ESD recognised by the Ministry of Education and UNESCO

District Administrator and Head of Schools Jürgen van der Horst has announced that the district has received a very special honour. Together with 20 other initiatives from all over Germany, Waldeck-Frankenberg received the "National Award - Education for Sustainable Development" from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the German UNESCO Commission.

Dr Andrea Ruyter-Petznek, Head of the Department of Education in Regions, Education for Sustainable Development at the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), and Dr Roman Luckscheiter, Secretary-General of the German Commission for UNESCO, emphasised at the ceremony that the district of Waldeck-Frankenberg is thus one of the nationwide role models for sustainability.

The award-winning initiatives reach people with innovative educational programmes, content and ideas and empower learners to actively and responsibly participate in shaping a sustainable future. The project from Waldeck-Frankenberg also impressed the jury with its exemplary commitment to ESD and special dedication to the United Nations' global sustainability goals.

The district was honoured as a partner in the state initiative of the Hessian Ministry of Culture, Education and Opportunities "Global Perspective in Primary Schools!" with educational days as part of the "Global Learning in Primary Schools" project, which was offered at the Humboldt School in Korbach and the Diemeltal School in Usseln.

The partnership resulted from the ESD programme for schools (grades 1 - 6) developed by the Schools and Education department and established a few years ago. "This commitment on the part of the district was a prerequisite for the Global Perspectivecooperation in primary schools," said the district administrator. It was what made this project possible in the first place. The country initiative included the project seminar "Global learning in primary schools" at the University of Kassel.

Background
The "National Award - Education for Sustainable Development" recognises organisations, networks and municipalities that are committed to shaping our society in a liveable, sustainable way as part of the UNESCO ESD 2030 programme .

Sustainable development means ensuring human dignity and equal opportunities for all in an intact environment. Education is central to sustainable development. It enables people to make decisions for the future and to assess how their own actions will affect future generations or life in other regions of the world.

The United Nations 2030 Agenda sets out the implementation of education for sustainable development as a goal for the global community. The UNESCO ESD 2030 programme, which was launched in 2020, aims to promote the structural anchoring of ESD throughout the education system. In Germany, ESD is implemented on the basis of the National Action Plan on Education for Sustainable Development.

Keywords:

Schools and Education Department Education for sustainable development