested in actively participating in UNESCO activities can play a central role in independent and autonomous discussions: This will provide a space for young people and businesses to participate in UNESCO activities without joining an organization, and enable the review and implementation of policies to recognize and implement activities that conform to UNESCO principles as UNESCO activities.

 

3. Build an environment that encourages youth participation by actively communicating information relating to all kinds of UNESCO youth fora and supporting young people's open recruitment applications, and also consider organizing similar fora in Japan.

 

4. Establish a framework whereby JNCU rewards excellence concerning UNESCO activities, such as a UNESCO activities commendation system.

 

 

[2] Further promotion of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) through education in schools and wider society

 

1. Seek qualitative improvements in the content of projects throughout all UNESCO Associated Schools in Japan. In this aim, implement exchange projects between UNESCO Associated Schools in Japan and overseas. Further, seek to redress the uneven regional distribution of UNESCO Associated Schools by making sure that they are present in all prefectures.

 

2. Formulate policies to actively promote ESD also outside of UNESCO Associated Schools, such as by forming a consortium, enhancing teacher training relating to ESD, further clarifying ESD within the official guidelines for education, and further promoting ESD within national and local elementary and junior high school educational administrative systems.

 

3. Advance research into the development of evaluation indicators, so as to provide theoretical and empirical evidence of how ESD contributes to improving the qualities and skills required of each and every individual going forward.

 

4. As well as communicating Japan's efforts and achievements in ESD to date at the upcoming UNESCO world conference on ESD, engage in cooperative efforts with UNESCO and UNESCO Member States beyond the end of the conference in the aim of achieving items 1 to 3 above.

 

*Aim to achieve the above by the time of the planned review of the GAP in 2019.

 

Introduction

 

　UNESCO was set up after the Second World War as a United Nations specialized agency with the aim of promoting world peace and the common welfare of mankind through cooperation and exchange in education, science and culture. Japan has actively engaged in UNESCO activities*2 since becoming a member. Our environment has changed in recent years, including globalization and climate change, with a growing need to respect increasingly diversified cultures and values. UNESCO has set out the overarching goal of sustainable development, alongside peace, and focused on efforts to build sustainable societies.
　In light of the diversity of the international community and UNESCO’s subsequent response, it is time for us to undertake an extensive review and revitalize UNESCO activities in Japan, including how they might be implemented more effectively.

 

　To date, discussions and recommendations regarding how UNESCO activities should be promoted within Japan have taken place within JNCU (July 2001, 'Japan’s cooperation in UNESCO projects and efforts concerning UNESCO activities in Japan'). However, a more proactive engagement is required because there is not sufficient awareness of UNESCO activities in Japan – with the exception of special projects such as UNESCO World Heritage.

 

　UNESCO has set out a youth strategy*3 concerning the participation of young people in UNESCO activities, and outlined the importance of youth in its medium-term strategy*4. In Japan, UNESCO associations and clubs, which are the bedrock of local UNESCO movements, are facing challenges such as a declining youth membership base and a lack of growth in active members. However, there are young people who are not affiliated with organizations implementing UNESCO activities such as UNESCO associations and clubs that are involved in voluntary activities across a wide range of areas. Many elements of these activities are actually in line with UNESCO principles. If we want to see dynamic UNESCO activities continue into the future, there is an urgent need to promote youth participation in UNESCO activities in a way that is appropriate in an era of growing diversity. For example, by recognizing and implementing activities that are already in line with UNESCO principles as UNESCO activities.
　Expectations of the role that UNESCO　projects such as World Heritage, the UNESCO Memory of the World Programme, and Biosphere Reserves can play in regional development are gaining momentum. There is therefore a growing need for collaboration between bodies such as UNESCO associations and clubs, NGOs, prefectural governors' offices, and boards of education in order to further promote UNESCO activities at the regional level.
　Considerable emphasis has also recently been placed on collaboration between UNESCO and business, in addition to which, social responsibility is now clearly positioned within corporate activities. We therefore need to look to promoting the participation of companies as important partners in advancing UNESCO activities.

 

　These issues are common to all UNESCO activities. However, since the UNESCO World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is coming up this year, it is necessary to clarify the current challenges regarding ESD in particular in light of Japan's efforts to date. Further, looking to the Global Action Programme on ESD, which was adopted at the 37th UNESCO General Conference as a follow-up to the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (UNDESD) and is due to be submitted to the United Nations General Assembly in the fall, we need to set out the future direction for promoting ESD.
　The GAP focuses on five priority action areas for the next five years: (1) policy support; (2) whole-institution approaches; (3) training educators; (4) supporting youth participation; and (5) encouraging local community participation. Japan is also expected to demonstrate the specific direction its post-2015 efforts in these areas will take, and engage in active communication at the international level as a proponent of ESD. In promoting ESD, we need to bear in mind that it is essential to involve a wide range of actors, such as educators, NGOs, businesses, and young people; not only government.

 

　Against such a background, JNCU sees the UNESCO World Conference on ESD as a good opportunity to promulgate all UNESCO activities throughout Japan - not only those related to ESD. Against such a background, JNCU sees the ESD world conference as a good opportunity to promulgate all UNESCO activities throughout Japan - not only those related to ESD. These recommendations on the promotion of ESD therefore also cover measures to promote the active participation of young people and businesses in UNESCO activities going forward. They form JNCU guidelines for promoting UNESCO activities in collaboration with various actors, including NFUAJ, ACCU, UNESCO Associated Schools, boards of education, young people, and businesses. Going forward, JNCU will start work on the most practicable activities in line with these recommendations and give further consideration to concrete policies to encourage relevant bodies and individuals to participate actively in UNESCO activities.

 

 Section 1 sets out recommendations regarding policies to promote the participation of young people and business, which is essential for the revitalization of UNESCO activities across all fields. Section 2 discusses policies to further promote ESD, looking to the UNESCO World Conference on ESD, which is due to be held this year in Japan. The resulting recommendations demonstrate concrete policies in relation to the GAP priority action areas. The promotion of youth participation is addressed in Section 1 as a common issue in revitalizing all UNESCO activities. 
 

[1] Further promotion of UNESCO activities through youth and corporate participation

 

Background

　The Act concerning UNESCO Activities (Act number 207 of June 21, 1952) sets out that national or local government agencies shall directly engage in UNESCO activities and, if deemed necessary give advice to and cooperate with UNESCO activities in the private sector. It also states that JNCU may provide necessary advice to, and cooperate with, local governments, private organizations, and individuals concerning UNESCO activities. Civil society UNESCO activities were already taking place in 1947 in Japan, before Japan had joined UNESCO, and Japan is also home to the world's first civil society UNESCO association/club.

 

　Today, there are almost 300 civil society organizations involved in UNESCO activities across Japan (NGOs carrying out independent local activities in line with UNESCO principles and goals, UNESCO associations/clubs, other UNESCO clubs, etc.). They carry out their work as members of NFUAJ. NFUAJ is a national federation of all of these organizations, and promotes collaboration with JNCU as well as Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), business and UNESCO.

 

　ACCU was set up in 1971 through cooperative efforts between the Japanese government and civil society. In collaboration with UNESCO, ACCU cooperates with UNESCO Member States across the Asia-Pacific region to implement regional cooperation projects that reflect regional needs in the fields of education, human resources exchange, and culture.

 

　The revision of Japan's system for charitable organizations established NFUAJ and ACCU as, respectively, a Public Interest Incorporated Association and a Public Interest Incorporated Foundation under the jurisdiction of the Cabinet Office as of 2011. It is now important to explore new forms of collaboration between these three bodies.

Issues

　Thus, to date in Japan, it has primarily been civil society UNESCO organizations that have carried out UNESCO activities. The relative lack of public awareness concerning these activities, considering their substantial quantity and quality, was identified in a 2001 JNCU proposal. However, they have still not been sufficiently disseminated among the public even today.

 

　Particularly if we are to consider young people as actors in society - rather than just consumers - it is important that they widely develop an interest in UNESCO activities. In this respect, it is highly significant that a young person has been newly appointed to JNCU. This is also in line with the UNESCO direction advocating the importance of young people, as set out in documents such as the medium-term strategy. The participation of youth in UNESCO activities will contribute to the globalization of Japanese professionals, a subject that is robustly discussed in Japan. However, the percentage of young people (aged 15 to 35) making up the membership base of the UNESCO associations and clubs promoting regional UNESCO activities is low, at only 2.8% in 2012. Other challenges include the lack of growth in active members (total number of members in all UNESCO associations and clubs across Japan was 16,803 in 2012) and a lack of understanding of UNESCO activities among boards of education and similar bodies*5.
　There are a wide range of activities being carried out by young people who are not affiliated with organizations such as UNESCO associations and clubs. Even though many of these activities are in line with UNESCO principles, most are not recognized as UNESCO activities. While respecting the diverse forms that UNESCO activities take, the first task is to see that these kinds of activities are recognized and implemented as UNESCO activities. This will help to promote links and collaboration between individual UNESCO activities.
　With the increase in UNESCO Associated Schools across Japan, ensuring that pupils from these schools carry over their sympathy with UNESCO principles and interest in UNESCO beyond graduation would be significant in expanding the participation base for UNESCO activities.
　Recently, communication via social networking services such as Facebook and Twitter has become popular, particular among young people, and forms of activities and exchange have become more diverse. The implementation of UNESCO activities, too, needs to respond to the changing social landscape.

 

　Further, considering the recent UNESCO policy of proactively strengthening corporate collaboration and the prevalence of CSR activities, civil society UNESCO activities in Japan do not really involve sufficient collaboration with business.

 

　Given this situation, we need to expand our base and popularize UNESCO activities more widely. In order to do this, we need to further revitalize the activities of the regional UNESCO associations and clubs. With regard to youth participation, we urgently need to formulate policies to widely generate interest and facilitate participation in a way that is adapted to the diverse forms of activities and exchange that characterize the youth of today. In particular, we saw young people proactively participating in voluntary activities following the Great East Japan Earthquake. We should therefore bear in mind that a lot of young people have demonstrated a desire to participate in social activities.

 

　Recent years have seen a flourish in companies engaging in CSR activities, and there have been examples of collaboration between CSR and ESD activities. It is important to ensure that this enthusiasm among companies is diverted towards UNESCO activities in Japan.

Future direction

1. Communicating information regarding UNESCO activities

　In order to promote broad participation in UNESCO activities, we need to find ways to communicate in such a way that demonstrates the appeal of UNESCO activities and how they are connected to people's lives. Specifically, information about UNESCO activities and JNCU needs to clearly communicate a sense of what their aims are and how they relate to people's lives, as well as how getting involved in UNESCO activities will go on to shape people's future.

 

　Many UNESCO projects contribute to regional development, such as World Heritage, Intangible Cultural Heritage, the UNESCO Memory of the World Programme, Biosphere Reserves, and the Creative Cities Network. It is important to promote UNESCO projects as attractive. This can be achieved by presenting examples of successful local government projects in this vein, and showing how linking various regional efforts to the UNESCO project framework creates added value. Further, since these efforts contribute to the revitalization of individual regions, information needs to be effectively communicated not only at the national level, but also to community-based implementing bodies such as regional public organizations, UNESCO Associated Schools and UNESCO associations and clubs.

 

　In considering ways to communicate information, a wealth of information about UNESCO activities and JNCU is not enough; a specialist PR perspective also needs to be incorporated. Further, enabling those on the receiving end of the information, such as young people and companies, to participate in the debates and get involved in shaping the content will increase their interest. In light of this, we need to look beyond the website and set up a space to garner their opinions, making use of social networking.

 

　If we want the media to have a proper understanding of the importance of UNESCO activities and how they are connected to our everyday lives, we need to actively communicate information to the press as well as providing explanations that are easier to understand. In addition, it is important to communicate more proactively with the press during events, so as to provide an opportunity for those directly involved to speak in concrete terms about their experiences and the attraction of UNESCO activities.

 

　In order to reflect the diverse nature of UNESCO activities in communications, the various actors need to address the matter in their own way, while ACCU, NFUAJ and JNCU also need to work in collaboration. We also need to build a framework such as a portal site to provide comprehensive information on the activities of the organizations widely promoting UNESCO activities.

 

　In February 2012, PR officers*6 were appointed to JNCU. The aim of this post is to disseminate UNESCO activities to a wider public and communicate UNESCO ideals. We hope to see their more active involvement in communication activities.

 

　Government understanding is essential in popularizing UNESCO activities at the regional level. Since UNESCO activities are so wide ranging, it is necessary to ensure that related information is properly communicated to boards of education and prefectural governors' offices, and that collaboration takes place between these two bodies.

2. Promoting youth participation

　The systematic efforts of organizations such as NFUAJ, ACCU, regional UNESCO associations and clubs, and university UNESCO clubs in driving civil society UNESCO activities continue to be important. However, in light of UNESCO principles and the diversification of UNESCO activities, as well as the recent trend of young people from different organizations engaging in a wide range of voluntary activities with fellow activists recruited via social networks, it is necessary to expand opportunities for young people and corporations to participate in UNESCO activities even without joining these organizations while keeping in mind the importance of UNESCO activities conducted by these organizations. We will move forward with deliberations so that efforts can be made based on recognition as UNESCO activities of a wide range of activities that are in line with UNESCO ideals.

　We will thus set up separate from JNCU a platform mainly for young people who want to participate actively in UNESCO activities to debate voluntarily and autonomously.  It is important to begin implementation with what is possible while deliberating specific policies.  It should be reflected in implementation of the policies after proper debate in JNCU.
　This should have the effect of building loose networks based around a shared awareness of UNESCO activities, which would expand links and cooperation to complement the activities of individual groups and activists. It would be desirable if these young people, after participating in UNESCO activities in this way, then go on to join organizations such as UNESCO associations and clubs - whose primary aim it is to implement UNESCO activities - as this would strengthen the practical foundation of UNESCO activities. If we are going to realize this, we need to give further consideration to the kind of specific participation opportunities that would attract young people.

 

　From the perspective of building on the activities of existing groups when promoting the participation of young people in UNESCO activities, it is important for NGOs such as the Boy Scouts and Girls Scouts - which young people are familiar with - to work together with UNESCO-related organizations such as UNESCO associations and clubs (including youth divisions) and university UNESCO clubs. In this respect, it is positive that spaces have recently been appearing - centered on the Interuniversity Network Supporting the UNESCO Associated School Project Network (ASP UnivNet)*7  - where students affiliated with various universities, UNESCO associations and clubs can engage in discussions. It is also important for members of the youth divisions of UNESCO associations and clubs and university UNESCO clubs to encourage other young people to actively participate. Participating in UNESCO activities contributes to the globalization of Japanese young people, so information on UNESCO activities should be transmitted to universities that proactively promote globalization of young people.

 

　Study tours are an example of an effective way of prompting young people to participate in UNESCO activities. It would be desirable, then, for relevant organizations to provide more of these opportunities. UNESCO also organizes youth fora in conjunction with events such as the World Heritage Committee and the UNESCO General Conference. We need to build an environment that encourages youth participation by actively communicating information relating to all kinds of UNESCO youth fora and supporting young people's open recruitment applications, as well as considering organizing similar fora in Japan.

 

　It is also necessary to consider a framework that enables young people with an entrepreneurial spirit to engage in UNESCO activities that contribute to regional development.
  In addition, it is not enough to simply provide opportunities for young people to participate in designated frameworks. It is necessary to consider establishing spaces where young people's independent activities can be presented, for example, by providing a space for young people to plan and organize their own events during this year's UNESCO World Conference on ESD.

3. Promoting corporate participation

　At UNESCO, from the viewpoint of developing activities in cooperation with various stakeholders, considerable emphasis has recently been placed on collaboration with business. The active participation of businesses in UNESCO activities is also necessary in terms of disseminating UNESCO activities throughout society as a whole. In this aim, we need to consider further policies that make companies want to get involved in UNESCO activities on their own initiative because of the benefits this would bring. In turning our attention towards businesses, it would be desirable to collect information on company policies on CSR engagement. In recent years, CSR has taken on an increasingly important role as part of companies’ long-term activities. In view of this, it is necessary to demonstrate the importance of UNESCO activities for companies in strengthening their CSR.

 

　In addition, it has been pointed out that companies do not know how to contribute to UNESCO activities, even if they sympathize with the principles. It is therefore important to clarify the kind of role that is expected of companies by setting out concrete programs and activities. Further, it is necessary to create an environment that facilitates corporate participation in UNESCO activities by supporting companies in the early investigative stages. Since a small amount of public funding often incentivizes companies to actively participate and provide capital, we should review the nature of government financial support.

 

　JNCU, for its part, needs to organize joint symposiums with economy-related organizations, for example, so as to inform companies about UNESCO activities. Since NFUAJ, ACCU and other related organizations are also seeking to strengthen corporate collaboration, we should seek a synergy effect by deepening collaboration with these organizations and working together to raise the visibility of UNESCO activities as a whole among companies. We would also like to see NFUAJ providing support in terms of sharing know-how as well as working to promote active collaboration with business in regional UNESCO associations and clubs to further revitalize regional UNESCO activities.

 

4. Motivating participation in UNESCO activities

　In order to motivate young people and companies to participate in UNESCO activities, we should establish a MEXT or JNCU system to reward excellence concerning UNESCO activities, such as a UNESCO activities commendation system. This kind of system could be expected to expand the interest base in UNESCO activities because recipients of rewards will communicate the significance of UNESCO activities within their own networks. This would be additional to the information communicated by JNCU.

 

　The nominal support of UNESCO activities currently provided by this Commission should be publicized broadly and actively on the website, thereby expanding visibility of the activities and the number of events supported by JNCU. 

 

 
[2] Further promotion of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)    through education in schools and wider society

 

Background

　The UNESCO World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development is to be held in November 2014 in Japan. This conference will mark the final year of the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (UNDESD), which spanned the ten years between 2005 and 2014. It is an important event in considering policies for promoting ESD going forward. The UNDESD was proposed by Japan and adopted at the 57th United Nations General Assembly in 2002. During the past ten years, Japan has cooperated with UNESCO, the institution leading the UNDESD, to actively promote ESD.

 

　In particular through the Japan National Commission for UNESCO, Japan has contributed to the promotion of ESD by submitting the following three recommendations, proposal, and guidelines.
　In July 2003, Japan recommended to UNESCO that the following items should be incorporated into the UNESCO International Implementation Scheme for the UNDESD: industrialized countries taking on ESD as their own challenge; placing emphasis on links and bonds within regional societies; improving the quality of education founded on ESD; and that ESD would not be feasible without partnerships between related institutions and parties.

 

　In August 2007, mid-way through the decade, Japan submitted a recommendation to UNESCO concerning the followings in promoting ESD: presenting specific details of ESD educational programs for each country to refer to; expanding participation; promoting international cooperation; and the importance of monitoring and evaluation.

 

　In April 2008, we compiled recommendations to promote the dissemination of ESD in schools. Among these, we recommended positioning UNESCO Associated Schools as the bastion of efforts to promote ESD in order to promote educational activities based on the concept of ESD and build on and develop the UNESCO Associated Schools network. In 2008 there were 78 UNESCO Associated Schools. This recommendation led to a sharp increase, taking the total to 675 as of December 2013.

 

　In March 2009, midway through the decade, we proposed that the relevant ministers take the necessary steps to further promote ESD.

 

　Then, in August 2012, we set out guidelines to ensure the quality of UNESCO Associated Schools, and compiled the matters of importance for UNESCO Associated Schools and the bastion of our efforts to promote ESD.

 

Issues and future directions

1. About UNESCO Associated Schools

 

(Issues)
　As of December 2013, Japan has the highest number of UNESCO Associated Schools among all UNESCO Member States, with 675 schools. However, they are not evenly distributed across the country: they are concentrated in some areas, while there are four prefectures with none at all.

 

　The original purpose of UNESCO Associated Schools was to build an international network of schools in the aim of realizing the principles of peace and international cooperation set out in the UNESCO Constitution. Exchange at the domestic and international level is important in training human resources to be able to take on challenges and succeed on the global stage, as well as improving the quality of UNESCO Associated Schools. The UNESCO Associated Schools guidelines formulated in August 2012 by JNCU touch on the importance of exchange between schools, but this has not yet advanced sufficiently with Japanese UNESCO Associated Schools - in Japan, let alone internationally.

 

(Future direction)
　UNESCO Associated Schools in Japan need to promote exchange, particularly with overseas schools, and improve the quality of their activities. In order to do this, we need to communicate the exchange function of the UNESCO Associated Schools website, and clearly communicate the content of school activities displayed on the website. Further, in order to ensure the continuation of exchange projects, it is important to establish topics that are of shared interest to the schools involved, such as climate change or disaster prevention and management. This would be in a similar vein to the existing activities surrounding rice, which is a staple across Asia. We also need to expand the frameworks for teacher exchange that are already in place between Japan, the US, China, and South Korea to the entire ASEAN region. In order to advance these kinds of exchange projects, it is important, as set out in “Guideline for UNESCO Associated Schools”, to make use of the intellectual resources found in universities, build networks between UNESCO Associated Schools in Japan and overseas, and develop cooperation between regional educational institutions. Alongside this, it is also important to gain the support and cooperation of the Interuniversity Network Supporting the UNESCO Associated School Project Network (ASP UnivNet).

 

　For the time being, both qualitative and quantitative aspects need to be addressed as a way of advancing UNESCO Associated Schools: we need to ensure a certain number of participating schools to develop exchange projects, but we also need to be mindful of redressing the regional imbalance by ensuring that there are no prefectures without UNESCO Associated Schools. Looking to the future, we will need to review the strategy for advancing UNESCO Associated Schools, while turning an eye to the progress of expanding ESD beyond UNESCO Associated Schools, as discussed below.

2. Promoting ESD in schools outside of the UNESCO Associated Schools network

(Issues)
　Japan’s Course of Study include the perspective of building a sustainable society, even if this is not explicitly referred to as ESD, while the Basic Plan for Promoting Education clearly sets out the promotion of ESD. Previous recommendations of JNCU also point out that ESD - in terms of its content - is not necessarily a new concept: It includes topics such as international understanding, the environment, multicultural coexistence, human rights, peace, development and disaster prevention. It is also argued that re-interpreting these topics from the new perspective of ESD enables us to assign a common purpose - of building a sustainable society - to efforts in individual fields and establish a clear direction for developing concrete activities. Conversely, since ESD could include a wide range of topics and content, this has made it ambiguous and sometimes difficult to understand.

 

　UNESCO Associated Schools have been positioned as the bastion of our efforts to promote ESD. If we look at how they are distributed across educational stages, we see that they make up 1.6% of elementary schools, 1.4% of junior high schools, and 1.9% of senior high schools. It has become apparent that ESD is sometimes misunderstood as something that concerns UNESCO Associated Schools only.
　The Course of Study and the Basic Plan for Promoting Education require the promotion of ESD across all schools - not just UNESCO Associated Schools. We therefore need to strengthen the role of UNESCO Associated Schools as regional hubs for promoting ESD, formulate measures to promote collaboration between boards of education, community centers, universities including schools that belong to ASP UnivNet, the network of universities that support UNESCO Associated Schools, RCEs*8, and businesses.

 

 

(Future direction)
　It is imperative to gain the understanding of boards of education with regard to UNESCO Associated Schools and ESD activities. This can be done by clarifying how ESD contributes to the content of school education, for example. From this perspective, it is necessary to promote the sharing of best practices by means of exchanges between schools and between boards of education. Further, in order to widely promulgate the importance of ESD, we need to find ways to communicate this more extensively via the press, as well as publicize the details in easy-to-understand terms to parents and other members of the public. ESD activities are closely related to the aim of fostering a zest for life at elementary and junior high school level, the development of global human resources (emphasized as one of the key issues in restoring education), and developing the OECD's core competencies*9 . It is therefore important to further promote ESD in national and local elementary and junior high school educational administrative systems. For example, future the Course of Study needs to give more consideration to clearly setting out the relation between ESD and the details of each subject and the period for integrated studies. Also, from the viewpoint of further advancing understanding of ESD among boards of education and individual schools, it is important to enhance training in ESD for teachers and boards of education representatives.

　With regard to promoting ESD beyond UNESCO Associated Schools, there is a need to further strengthen the role of UNESCO Associated Schools as the bastion of efforts to promote ESD, as well as the executive function of the ACCU and the function of the ASP UnivNet. While reinforcing these existing frameworks, it is important to newly form a consortium and appoint coordinators to coordinate between related institutions in order to promote ESD in an integrated manner. In other words, creating such a consortium together with the UNESCO Associated Schools, centered on boards of education and universities, would constitute a framework to expand implementation of ESD to schools that are not UNESCO Associated Schools and promote exchange between UNESCO Associated Schools in Japan and overseas. In addition, policies are needed to stimulate mutual exchange between the coordinators. NFUAJ and UNESCO associations and clubs also need to make effective use of the regional networks that have been established.

 

　In order to further disseminate ESD throughout local communities, we need to establish participatory networks of a wide range of stakeholders, such as regional RCEs, JICA regional divisions, companies and NPOs, who work together to promote efforts. In doing so, it is important for the aforementioned consortium to demonstrate a core function. Depending on regional circumstances, UNESCO Associated Schools should also collaborate with community centers, museums, libraries and other community education facilities; local resource centers; universities and other institutions of higher education. Community centers in Japan can also be expected to incorporate an international cooperation perspective into their activities, particularly since they generate a lot of interest among other Asian countries. Some businesses are involved in ESD as part of their CSR, and are very active in carrying out projects. In collaborating with such businesses, it is necessary to consider frameworks that reward companies' proactive efforts in ESD.

3．Theoretical basis for ESD

(Issues)
　ESD is an essential concept in improving the quality of education in Japan. It is also an important concept in the international trend of aiming to develop ‘skills and attitudes; not only knowledge’. However, there does not appear to be sufficient theoretical grounding for this educational effect. It is therefore necessary to provide theoretical and empirical evidence by, for example, clearly setting out evaluation indicators.

 

(Future direction)
　It is important to demonstrate the educational effect of ESD by using objective data and clarifying evaluation indicators. It is also necessary to advance studies to provide theoretical and empirical evidence of how ESD contributes to improving the qualities and skills required of each and every individual going forward. In addition, it is imperative that we make use of research findings relating to ESD, such as providing opportunities to present previous studies relating to ESD. It is hoped that this will provide a more robust theoretical basis for the concept and effects of ESD, and lead to a clearer positioning of ESD in policy matters. It should also be possible to make use of these research findings to develop new educational resources and the like relating to ESD.

 

　The concept of sustainability science*10 recommended by JNCU in 2011 shares a common approach with ESD and is believed also to be important in terms of promoting ESD at the higher education level from the perspective of building a sustainable society. Any theoretical constructions of ESD should therefore be informed by this concept.
　Collaborative efforts with a wide range of other fields are also essential, as we have seen in ESD activities relating to world heritage education and tourism.

4．Promotion of ESD in light of the UNESCO world conference on ESD

(Current situation)
　The UNESCO world conference on ESD will be attended by around 2,000 experts and practitioners of ESD, including government ministers from UNESCO Member States. It is the biggest international conference relating to education organized by Japan.

 

　The UN, UNESCO and other international institutions are currently engaging in lively debates on the post-2015 development agenda*11; sustainable development is an essential element. The outcome document adopted at the Rio+20 summit held in June 2012 resolved to incorporate ESD into the post-2015 agenda, in light of its importance in creating a sustainable society. Thus, 2014 is not only the final year of the UNDESD; it is also an important year in that it is the year before the end date of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)*12  and Education for All (EFA)*13.

(Future direction)
　At the UNESCO world conference on ESD, we need to effectively communicate Japan's efforts and achievements relating to ESD. For example, Japan should send to other countries a message regarding how ESD contributed to disaster prevention and recovery, based on the experience of the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 11, 2011, and how the experience of the disastrous earthquake affected the nature of ESD.
　Further, while it is important to position improving the quality of education in the post-2015 development agenda and education agenda, we need to strongly assert the importance of promoting EFA and ESD in relation to this.

 

　On the other hand, the Global Action Programme (GAP) on ESD, which was adopted at the 37th UNESCO General Conference as a post-2015 follow-up framework to the United Nations DESD, is due to be submitted to the United Nations General Assembly in the fall of 2014. The GAP focuses on five priority action areas: (1) policy support; (2) whole-institution approaches; (3) training educators; (4) supporting youth participation; and (5) encouraging local community participation. A wide range of stakeholders are expected to be involved, including government institutions, NGOs, private companies, media agencies, research institutes, educational institutions, and intergovernmental organizations. Japan is also expected to make an active contribution. In addition to contributions to UNESCO via Funds-in-Trust, it is important for Japan to maintain its role as the driving force behind ESD promotion among UNESCO Member States from 2015 onwards, for example by implementing projects relating to ESD in line with the GAP and with the participation of corporate stakeholders. It is also important to further promote ESD within Japan based on the GAP.

 

　We aim to achieve the above recommendations by the target year of 2019, which is when the review of the international framework that is the GAP is planned.

 

 (End)

 

*1  Education for Sustainable Development refers to teaching the skills needed to create a sustainable society.

*2 UNESCO activities are defined in Article 2 of the Act concerning UNESCO Activities (Act number 207 of June 21, 1952) as activities carried out to realize UNESCO's aims.

*3 Operational Strategy on Youth 2014-2021

*4 Medium-Term Strategy for 2014-2021

*5 Results of a survey regarding the current status of UNESCO associations' (January 24, 2013).

*6 Officers appointed to the Japan National Commission for UNESCO. This is basically a voluntary position involving PR activities. This position is currently held by Sakana-kun and Keiko Hirano.

*7 Network of partner universities supporting the activities of UNESCO Associated Schools

*8 Regional Centres of Expertise on ESD aim to develop networks of organizations and groups related to ESD. UN University screens and recognizes local communities appropriately built by these networks and groups. As of January 2013, they have been established in 116 regions (6 in Japan) around the world.

*9 Competencies are not simply knowledge and skills; they refer to the ability to exploit a range of psychosocial resources, including skills and attitudes, and to respond to complex demands (challenges) within a specified context. Core competencies do not simply list all of the competencies needed in all areas of everyday life; they have been selected for the following qualities: 1. beneficial for a successful life and well-functioning society, 2. necessary to meet important demands (challenges) in a wide variety of contexts; and 3. important not just for specialists but for all individuals.

*10  In August 2011, JNCU advocated “a new scientific concept as the integrated approach to build a truly sustainable society” as part of its recommendations to UNESCO.

*11 With the target for achieving the MDGs approaching, the international community is engaging in discussions on accelerating efforts to achieve the current goals as well as setting out international development goals for after 2015 (post-2015 MDGs).

*12 The Millennium Development Goals are targets shared by the international community in the field of development. They are set out in the UN Millennium Declaration, which was adopted at the UN Millennium Summit in September 2000. The eight goals, to be achieved by 2015, are: to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger; to achieve universal primary education; to promote gender equality and empowering women; to reduce child mortality rates; to improve maternal health; to combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases; to ensure environmental sustainability; and to promote a global partnership for development.

*13 Education For All refers to the international consensus agreed in March 1990 at the World Conference on Education for All in Jomtien, Thailand. It is a global initiative led by UNESCO that seeks to provide every citizen in every society with the opportunity for basic education. The Dakar Framework for Action was later adopted in Dakar, Senegal, in April 2000. The six goals, to be achieved by 2015, are: expanding and improving comprehensive early childhood care and education, especially for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children; ensuring that by 2015 all children, particularly girls, children in difficult circumstances and those belonging to ethnic minorities, have access to, and complete, free and compulsory primary education of good quality; ensuring that the learning needs of all young people and adults are met through equitable access to appropriate learning and life-skills programmes; achieving a 50 per cent improvement in levels of adult literacy by 2015, especially for women, and equitable access to basic and continuing education for all adults; eliminating gender disparities in primary and secondary education by 2005, and achieving gender equality in education by 2015, with a focus on ensuring girls’ full and equal access to and achievement in basic education of good quality; improving all aspects of the quality of education and ensuring excellence of all so that recognized and measurable learning outcomes are achieved by all, especially in literacy, numeracy and essential life skills