World Summit on Sustainable Development Department of Public Information - News and Media Services Division - New York
	Johannesburg, South Africa 26 August-4 September 2002	1 September 2002

PRESS CONFERENCE ON 'UBUNTU DECLARATION' ON EDUCATION   Eleven of the world's foremost learning and scientific organizations will this afternoon sign a declaration calling for the mainstreaming of sustainable development into school curricula at every level of education, it was announced at a press conference this morning. Making the announcement, Hans von Ginkel, Rector of the United Nations University and President of the International Association, said the signing of the Ubuntu Declaration -- including the organizations and the Government of Norway -- would take place at 1 p.m. at Ubuntu Village. He said the declaration was intended to pool the strength of the world's major educational and scientific organizations in their efforts to continue their teaching activities, including through the provision of virtual university courses. Comparing the shortage of well-trained teachers worldwide to a time bomb, he said 16 million new teachers were needed if the millennium goal of universal access to education was to be achieved. Walter Erdelen, Assistant Director-General for Natural Sciences of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Education (UNESCO), said the declaration focused on three main points: the need for a greater global emphasis on education; the essential role of education in the continued and effective application of science and technology; and the importance of partnerships. He described UNESCO's efforts in assisting developing and transition countries to build up national and regional scientific programmes, its cooperation with the Third World Academy of Science as well as the agency's training programmes in biotechnology and chemistry. Regional and subregional approaches to building capacity in developing and least developed countries must be given greater emphasis, he added. Jeanne Damlamian, Senior Programme Specialist, Office of UNESCO's Assistant Director-General for Science Coordination for Environment and Sustainable Development, said that the Global Higher Education for Sustainability Partnership, grouped 1,000 universities and networks of universities that had already committed themselves to signing specific declarations on sustainable development in the last decade. She said the partnership intended to create a global learning environment for education in sustainable development; to produce an action-oriented tool kit for universities designed to move from commitment to action; to indicate strategies for taking sustainable development; to suggest strategies for reform, particularly in such areas as teaching, research, operations and outreach; and to make an inventory of best practice and case studies. The signatories to the Ubuntu Declaration are the United Nations University, UNESCO, International Association of Universities, Third World Academy of Science, African Academy of Sciences and the Science Council of Asia. Others are the International Council for Science, World Federation of Engineering Organizations, Copernicus-Campus, Global Higher Education for Sustainability Partnership and University Leaders for Sustainable Future. Also participating in the press conference were Mohammed Hassan, Executive Director of the Third World Academy of Science; Dato Lee Cheong, President-elect of the World Federation of Engineering Organizations; Thomas Roswell, Director-General of the International Science Council; and Rick Clugston, President of the Leader of a Sustainable Future. Responding to a question about the core content of a programme of education for a sustainable future, Mr. Von Ginkel said the "Earth Charter" had set the principles and guidelines that should permeate all education. Sustainable development should be part of all regular education, not treated as a separate subject or taught at a certain stage. Asked how subjects like languages or literature would fit into such an overall curriculum, he said that in a modern, knowledge society one must focus not only on the natural sciences, but also on the human and other sciences.   Press Conferences Summit News