Dossier: 75 jaar Mensenrechten-verklaring en VN-Vredeshandhaving: Een verkenning van de toekomst
Editor: VN Forum/Vereniging voor de Verenigde Naties (NVVN)
Author: Felisa Tibbitts
The concepts of peace and sustainable development have been promoted by the United Nations, governments and practitioners since the 1970s. Over the years, UNESCO has had numerous initiatives, policies, resources and technical assistance to support member states in carrying out education for peace and sustainable development.[1]
Member states have adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which includes Target 4.7 calling for all learners to:
“…acquire knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development “
(United Nations, n.d.).
Education 2030 affirms the centrality of education for achieving sustainable development and in building peaceful and sustainable societies. It is vital therefore to give a central place in Education 2030 to strengthening education’s contribution to the fulfilment of human rights, peace and responsible citizenship from local to global levels, gender equality, sustainable development and health (UNESCO, n.d.).
This article treats Peace Education (PE) and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) as integrated approaches, complementing each other in a shared vision of sustainable peace and security. This integrated approach was developed in conjunction with an assignment I had with UNESCO in Myanmar in 2019 and was presented in the Policy Brief that I developed after a mission there. This Policy Brief concentrated on the integration of peace education and education for sustainable development in the formal teaching and learning processes and associated supports, such as teacher training, but also considers non-formal and school-wide curricular supports. The Policy Brief incorporated responses of participants of the Policy Seminar on Education for Peace and Sustainable Development, which took place in Nay Pyi Taw on 21 June 2019 and included over 80 representatives from the Ministry of Education (MoE), parliament, regional education authorities, teachers and principals, members of civil society organizations (CSOs) and UNESCO. In addition, I carried out individual and group interviews with senior officials of the Myanmar Ministry of Education, civil society organizations and UNESCO. The Policy Brief also took into account key Myanmar educational documents and the international literature on peace education and education for sustainable development, as well as curriculum approaches undertaken in other countries.
The following definition is proposed as an integrated approach to Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (EPSD):
Education for peace and sustainable development empowers learners to take informed decisions and responsible actions for environmental integrity, economic viability and a just society — for present and future generations — rejecting violence, respecting diverse identities and cultures and living together peacefully.
EPSD can be seen both as reflecting and promoting quality education. EPSD reflects quality education, as defined by the United Nations (UN), because this approach cultivates learner characteristics and practices consistent with UN values, including democratic participation, equality, respect for diversity, and so on. EPSD — as well as associated approaches such as education for human rights, intercultural understanding and global citizenship — develops the skills and attitudes that enable citizens to lead healthy and fulfilled lives, make informed decisions, and respond to local and global challenges. Thus, quality education is in part defined by offering these learning experiences to students.
EPSD can be seen as promoting quality education, as defined by conventional school measures, such as student attendance and student achievement, and Myanmar’s 21st century skills such as problem-solving and other high-level cognitive, interpersonal and social skills, as well as literacy and numeracy (UNESCO Executive Board, 2019).
This is because EPSD is linked with a positive school culture, defined by mutual respect among students and teachers as well as high levels of student participation and engagement. In a multi-school effort in England, where a whole school approach to teaching human rights was carried out, the evaluation showed many benefits for educators and learners. Teachers felt less stressed and enjoyed their classes more and were able to see the positive effects of the work they are doing on their pupils. Pupils were aware of their rights, they respected the rights of others, they felt respected, and their levels of participation and engagement in school increased. Schools in which “Rights, Respect and Responsibility” has been fully implemented emanate an atmosphere of mutual respect and harmonious functioning (Covell & Howe, 2008).
In turn, quality education promotes each of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. In 2015, the global community launched the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) addressing issues related to poverty, hunger, health, education, energy, work, industry, inequalities, cities, consumption, climate, ocean life, ecosystems, peace and partnership. Achieving these goals requires a profound transformation in the way we live, think and act. Education is the driver of development and the achievement of all the SDGs.
EPSD is linked with education for peacebuilding. The learning outcomes for EPSD related to the knowledge and practice of “peace” can be linked with wider reforms focused on social cohesion, inclusion and equality of provision of education. Peacebuilding policies in the schooling sector might include mother tongue and second language instruction; learning about one’s own culture and the culture of other identity groups; and representation of minorities within various levels of the Ministry of Education. For example, the upper secondary level curriculum for the subject of Psychology in India includes a section on “language and identity”, recognizing communicative competencies is associated both with in-group identity but also the ability to communicate across different identity groups (Government of India, n.d. p. 51).
With the world increasingly facing common challenges such as climate change, poverty and inequality threatening global peace and sustainability, there is a growing need to foster a shared sense of humanity and responsibility among societies and people across the world. As a means of responding to this need through the promotion of quality education, the United Nations and its member states, including Myanmar, adopted the Sustainable Development Goal 4, and more specifically target 4.7, which broadly includes education for sustainable development (ESD), global citizenship education (GCED), human rights education and peace education, among others.
Education for peace and sustainable development are two important elements under SDG 4.7 which contribute to quality education. By integrating aspects of education for peace and sustainable development into policy guidelines, teaching and learning practises, assessment, and curriculum of all levels of education, learners can be equipped with the skills, values, attitudes and behaviors to live together and help shape more peaceful, sustainable societies.
References
Covell, K. and Howe. R.B. (2008). Rights, Respect and Responsibility: Final Report on the County of Hampshire Rights Education Initiative.
UNESCO Executive Board (2019). SDG 4 – Education 2030, PART II, Education for Sustainable Development Beyond 2019, 206 Ex/6.11, 20 February 2019. Paris: UNESCO
Felisa Tibbitts
Felisa Tibbitts is dedicated to the role that education can play in advancing human rights. She is UNESCO Chair in Human Rights and Higher Education and Chair in Human Rights Education at the Human Rights Centre of Utrecht University (Netherlands). She is also a Visiting Professor at Nelson Mandela University (South Africa) and former lecturer in the Comparative and International Education Program at Teachers College of Columbia University.
Her research and policy interests include human rights, global citizenship and sustainable development education; curriculum policy and reform; critical pedagogy; and human rights and higher education transformation. In addition to her widespread scholarship, she has written practical resources on curriculum, program development and evaluation on behalf of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UNICEF, UNESCO, OSCE/ODIHR, the Council of Europe and non-governmental organizations such as Amnesty International and the Open Society Foundations. Most recently she was the lead author for UNESCO’s Greening Curriculum Guidance.
Felisa was a Fulbright Fellow at Lund University, Sweden (Fall 2014) and a Human Rights Fellow at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University (2011-2013). Felisa is the co-founder and director of Human Rights Education Associates (www.hrea.org).
[1] For example, the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014), the Earth Charter (2009) and the UN Decade for a Culture of Peace and Nonviolence (2000-2010).