Final report

“Central Asia ESD Coordination and

CapacityBuilding Workshop”

17-19 June 2008

Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

Background

Workshop on coordination and capacity building in education for sustainable development was conducted by the National Commission of the KyrgyzRepublic for UNESCO in close cooperation with UNESCO offices in Almaty and Bangkok. The workshop had become a response to the need of countries of Central Asia on coordination of activities in Education for sustainable development as a whole at country, Central Asian sub-region, and Asia-Pacific region.

Three years have been passed since the UN Decade on Education for Sustainable Development was declared. Since then countries have achieved significant results in sustainable development and education for sustainable development. However, as a regular monitoring of achievement in ESD shows, countries face problems, which could be resolved only by combining efforts and coordinating joint activities. Another problem of the sub-region is a capacity building at the national level.

Aims and tasks of the workshop:

During the workshop the following issues were examined and discussed:

-the best practice and exchange of experience within the framework the Decade;

-discussion of national priorities, as a basis for sub-regional and regional coordination of activities;

-discussion of possibility of development of national framework of monitoring with qualitative and quantitative indicators;

-identification the national ESD coordinator role;

-discussion of mechanism of cooperation at different levels;

-possibilities of enhancing quality of knowledge in ESD (Workshop programme in Russian and English languages is attached).

Participants of the workshop:

National delegations from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan took part in the workshop, including national ESD coordinators from the ministries of education, environmental protection or other relevant governmental structures, National Commissions for UNESCO, representative of UNDP, international organizations, National ASP network coordinator of Kyrgyzstan, representative of three UNESCO Chairs on ecology and sustainable development of Kyrgyzstan, representatives of NGOs from Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.

Unfortunately, due to various reasons representatives of National Commissions for UNESCO from Tajikistan and Kazakhstanand manager of environmental education programs of Central Asian Environmental Center Ms. Shakirova were not able to join the workshop participants.

Workshop activities and results achieved:

The programme of the workshop was elaborated by the UNESCO Bangkok Office. It included issues for discussion on ESD vision in each country, ESD priorities in a country and region, ways of development of the national system of ESD monitoring, and enhancement of ESD coordination in the region. The work of the seminar was divided into plenary and thematic sessions in small or country groups. Both, national and regional ESD priorities were determined and discussed. According to the general view of participants, these are first of all issues related to access to clean water and food security.

During the workshop mechanisms of inter-sectoral cooperation on ESD progress at various levels were discussed. It will provide opportunity for more full ESD coverage. The question of introduction of sustainable development into curriculum was other theme for discussion during the workshop. From the point of view of participants the most acceptable approach is interdisciplinary one, according to which the problem will be covered by a number of subjects. It was noted that the sustainable development in CA countries is introduced into curricula in the form of pilot, experimental projects, but no country realized general education approach.

High attention was paid to the inter-sectoral cooperation and strengthening of measures related to informing at various levels, including decision-makers.

The main problem of countries of the sub-region is a lack of cooperation mechanisms between ministries and governmental structures responsible for ESD. Most of the attention is paid to environmental problems and sustainable nature management.

Due to overloaded schedule of the workshop participants were not able to discuss issues such as introduction of ESD into curricula and further steps necessary for ESD development in the region.

Programme support:

The workshop provided all participants a possibility to acquire and exchange with hand-out materials, brochures, posters, audio and visual materials, methodological literature in different languages. Additional hand-out materials were presented for distribution among participants by UNESCO Bangkok and Almaty Offices.

Summary, evaluation, and recommendations of the workshop:

In general, the workshop was productive and effective in terms of exchange of opinions and good practices. The problem of the unified understanding and use of terminology, which needed common approval was elaborated.

The workshop demonstrated that countries of the sub-region have implemented significant work and achieved certain progress in achieving MDGs. In particular, the ESD National coordinators were appointed in all countries and they provided series of analytical reviews on ESD state in countries. The pilot learning materials on ESD have been developed for schools and higher education institutions. Various activities on informing and capacity-building are being implemented.

The important role of the National ESD coordinators and NGOs in the process of advancing MDGs through informal education was highlighted.

The workshop participants stressed on the necessity of conducting sub-regional capacity-building seminars for decision-makers in the fields connected with ESD including economy, tourism, and industry. It was noted that an absence of succession within governmental structures hinders achieving the progress.

Important attention was also paid to the indicators and their introduction for ESD monitoring. After discussions criteria of indicators and their use were defined.

For the UNESCO Bangkok office it was the first workshop of such level in Central Asian region. Specialists of the office noted that CA countries possess with a high level of expert potential and they achieved certain progress in advancing ESD in the region.

Specificity and development of Central Asian region demands the development of individual approach of a given process in countries. Without financial support of this process in countries of the sub-region from the leading organization, in this case UNESCO, it is not possible for countries to achieve the progress. Accordingly, representatives of countries underlined the importance of support from UNESCO Bangkok office and assistance in searching for donors.

It was recommended to liven up efforts for advancing ESD as at national and regional levels as well. It is necessary to note the importance of conducting of the workshop in terms of further advancement and raising cooperation as between countries of the sub-region and UNESCO offices and countries. It was also recommended to strengthen works on enhancing further cooperation with different donor organizations for realization of planned activities and programmes within the framework of the Decade. The necessity of more active and concrete actions from UNESCO, as a leading organization in advancing the Decade for achieving goals outlined towards conference in Germany in 2009.

Kazakhstan

The country developed and approved National Concept for Sustainable development.

The ESD priorities identified:

  • Health ( child mortality and HIV prevention)
  • Access to water resources ( fresh drinking water)
  • Quality education for sustainable development

Problems:

  • Raising awareness and media involvement
  • ESD training and teaching materials
  • Decision makers capacity development
  • Teacher training and curricula development

Kyrgyzstan

ESD Coordination Council was established to promote ESD activities.

The ESD priorities identified:

  • Human rights
  • Poverty reduction and rural areas development
  • Access to water resources ( drinking water)

Problems:

  • Raising awareness on ESD
  • Access to education for vulnerable groups
  • Media involvement
  • National legislation as applied to ESD
  • Coordination of donor assistance and cross-border collaboration

Tajikistan

ESD Coordination Advisory Board established.

The ESD priorities identified:

  • Emergency education
  • Access to drinking water
  • Food security
  • Renewable energy

Problems:

  • Lack of ESD policy as applied to education
  • Lack of implementation mechanism, integration of ESD related issues into school practices
  • Lack of networking and coordination among key partners

Uzbekistan

ESD Coordination Council established.

The ESD priorities identified:

  • Health and HIV prevention
  • Access to drinking water; water resources management
  • Rural development as access to quality education and creation of job opportunities

Problems:

  • ESD raising awareness
  • ESD resources materials development
  • Partnerships building among key actors

Action-oriented teaching and learning approaches presented by the CA countries, emphasized that ESD should involve concrete target groups (schoolchildren, students, educators, policy makers) as integrated parts of teaching and learning processes. In this sense education is targeted at change in a person’s lifestyle in the local society to contribute to the development of their own competences to take action and facilitate sustainable change.

Integration of the CA countries needs could be understood as integration of subjects, departments, educational institutions with more emphasis in educational activities in order to create new understanding and ESD policy implementation in the CA region.

A broad discussion was related to the interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary approaches, problem and process-oriented means to characterize the context of real problems and situations in the CA countries, links of environmental education and education for sustainable development

It was agreed that there were still challenges to be met in order to implement ESD effectively, including strengthening cooperation among governments and stakeholders, improving education systems to address the interdisciplinary nature of education for sustainable development, improving and streamlining formal, non-formal learning, and mobilizing adequate institutional and material provisions foe ESD.

Furthermore, it was agreed that experiences and needs varied in the CA countries and it’s important to assess the needs in different countries and strengthen sub-regional cooperation.

This would make it possible to concentrate on those issues that are of high importance for a given country, thereby helping countries to attain the best practical results.

The representatives from the CA Ministries of Environment and Education emphasized their need for support to implement the ESD strategy: in what direction to move; who is doing and what kind of ESD; how resources being allocated; how ESD process can be monitored.

There is a need:

  • To establish groups of experts to conduct the expertise of the ESD resources, materials available for training needs and raising awareness;
  • To establish the mechanism for partnerships building and donor involvement. The involvement of civil society should be strengthened and adequate institutional and material provisions should be mobilized;
  • To define the national priorities ( economic, social, educational) for SD skills development;
  • To coordinate vertical and horizontal cooperation as cross-sectoral collaboration;
  • ESD database collection and analysis (in the areas of economic, social and educational development).

The common priorities for CA as a sub-region were considered as following:

  • Access to drinking water
  • HIV prevention
  • Human rights
  • Rural development for poverty reduction

The country participants stressed that there was a need of mechanisms of integrating management, collaboration and partnership building.

There is a need of module development for integration of ESD into higher education, non-formal education. It should be consolidated approach elaborated by education professionals and experts from Ministries of Environment, Education, NGOs, and research institutes. The participants raised the issues of establishment of country ESD resource centers for exchange of best practices, education materials and ESD technologies development and dissemination

The participants analyzed the thematic priorities for sub-region, indicators for monitoring, requirements for national reporting, responsibilities of national focal points and their terms of reference. UNESCO Bangkok Guide on ESD monitoring and evaluation, ESD policy framework were presented as resource materials.

ANNEX 1

WORKSHOP AGENDA

Agenda
Monday, 16 June
Arrival toBishkek, Kyrgyzstan
Hotel address/Venue:
Tuesday, 17 June
Taking stock of ESD
8:30–9:00 / Registration
9:00–9:30 / Opening
Opening Remarks
Workshop background, purpose, introduction to the World Conference on ESD
Agenda and workshop objectives / Chair – Ms. Inna Melnikova, UNESCO Almaty
Mr. Jypar Jeksheyev, Secretary- General, National Commission of the KyrgyzRepublic for UNESCO
Mr. Derek Elias, UNESCO Bangkok
Ms. Inna Melnikova
9:30-10:30 / SESSION 1: National ESD Progress, National/Subregional sustainable development priorities
National Presentations – ESD Progress to date: Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan(10-15 minute presentations based on pre-workshop preparation) / Chair – Ms. Inna Melnikova
National Delegation
Representatives
10:30-11:00 / Break
11:00-12:30 / National sustainable development priorities as a basis for national ESD coordination and monitoring and evaluation
Discussion: Identification of subregional sustainable development priorities / Mr. Joel Bacha, UNESCO Bangkok
Plenary
12:30-13:30 / Lunch / AK Keme Hotel
13:30-15:30 / SESSION 2: What is ESD for Central Asia
Presentation and discussion: The linkages between ESD, ongoing education initiatives, national poverty strategies, UNDAF, etc.
Presentation “Illustration of the Sustainable development paradigms in Kazakhstan and Central Asia”
Establishing a vision and clear objectives for ESD at the national and sub regional level. / Chair – Mr. Derek Elias
Ms. Inna Melnikova
Ms. Vera Mustafina, Center “Cooperation for Sustainable development”, Director
Small groups and plenary
15:30-16:00 / Break
16:00-17:30 / SESSION 3: Adapting the Coordination Tool for Central Asia
Introducing the generic coordination tool for ESD
Activity: Adapting the coordination tool for Central Asia / Chair – Mr. Derek Elias
Mr. Derek Elias
Plenary and small groups
Wednesday, 18 June
Mapping ESD and Utilizing the Coordination Tool
8:30-8:45 / Housekeeping and Announcements
8:45-9:30
9:30-11:00 / SESSION 3 (cont’d)
Activity cont’d: Adapting the coordination tool for Central Asia
Group presentations and consensus on draft regional coordination tool for Central Asia / Chair – Kyrgyzstan Representative
Small groups
Plenary
11:00-11:30 / Break
11:30-12:30 / SESSION 4: Utilizing the Coordination Tool to Map ESD
Activity: Mapping ESD at the national level (testing the coordination tool) / National delegation groups
12:30-13:30 / Lunch
13:30-14:30
14:30 -15:15 / Activity cont’d: Mapping ESD at the national level (testing the coordination tool)
Sharing national ESD mappings / Chair – Kazakhstan Representative
National delegation groups
Small groups
15:15-15:45 / Break
15:45-17:00
17:00-18:00 / Activity/Discussion: Improving the coordination tool based on lessons learned from the mapping
Discussion: Practical steps and challenges for disseminating and utilizing the coordination tool at the national level / National delegation groups, Plenary
Plenary
Thursday, 19 June
ESD Monitoring / The Way Forward
8:30-9:30
9:30-10:30 / SESSION 5: Developing National ESD Monitoring Systems
Introduction to Global reporting timelines for ESD and lessons learned to date
Activity: Overview of indicator types, What is a national ESD monitoring system?
Activity: Revisiting ESD objectives and developing national ESD indicators / Chair – Tajikistan Representative
Mr. Derek Elias
Mr. Joel Bacha
National delegation groups
10:30-11.00 / Break
11:00-11:30
11:30-12:30 / Presentation/Q&A: National example of monitoring system development
Activity: Strategies for developing National ESD Monitoring Systems (national resources, next steps and needs) / Uzbekistan Representative
National delegation groups
12:30-13:30 / Lunch
13:30-14:30
14:30-15:15 / SESSION 6: A Regional ESD Indicator framework
Sharing national indicators and strategies for national ESD Monitoring System Development
Discussion: draft indicators for a regional reporting framework / Chair – Uzbekistan Representative
Small groups
Plenary
15:15-15:45 / Break
15:45-17:15 / SESSION 7: The Way Forward
Discussion: Next steps for regional monitoring and reporting and the needs of Member States on ESD and ESD monitoring from this point forward
Discussion: Moving ESD forward in Central Asia toward ‘The World Conference on ESD’ (Germany 2009) and beyond. / Chair – Mr. Derek Elias
Plenary
Plenary
Closing
Workshop Evaluation
Closing Remarks / Ms. Inna Melnikova
18:30-???? / Farewell Dinner
Friday, 20 June
Departure from Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

ANNEX 2

Central Asia ESD Coordination and CapacityBuilding Workshop

List of participants

№ / Name / Institute / Position / phone / E-mail
UNESCO Offices
1 / Anna Paolini / Chief of UNESCO Tashkent Office / (+998 71) 120 71 16 /
2 / Derek Elias / Programme officer, UNESCO Bangkok Office / (+66 2) 3910 577 /
3 / Inna Melnikova / Education section Team leader, UNESCO Cluster Office / (007 7272) 58 26 39/ 40/41/42/43 /
4 / Joel Bacha / Programme officer, UNESCO Bangkok Office / (+66 2) 3910 577 /
UNDP – Kyrgyzstan
5 / Jaras Takenov / UNDP / (996) 312 61-12-13
Kyrgyzstan
6 / Jyldyz Duishenova / ESD National coordinator in KR /National Agency of environmental protection and forestry/ Chief, Department of information-analytical support and environmental education / (996312) 54-94-12 /
7 / Alexandra Isaeva / Ministry of education and science of the KR, Senior Specialist / (996312) 667408 /
8 / Elnura Korchueva / National commission of the KR for UNESCO, Deputy Secretary General / (996 312) 626636 /
9 / Asel Jakypbekova / National commission of the KR for UNESCO / Education specialist / (996 312)626636 /
10 / Aygul Ahmatova / KNU, Dean, Faculty of biology /
11 / Aygul Shanazarova / KRSU, Professor, Faculty of Ecology and Sustainable management of natural resources /
12 / Alia Djusupova / Public Foundation of Educational Initiatives / (+996 312) 66 32 47 /
13 / Gaysha Ibragimova / Private educational complex “Ilim”, ASP National coordinator in KR / (+996 312)54 56 89 /
14 / Evgenia Postnova / NGO Ecological Movement “BIOM” / (+775) 58 67 82 /
15 / Elena Rodina / KRSU, Head, Faculty of Ecology and Sustainable management of natural resources / (996 312) 43
16 / Kaliman Junushalieva / Kyrgyz EducationAcademy / (996 312) 622373 /
17 / Raina Asakeeva / International Educational Network “Sebat” / (996 312)614595
18 / Svetlana Tapaeva / Republican Children-Youth Center of Ecology, Local Ethnography, and tourism under the MoES of the KR / (0555)220036
(+996 312)673203
19 / Chinara Sydykova / National coordinator, RegionalCenter of expertise in Kyrgyzstan / (0545)950501 /
Kazakhstan
20 / Dina Sarsenova / Ministry of education and science of the Republic of Kazakhstan / 8(7162)742368
87015710914 (mob) /
21 / Galina Kim / Eskeldinski Local
CommunityTrainingCenter / 8(72836)30959 /
22 / Kunsuluu Kalieva / Ministry of environmental protection of the RK / 8(71727)40846 /
23 / Tatyana Shakirova / CA RegionalCenter for Environmental Protection / +7(727)2785110,
2292619 /
24 / Saule Kalikova / “Bilim – Kazahstan” / 7(727)2597619 /
25 / Vera Mustafina / Head, “Cooperation for sustainable development” (NGO) / (727)267 64 72,
317 42 44 /
Uzbekistan
26 / Dilnosa Kurbanova / National Commission of the Republic of Uzbekistan for UNESCO / (+998 71)2670542 /
27 / Guzal Salihova / RepublicanEducationCenterunder the Ministry of Education and Science of RU / (+998 71)2453499 /
28 / Yuri Ponomarev / Leading specialist, State Committee of RU on environmental protection, / (+998 71)2391519 /
Tajikistan
29 / Saodat Saifutdinova / Ministry of education of the Republic of Tajikistan / (992 918)2213836 /
30 / Ibragim Saidov / Head, Centre Standardization and Ecologic standards of the Environment Committee / (992 918)502648 /

Non formaleducation