The role education can play in preparing the world's youth for a sustainable future is becoming increasingly relevant, the head of the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) said Monday, opening a conference in Japan on the subject. "To achieve sustainable development, technology, political regulations, and financial incentives will not suffice; we need to change the way that we think and act, as individuals and as societies," UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova told delegates at the World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in Aichi-Nagoya. "This is the aim of education for sustainable development." UNESCO presented the conference with a report – "Shaping the Future We Want" – which analyzes the impact of ESD initiatives across the world. The document reports that two-thirds of the countries concerned already have a national ESD strategy or plan in place, indicating "an increased global recognition that education is a critical tool for moving societies towards sustainable development," a UNESCO statement said.
