§ Mr. RandallTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) what resources his Department has allocated to support the UN's Decade of Education for Sustainable Development; [154033]
(2) what activities his Department has planned to mark the beginning of the UN's Decade of Education for Sustainable Development in 2005. [154032]
Mr. Gareth ThomasThe United Nations "Decade of Education for Sustainable Development" aims to promote education as a basis for a more sustainable human society and to integrate sustainable development into education systems at all levels.
The lead agency for promoting the decade, which starts in 2005, is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). DFID is a long-term partner of UNESCO and is currently its fourth largest contributor, providing approximately £12 million in core funding per year. Under this agreement, DFID gives priority to supporting UNESCO's work to achieve Education For All by 2015.
DFID also supports UNESCO's wider education programme which encompasses education for sustainable development. Activities around the UN decade of Education for Sustainable Development are currently being prepared and will be supported at national and school level in a number of countries where DFID has country programmes. For more information on this decade, please refer to the UNESCO website: www.unesco.org
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