This forward-looking approach is particularly important as UNESCO prepares for the World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development, to be held in Nairobi, Kenya, in January 2027, and contributes to wider discussions on the future of the Sustainable Development Goals beyond 2030. One milestone in this ongoing process is the Global Expert Symposium on ESD Beyond 2030, held in Munich, Germany, from 1 to 2 September 2026.
The question is not just what ESD is today, but how it must evolve to meet the needs of tomorrow. We need foresight, creativity and a willingness to challenge assumptions to help articulate a forward-looking vision for ESD beyond 2030.
Christopher CastleDirector, Division for Peace, Sustainable Development and Global Citizenship Education, UNESCO
Through competencies such as systems thinking, anticipation, collaboration, and critical reflection, ESD enables learners to understand complex challenges and take informed and responsible action. It also connects the environmental, social, and economic dimensions of sustainable development with broader priorities including peace, human rights, global citizenship, health and well-being.
The Munich consultation
The Munich consultation, co-hosted by UNESCO, the Federal Ministry for Education, Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth of Germany and the German Commission for UNESCO, brings together experts and practitioners from academia, governments, civil society, youth and international organizations. Their aim is to explore how ESD can continue to serve as a catalyst for sustainability while strengthening its connections with education, and to help societies build more sustainable, peaceful and just futures.
ESD equips people with the necessary cognitive, social and emotional tools to make informed and responsible decisions. It empowers us to be more than spectators of change: active shapers of sustainable transformation. The global challenges of our time can only be solved together – and the key to these solutions lies in education.
Dr Petra BahrState Secretary, Federal Ministry for Education, Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, Germany
Preparing for the Nairobi World Conference and beyond
The discussions in Munich will contribute to the UNESCO position paper “Munich Foresight: Recommendations for Education for Sustainable Development Beyond 2030.” The paper will help inform the Nairobi World Conference and contribute to the wider dialogue on the future of education and the SDGs beyond 2030.
The process builds on the 2023 UNESCO Recommendation on Education for Peace, Human Rights and Sustainable Development, as well as the implementation of the ESD for 2030 Framework and initiatives including the ESD-Net and the Greening Education Partnership.
Together, these efforts seek to ensure that education remains central to shaping sustainable futures, and that learners are equipped not only to understand a changing world, but to actively shape it.
