Education for sustainable development – DVV International as a guest at COP28

The 28th UN Climate Change Conference, COP28, took place in Dubai from 30 November to 13 December 2023. There were around 70,000 participants from all over the world. DVV International and its International ESD Alliances project accepted the invitation from the ESD Department of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) to take part in a side event at the Greening Education Hub.

In cooperation with the German Commission for UNESCO, the BMBF organised the panel discussion “Accelerating sustainability and climate action – strengthening ESD networks for a whole-of-society approach”. Representatives from science and practice presented the German multi-stakeholder approach in the field of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). This includes, for example, the cooperation of various educational stakeholders and political structures for the long-term anchoring of ESD in the form of newly created working groups and networks or the announcement of ESD prizes and awards for educational stakeholders. 

As a representative of civil society, the German Adult Education Association (Deutscher Volkshochschul-Verband, DVV) is an active member of the German National Platform for ESD and contributes to the implementation of the National Action Plan in cooperation with its state associations and the adult education centres (Volkshochschulen – vhs). During the panel discussion, Eva Heinen, Senior Desk Officer for the International ESD Alliances project at DVV International, explained how this role is reflected at both national and local level. She also emphasised the importance of an international discourse on ESD, which is espoused by the structures of DVV International. 

At twelve selected adult education institutions worldwide, until spring 2024, DVV International is supporting the implementation of sustainable organisational development through the International ESD Alliances project. In addition to six adult education centres from Germany, partner organisations from Japan, Austria, the Philippines, Switzerland, Slovenia and South Africa are participating in the project. They are all implementing Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) measures – both within their educational programmes as well as in other areas of the organisation, for example in procurement management or the qualification of teachers and staff. The results of the project will be presented at a virtual conference in March 2024 and then published online. 

Education was increasingly focused on for the first time at a UN Climate Change Conference, and DVV and DVV International were also able to present themselves at this international forum for the first time. 

More information on COP28
More information on the International ESD Alliances project