Education systems around the world are being called upon to respond to increasingly complex environmental, social, and economic challenges. Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) plays a vital role in equipping learners with the knowledge, values, attitudes, and competencies needed to shape more sustainable futures.
To support this transformation, UNESCO will launch three new guidance tools developed through the project Transforming Futures: Enhancing practice for ESD for 2030 through action research. The webinar will bring together educators, policymakers, researchers, school leaders, and members of the ESD for 2030 Network to explore the project’s outcomes and discuss pathways for scaling and strengthening ESD practice globally.
Implemented between 2024 and 2025, the project developed and tested three guidance tools focused on key dimensions of ESD:
Driving sustainability in education through a whole-institution approach
Enhancing pedagogies and competencies for sustainability
Assessing learning in Education for Sustainable Development
The tools were informed by literature reviews, consultations with an international advisory group, and action research conducted through the global ESD for 2030 Network. Forty-one institutions across ten countries — Brazil, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Germany, Japan, Kenya, Malaysia, Romania, and Slovenia — participated in piloting the tools within their local contexts.
Through the action research process, educators and school leaders became researchers in their own institutions by planning, implementing, observing, reflecting, and refining sustainability initiatives. Their experiences generated valuable evidence, case studies, and insights that informed the final guidance tools and accompanying policy briefs.
The project also fostered local and global Communities of Practice, strengthened educator capacities, and inspired school- and community-level sustainability initiatives that continue beyond the project’s implementation period.
The project was generously supported by the Government of Japan.
Objectives
This webinar will officially launch the three "Transforming Futures" guidance tools and present the main findings and outcomes emerging from the action research process.
The event aims to:
Introduce and officially launch the three Transforming Futures guidance tools
Present key findings, lessons learned, and outcomes from the project
Highlight how the tools can support institutions, educators, and policymakers in strengthening ESD practice
Facilitate dialogue on opportunities for scaling the initiative to additional schools, institutions, and countries
Explore future collaboration and engagement through the ESD for 2030 Network
Further details, including the agenda and registration information, will be shared soon.