Ms. Yano Satoko, Chief and Programme Specialist for Education UNESCO, New Delhi, presented at the 10th Asia-Pacific RCE Meeting, 3 November, 2017, New Delhi, India

1. Roles of SDGs in Promoting
Sustainable Societies: UNESCO’s
Education Perspective
Satoko Yano
Chief of Education
UNESCO New Delhi

2. SDGs – an ambitious and universal agenda to
transform our world
Not an aid agenda
Transformative
Leaving no one behind
Universal

3. Key SDGs for the Symposium
Ensure healthy lives and
promote well-being for all at all
ages
Take urgent action to combat
climate change and its impacts
Ensure inclusive and equitable
quality education and promote
lifelong learning opportunities
for all
Conserve and sustainably use
the oceans, seas and marine
resources for sustainable
development
Ensure access to affordable,
reliable, sustainable and clean
energy for all
Protect, restore and promote sustainable
use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainable
manage forests, combat desertification,
and halt and reverse land degradation
and halt biodiversity loss
Ensure sustainable consumption
and production patterns
Education can foster the right types
of values and skills that will lead to
sustainable and inclusive growth, and
peaceful living together (Irina Bokova,
Director-General, UNESCO)

4. Centrality of Education: Links between other
SDGs

5. Education improves people’s chances of a
healthier life
In South and West
Asia, the under-5
mortality rate would
fall by 62% if girls if
all girls reached
secondary school
One additional
year of maternal
education would
decrease child
death from
pneumonia by
14%
Literacy
enhances
understanding of
how to prevent
and respond to
HIV/AIDS
Source: EFA Global Monitoring Report (2013/14)

6. Living sustainably requires a huge shift in mindset
and education must be a part of that change
Education is the most effective means
for addressing population growth
(Global Education Report 2015)
Education is proven to be the best tool
for climate change awareness (Global
Education Report 2015)
Higher levels of education lead to
more concern for the environment
(Global Monitoring Report 2013/2014)

7. Education can enhance resilience to climate-
related risks
If the SDG education
target is reached,
there would be up to
50,000 fewer deaths
from future natural
disasters per decade,
assuming that the
rate of disasters
remains the same or
increases. (Global
Education Monitoring
Report, 2016)

8. Education can facilitate ensuring sustainable and inclusive
economic growth
Education can
help
economies
transform and
innovate and
provide skills
for green jobs
Education can help with the
shift towards sustainable
farming and food
production
If workers from rich and poor
backgrounds had the same education,
working poverty among the poor would
be reduced by 39%
Source: Global Education Monitoring Report (2016)

9. Education can foster democracy, good governance and
tolerance, while empowering the disadvantaged and
reducing conflicts
Source: EFA Global Monitoring Report (2013/14)
Education can increase
tolerance
Globally, an
increase in primary
enrolment from
67% to 100% would
have resulted in a
35% decrease in
the probability of
civil war over 1980–
1999.

10. Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) – a vehicle for
achieving SDGs
ESD empowers learners to take
informed decisions and
responsible actions for:
Environmental integrity
Economic viability
Just society
Cultural diversity
TransformativeHolistic
Integral part
of quality
education

11. What does UNESCO do to promote ESD for SDGs?
UNESCO is the leading agency for ESD and is responsible for the overall
management, coordination and implementation of the Global Action Programme
(GAP) on ESD
UNESCO encourages training teachers and students to ensure that schools
integrate ESD, especially through its UNESCO Associated Schools, a global network
of more than 10,000 schools from 181 countries
UNESCO supports countries to develop and expand educational activities that
focus on sustainability issues such as climate change, biodiversity, disaster risk
reduction, water, cultural diversity, sustainable urbanisation and sustainable
lifestyles through ESD by advising policy-makers on how to integrate ESD into
education policies, curricula and teacher training
UNESCO recognizes and awards good practices to promote ESD (UNESCO-Japan
Prize on ESD)

12. Thank you!
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