2010 Volume 14 Issue 2 Pages 109-118
This article presents lessons learnt from two DESD-related reviews in which the author participated: 1) a UNESCO commissioned study reviewing the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD) (UNESCO, 2009a) in which the author acted as the global report coordinator, and 2) a review commissioned by the Swedish Development agency SIDA focusing on the current state of ESD, particularly in relation to development (SIDA, 2010). The article touches on some of the findings, some of which are more universal (e.g., the necessity of understanding the historical context in which ESD is emerging and its relationship with Environmental Education) and some more region specific (e.g., the perspective on SD and ESD as it relates to the Asia-Pacific region as has been singled out for this special issue). The article then zooms in on the concepts of ‘sustainability competence’ and cross-boundary social learning as emerging concepts in the second half of the decade that connect formal, informal and non-formal learning.
