Abu Dhabi unveils global roadmap for environmental education, sustainable development at WEEC2024

The Abu Dhabi Roadmap, a high-level plan outlining global recommendations to bolster Environmental Education (EE) and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), was revealed on Day Four of the 12th World Environmental Education Congress (WEEC2024) at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC). A culmination of four days of vibrant discussions, workshops and events, the roadmap outlines a call to action to catalyse and reinvigorate efforts in EE and ESD focused on addressing the Triple Planetary Crisis.

Commenting on the announcement, Shaikha Al Dhaheri, Secretary-General at Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi (EAD), said, “The Abu Dhabi Roadmap represents a pivotal moment on our path towards a more sustainable and resilient future, and affirms the UAE’s dedication to enhancing EE to help further catalyse us on that journey. The WEEC2024 served as a dynamic stage to unveil this environmental plan. The mass of knowledge gained and the ideas which have inspired us over the course of this congress are fitting illustrations of the power of educational initiatives. Now, the Roadmap will continue to propel us in our ongoing work to a greener future.”

Developed with input from a range of stakeholders across 83 countries including UNESCO, IUCN, UNEP, UAE Ministry of Education, UAE Ministry of Climate Change and the Environment (MOCCAE), Department of Education and Knowledge in Abu Dhabi, and Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority (ECA), as well as a whole host of global environmental education experts, the Roadmap was introduced by Ahmed Baharoon, Executive Director, Environmental Information, Science and Outreach Management, Environment Agency Abu Dhabi. This unveiling occurred during a dedicated session on the fourth day of WEEC2024.

During the announcement, he emphasised that the discussions from the congress had helped inform The Abu Dhabi Roadmap. However, its inception traces back to COP28, where urgent calls for action and intensified efforts in Environmental Education and Education for Sustainable Development were echoed to confront the 'Code Red for humanity' represented by the Triple Planetary Crisis.

Emphasising the significance of the announcement, Julia Heiss, Team Leader for Education and Sustainable Development, UNESCO, said, “The 2024 World Environmental Education Congress successfully brought together stakeholders from the global Environmental Education (EE) and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) community globally. The event served as a platform for exchanging ideas, innovations, and the latest developments in the field. This global community of practice aims at transforming education to support a more sustainable future not only at the international level but also regionally through the network of Regional Centres of Expertise, and at the country level through the development of comprehensive Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) initiatives for the year 2030.”

Echoing the sentiment, Abdul-Majeid Haddad, Deputy Regional Director for West Asia, UNEP, said, “Education is one of the key vehicles to achieve a sustainable future. The Triple Planetary crisis is a clear and present danger, one that needs a coordinated and collaborative action. UNEP’s Strategy is guided by the triple planetary crisis. We are indeed encouraged to see that Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi has focused on this crisis and has managed to elicit a response from environment educators from all across the world to take collaborative action towards contributing to tackling this crisis in the 12th World Environment Education Congress conducted in Abu Dhabi.”

Key recommendations include the need to urgently ramp up the pace and scale of EE and ESD, and ensure they are prominent elements in both national and global agendas, with the Roadmap highlighting the essential nature of events such as WEEC to foster better integration and amplify the impact of shared goals.

The plan also encourages the harnessing of AI and smart technologies to help achieve environmental goals while underscoring the importance of placing ethics and values at the centre of EE and ESD to help foster emotional connections between society and nature. The complexities of the present day were also acknowledged; the Roadmap sets out recommendations for evaluative learning as a feature for improving the efficacy of EE and ESD interventions and combining green skills with green jobs to drive sustainable development effectively.

During his speech about Abu Dhab’s contribution to the global roadmap, Ahmed Baharoon commented, “The Roadmap identifies several key actions that tackle climate change, waste management, and biodiversity loss, and can be implemented by countries and communities across the globe. In terms of Abu Dhabi's implementation, EAD will actively participate in global initiatives like the Greening Education Partnership with UNESCO, alongside expanding local programmes such as the Sustainable Schools Initiative to cover all schools. The efforts will involve promoting circularity and implementing measures like the recent ban on single-use plastics, complemented by awareness campaigns to drive behavioural change.”

“To combat biodiversity loss, Abu Dhabi is collaborating with UNEP and partners such as the Rewilding Academy in the Netherlands and Plant for Planet in Germany to respond to Challenge 6.3 – Education of the UNEP Decade of Ecosystem Restoration Action Plan. To further strengthen these efforts, plans are underway to establish a Regional Centre of Expertise for Education for Sustainable Development in Abu Dhabi. Additionally, close collaboration with partners like IUCN underscores Abu Dhabi's dedication to developing nature-based learning recommendations,” added Ahmed Baharoon.

Ending his speech, Ahmed Baharoon invited the world to join the Abu Dhabi Roadmap and help implement its recommendations, drawn from a wealth of experience and expertise. “We seek partners, collaborations, and networks to help connect people and create a better tomorrow,” he concluded.

Day 4 marked the end of four days of engaging conversation and knowledge sharing, which set the foundation for an exploration of Abu Dhabi’s ecological and educational sites in a series of field trips on Day 5, seamlessly integrating theory into hands-on experiences.

Ahead of the roadmap announcement, the Four Thematic Chairs of WEEC2024; Antonella Bachiorri, Professor of Didactics of Biology and Environmental Education at the University of Parma, Italy; Richard Perry, Chair of the Socio-Scientific Committee; David Zandvliet, Professor at Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, Canada, and Gayatri Raghwa, Senior Environment Education Consultant at UNEP, India, summarised the outcome of the event. They addressed the challenges identified from discussions across the four days, highlighting the dimensions that need to be considered, the collective goals of environmental education, and the means to achieve them.

In anticipation of future environmental education endeavours, an exciting announcement was made regarding the 13th World Environmental Education Congress. The upcoming congress is set to take place in Perth, Australia, promising further engagement and advancements in the field of environmental education.