Need for the Conference

ICSE was planned with a view to explore pathways to address current and emerging sustainability challenges through education by empowering learners with new skills, values and attitudes that lead to more sustainable societies. The conference will look into various facets of sustainability education from a broader perspective taking into consideration global issues and challenges as well as regional and national realities. Sustainability education gained importance during the U N Decade of Education for a Sustainable Development (2005-2014) which promoted the integration of principles, values and practices of sustainable development into all aspects of education and teaching from kindergarten up to university and lifelong learning. The decade was followed up by Global Action Programme (GAP 2015-19) to scale-up ESD and accelerate progress towards sustainable development. Agenda 2030 and associated Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) recognized the important role of education by making it as a specific goal (SDG 4.7) and also by including targets on education under several other SDGs. This was also emphasized under UN General Assembly Resolution 72/2227 which recognizes ESD as “an integral element of SDG 4 on education and a key enabler of all the other SDGs”.

While underpinning the importance of global context of ESD, the need for such a conference is particularly important in the South Asian context as the region is facing unprecedented sustainability challenges which urgently require a shift in our lifestyles and a transformation of the way we think and act. The school education system in the region need to respond to these challenges by empowering educators and learners to include sustainability principles in their curriculum and pedagogies in an appropriate manner. The conference besides providing a platform for sharing learnings and experiences from across the spectrum, will come forward with suitable recommendations and action plans for bringing much needed transformation in education for a sustainable future.

6^th ICSE

In the face of pressing global sustainability challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation, there is an urgent need to transform our education systems to foster stewardship and commitment to saving the planet Earth from these crises. Education plays a pivotal role in shaping the mindset and behaviours of current and future generations, making it a crucial lever for building a sustainable future.

Recognizing the transformative power of education, CoP 28, held at Dubai UAE in December 2023, placed "greening education" at the heart of its deliberations. This concept signifies a paradigm shift, calling for the holistic integration of sustainability principles into all aspects of learning.

The theme for 6^th International Conference on Sustainability Education (ICSE) 2024, "Greening Education for a Sustainable Future," acknowledges the imperative to reorient educational practices and systems towards environmental consciousness and long-term sustainability. It calls for integrating ecological awareness and fostering a generation of environmentally literate individuals equipped to address global challenges and contribute to the creation of a resilient and sustainable future for our planet.