Using Sustainable Development Goals to Support Environmental Education for Teacher Training Courses in Cambodia

Abstract

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were adopted at the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit in September 2015. For the realization of a sustainable society, 17 goals and 169 targets were proposed to be achieved by 2030. The SDGs are not legally binding, but rather are indicators for achieving a more sustainable future that each country should work on adopting voluntarily. However, there are signs that investors feel compelled to invest in companies that adopt SDGs as guiding standards. This is because of the increased value of the SDGs as a common “rule of thumb.” SDGs are being considered as a code of conduct in all sectors worldwide. In the future, citizens worldwide are expected to guide the companies to adopt SDGs as “consumers,” control the government as “voters,” and regulate the administrative acts as “taxpayers.” Following the citizens, the entire society is expected to come to realize the ideals of the SDGs. We have been working on supporting environmental education for teacher training courses in Cambodia for several years. We have also been teaching the ideals of SDGs as part of our environmental education course for children.