Marc Ó Cathasaigh (Waterford, Green Party)
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916. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding the publication of the second National Strategy on Education for Sustainable Development to 2030, to replace the previous strategy which ran to 2020 and following the close of the public consultation on the new strategy in June 2021; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20509/22]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I can advise the Deputy that my Department, together with the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science and the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, are currently finalising the 2^ndNational Strategy for Education for Sustainable Development – ESD to 2030.

ESD to 2030 has been informed by a detailed public consultation process and by further detailed engagement with key stakeholders including a range of Government Departments, organisations and NGOs.The strategy has been aligned to UNESCO’s framework for ESD for 2030 which sets out the five key priority areas:  Policy Alignment, Transforming Learning Environments, Capacity Building for Educators, Empowering and Mobilising Youth and Community Engagement. 

ESD aims to ensure that “by 2030, all learners 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”.  (SDG 4.7)

ESD has three strands:  Environmental, Political and Social and is both a target in itself under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 4.7) and also acknowledged as a key enabler for achievement of all 17 SDGs. 

Under the first National Strategy for ESD 2014 – 2020, significant progress was made including:

- integrating ESD themes and principles across the curriculum at all levels

- integrating ESD into the assessment and inspection processes

- integrating ESD into Initial Teacher Education and Continuing Professional Development programmes for teachers

- Aligning ESD to the System Performance Framework for Higher Education

- Integrating ESD into calls for Research where relevant

ESD to 2030 will build on this good work.  It will aim to extend ESD beyond the classroom into non-formal and informal education settings, it will aim to empower learners to take action individually and in their communities for sustainable development, it will map ESD related CPD, programmes and resources to identify and address any gaps in order to further support the teaching and learning of ESD, it will work with a wider range of Departments, organisations and NGOs to ensure policy alignment and to develop tools to capture, monitor and report on progress.  ESD to 2030 will also seek to increase opportunities for learners to develop skills by taking action e.g. through project work at individual and community level.

I expect that ESD to 2030 and its accompanying implementation plan 2022 - 2025 will be published in Q2 2022.