UNESCO’s Intersectoral Platform on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) : Towards Developing a Model Strategic Framework with Improved Cultural Contribution for Building Enhanced and Effective ESD Frameworks

Abstract

In this article, a cultural diversity viewpoint is being included into the design of sustainable development policies as part of the UNESCO’s intersectoral platform on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). Culture has been included into national and regional ESD programmes, and this article analyses how it might be strengthened more effectively. It also makes recommendations by identifying effective practises, gaps, and opportunities for integrating cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue within ESD, as well as potential future activities that may be used to influence policymaking. ESD national and international policy frameworks have been evaluated to understand how they reflect cultural diversity and cross-cultural communication. Author further offers ideas for improving the cultural aspects, and towards it, a framework for analysis is developed from the assessment process. The framework's goal is not to illustrate the complexity of culture, rather to encourage a strategic awareness of cultural elements of ESD and their inclusion in policy documents. The framework was put to test before any changes were made to improve its usability as a tool. This research further focused on cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue in order to uncover many opportunities for improving culture's contribution to ESD’s strategic frameworks.