The regional launch of the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD) took place in Bahrain on 17-18 September 2005. Countries in the region have begun to exchange views and dialogue in order to define the roles of different stakeholders for the DESD. A regional strategy is being developed in the form of an Arab Agenda for the Decade.
Consultations
Third Arab Conference on Education on Education and Sustainable Development, 24-26 April, 2006, Beirut, Lebanon
The conference was one of the first regional forums organized by the Arab region, following the regional launch of the DESD in Bahrain on 17 - 18 September 2005, and attended by Ministers and many other distinguished speakers from the Arab region.
Projects/Initiatives
Launching of the First Regional Flagship Project on Water for ASPnet schools in the Arab region
The meeting, held in Abu Dhabi (UAE) brought together UNESCO Associated Schools Project Network National Coordinators and teachers from UAE, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine and Qatar. During the meeting, draft activities for three levels (from Early Childhood to Secondary) were presented by the Environment Agency of Abu Dhabi. During the pilot phase, these three level- activities were experimented in Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Syria and UAE, each choosing six ASPnet schools for the project. The Environment Agency provided the pedagogical content of the Flagship project. Some of the results of the meeting included the election of the UAE National Commission as the Regional Coordinator for the three coming years by the participants of the launching event, as well as the elaboration of a work plan for 2007-2010 focusing on Fresh Water Quality and Quantity.
Regional Workshop on Enhancing Teachers’ Competencies in Sustainable Development
The UNESCO Regional Bureau for Education in Beirut in cooperation with the DESD Secretariat and UNESCO Offices in Cairo, Doha, and Rabat and Alexandria University in Egypt organized a Regional Workshop on Enhancing Teachers’ Competencies in Sustainable Development at Alexandria University in Egypt on 7 - 9 May 2007. The workshop included discussions and consultations on the regional strategy on DESD for the Arab region.
