III. Writing in the Discipline as a Platform in Education for Sustainable Development

Because education is a key factor in achieving sustainable development, UNESCO is committed to promoting the knowledge, skills and values needed to its attainment. In accordance with United Nations General Assembly Resolution 57/254, UNESCO has been fulfilling its designated role as lead agency for the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD), the key international framework for giving fresh impetus to education for sustainable development (ESD) in all its forms. UNESCO has performed its leadership role by catalysing and coordinating action and by providing technical support to governments and other partners. At the same time, UNESCO acts as an implementer of the Decade through concrete programmatic activities at global, regional and national levels.

To facilitate and harmonise UNESCO’s implementation role, such mechanisms as the Intersectoral Working Group and the network of DESD Focal Points have been established. As a result of in-house consultation, a broad-based, intersectoral UNESCO Action Plan for the DESD has been devised to guide the Organization’s programmatic contribution to the Decade . Building on these developments, the ESD Intersectoral Platform will harness and improve existing mechanisms and frameworks in order to generate increased intersectoral synergies and enhanced impact.