Zero Draft Tbilisi Communiqué: “Educate Today to Sustain the Future”

1.WE, the participants of Tbilisi+35 Intergovernmental Conference on Environmental Education for

Sustainable Development held in Tbilisi, Georgia, on 6-7 September 2012 (hereinafter Tbilisi+35), adopt

the following Communiqué.

2.TBILISI+35 is organized by the Government of Georgia in partnership with UNESCO and UNEP to: (i)

commemorate the 35th anniversary of the 1977Tbilisi Declaration; (ii) provide a platform for education

and environmental decision-makers to enhance international cooperation for a concerted action towards

the sustainable future; (iii) acknowledge achievements of the global community in the implementation of

Environmental Education (EE) and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD); (iv) address the need for

a balanced approach between environmental conservation and development, as well as persisting and

emerging challenges of sustainable development and education, including but not limited to poverty,

unequal access to schooling, uneven distribution of resources and opportunities, increased pressure on

the carrying capacity of ecosystems and climate change; (v) develop recommendations in light of the

developments particularly those resulting from the Rio+20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development.

3.TBILISI+35 brought together high-level governmental delegations from (number) countries as well as

representatives of various intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations and other

stakeholders in the field of EE and ESD.

WE, THE PARTICIPANTS OF TBILISI+35:

Evolving Vision from Tbilisi to Tbilisi (1977-2012)

4.ACKNOWLEDGE the vision of ESD and its evolution from the UN Conference on the Human Environment

(Stockholm, 1972); the International Workshop on Environmental Education (Belgrade, 1975); the First

Intergovernmental Conference on Environmental Education (Tbilisi, 1977); the International Congress on

Environmental Education and Training (Moscow, 1987); the World Conference on Education for All

(Jomtien, 1990); the UN Conference on Environment and Development, (Rio de Janeiro, 1992); the

International Conference on Environment and Society: Education and Public (Thessaloniki, 1997); the

World Summit on Sustainable Development (Johannesburg, 2002); the UN Decade of ESD (2005-2014);

the 4th International Conference on Environmental Education (Ahmadabad, 2007); the UNESCO World

Conference on ESD (Bonn, 2009); and the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio de Janeiro,

2012).

5.RECOGNIZE that the 1977 Tbilisi Declaration and recommendations from the First Intergovernmental

Conference on Environmental Education have played a crucial role in framing education around

environmental protection and sustainable development, thus providing the fundamental principles for

ESD. The objectives outlined at the 1977 Tbilisi Conference– namely awareness, knowledge, attitude, skills

and participation – are still valid today, and the main goal – aligning human behaviours towards the a

sustainable future –has yet to be achieved.

6.ACKNOWLEDGE the achievements of the 35 years of EE and of the UN Decade of Education for

Sustainable Development (DESD)thus far and the global community’s progress towards establishing EE

and ESD policies and national and regional EE and ESD strategies and initiatives; however, NOTE WITH

REGRET that progress is still unevenly distributed.

7.RECOGNIZE the key role and the positive impact of the Communication, Education and Public Awareness

(CEPA) provisions of the Multilateral environmental conventions on the development of the

environmental human rights system; NOTE that their full potential has yet to be realized for addressing

the current sustainability challenges.

Rio + 20 and the Green Economy: New Challenges for Education

8.TAKE NOTE of the Rio+20 documents and the recent findings of the UNESCO 2012 Report on the DESD

“Shaping the Education of Tomorrow”, UNEP Foresight Report, Global Environment Outlook Report (GEO

5) and Green Economy Reports, as well as the report of the UN Secretary-General’s High Level Panel on

Global Sustainability.

9.FURTHER NOTE that the world society faces the persisting global challenges as underlined by The Future

We Want, including but not limited to poverty, social and environmental injustice, unequal educational

opportunities, poor health, impact of population growth, gender inequality, disparities between rural and

urban development, climate change and unsustainable use of resources.

10.WELCOME the statements of The Future we Want, which calls for the development of a green

economy as a tool for sustainable growth, places importance on education in bringing about a meaningful

change in people’s attitudes towards valuing sustainability, increasing public participation, pursuing

sustainable consumption and production patterns and re-skilling the labor force. Education and training

in general – and vocational and higher education in particular – are prerequisites for addressing the new

labor market demands through providing critical knowledge, skills and capacity building.

11.NOTE with respect the decision of UN Conference on Sustainable Development Rio+20 that stressed

the importance of promotion of education for sustainable development and more active integration of

sustainable education beyond the UN DESD.

Capturing Progress: Endorsing good practices in EE and ESD

12.AFFIRM that education is essential to achieve sustainable development and to foster green economies

and societies, to overcome social and economic inequality and to promote intergenerational solidarity

and responsible lifestyles.

13.ACKNOWLEDGE that education needs to be reassessed and viewed beyond mere knowledge

acquisition and rather as a lifelong, continuous, holistic and inclusive process for creating new patterns of

behaviours, ethics and lifestyles, including consumption and production patterns of individuals,

communities and society as a whole in support of sustainable development, in line with the core intent of

the 1977 Tbilisi Declaration.

14.STRESS the importance of learner-oriented systems that go beyond the classroom and include non-

formal and informal education to empower people and communities with the essential knowledge and

skills to pursue sustainable livelihoods and foster resilience and relevant societal transformation, in

particular key competences promoted through ESD such as understanding complexity, social ethics e and

risk management.

15.UNDERSCORE the necessity of equal access to quality education at all levels for attaining sustainable

development, particularly for the disadvantaged groups including women, youth, indigenous people,

Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), persons with disabilities, rural populations and ethnic minorities.

16.RECOGNIZE the crucial role of ESD in increasing public awareness of the urgent need to reduce

material throughput, to address energy security, food security environmental degradation, to move

toward a green economy, and to transition to a low-carbon society, as a best possible solution for major

environmental challenges of 21stcentury.

17.AFFIRM ESD as a joint and shared process built on intra-governmental cooperation and public-private

partnership as well as strong civil-society contribution, equal participation and continuous dialogue

among all stakeholders – governments, academia, enterprises, consumers, civil society, media and the

general public – for raising awareness, searching for solutions and changingbehaviours and lifestyles.

18.ACKNOWLEDGE the vital role of international cooperation in promoting public policies and practice of

ESD all over the world, including through sharing good practices between states and regions; including in

schools curricula and management, transferring educational technologies and innovations; and facilitating

exchange of internship opportunities, partnerships and joint endeavors by institutions.

19.RECOGNIZE that establishing solid institutional foundations for ESD is vital to achieving SD goals at

local, national, regional and international levels, including defining and adopting multidimensional,

systematic and comprehensive national policies and strategies in line with regional and international

frameworks.

20.AFFIRM that ensuring adequate educational infrastructure and incorporation of ICT into education,

fostering teacher competencies, research and promoting social learning in all settings proves crucial for

effective implementation of ESD objectives.

21.FURTHER AFFIRM the need for continuous support and enhancement of scientific excellence, research

and innovation on ESD through the involvement of higher education institutions and research networks,

and the adoption by higher education institutions of sustainable development approaches.

ESD Looking Ahead and Beyond 2014

WE RECOMMEND NATIONAL GOVERNMENTS TO:

22.ADVOCATE for an increase in public awareness and understanding of SD, ESD and their different

dimensions (social, economic, cultural, political and environmental) through mainstreaming and

expanding the knowledge and insights gained during the DESD into national policies and strategies, as well

as promoting the role of the media, including social media, ICTs and other innovative settings of learning.

23.ACCELERATE the institutionalization of ESD commitments at the national level. In doing so, mobilize

and promote a wider participation of all stakeholders including disadvantaged groups including women,

youth, indigenous people, IDPs, persons with disabilities, rural populations and ethnic minorities.

24.ENCOURAGE environmental authorities to take a leading role in the establishment of partnerships

between governmental agencies, civil society, the private sector and vocational and higher educational

institutions, in order to meet emerging labor market demands for green skills.

25.INCREASE participation of environmental authorities in ESD planning and highlight the role of

education, especially non-formal and informal education, in National Environmental Action Plans (NEAP).

To this end, we encourage full utilization of existing resources including national protected areas for

outdoor learning and research, sensitizing children and adults about existing and emerging sustainability

challenges and equipping them with hands-on knowledge and skills for healthier lifestyles.

26.STRENGTHEN the existing international mechanisms for transferring knowledge, technologies and

financial resources for creating viable ESD capacities worldwide.

27.ENCOURAGE provision of the financial opportunities through supporting the incorporation of ESD into

the agenda of national and international financial institutions.

28.EXPAND international educational exchanges and partnerships between developed and developing

countries, and create fellowships and scholarships to implement ESD national and international agendas.

29.ENCOURAGE and provide incentives for educational institutions to consider adopting good practices in

sustainability management on their campuses pursuant The Future we Want.

30.ENSURE that ESD is an integral part of the post-2015 global education and development agenda,

including in defining Sustainable Development Goals (SDG); SET tangible, global and national targets for

SDG implementation using a comprehensive and participatory approach.

31.UNDERTAKE measures to strengthen the evidence base for ESD through quantitative and qualitative

research.

32.ADVOCATE for the potential of ESD to accelerate progress towards sustainable development as well as

towards quality education.

33.MONITOR the implementation of ESD also beyond the end of the DESD in 2014 in order to hold

stakeholders accountable regarding progress made and challenges encountered.

34.REFLECT progress on the recommendations of the Tbilisi Communiqué through a ESD national

reporting mechanisms

WE THANK the organizers of Tbilisi+35 the Government of Georgia and its partners, UNESCO and UNEP.