Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) at the Heart of Regional Cooperation between West and Central Africa

One of the key messages of the workshop was the importance of contextualizing the ESD approach based on national characteristics and local challenges. For example, in West and Central Africa, issues related to poverty, social inequalities, food insecurity, and environmental degradation are particularly pressing. Education must therefore play a central role in raising awareness and educating citizens about sustainable development challenges and empowering them to take action in their communities.

Teacher training was identified as a top priority, as educators are the main transmitters of knowledge, skills and values essential to sustainable development. The importance of youth engagement was also highlighted by the participation of a young entrepreneur from Cameroon, founder and CEO of Family Green Corporation (FGC). He presented FGC's work in sustainable waste management, green energy development, urban sanitation and climate action. His contribution demonstrated how ESD empowers young people through the green economy, showing that youth are key agents of change and must be equipped to address today's environmental, economic and social challenges.

The workshop benefited from the presence and contributions of key partners such as the French Development Agency (AFD), UNICEF, UNITAR, the Office for Climate Education (OCE), and the General Delegation of Wallonia Bruxelles. Each presented their initiatives and tools to support mainstreaming ESD in the participating countries, whether through climate change education projects or partnerships for promoting green schools. These partners also shared good practices regarding the financing and management of ESD initiatives.

The two days of exchanges were marked by in-depth discussions and practical sharing of experiences, which strengthened regional cooperation and helped define the next steps to successfully implement ESD initiatives at the national and regional levels by 2030.

As highlighted by the intervention of Wallonia-Brussels' General Delegate, the ESD roadmap for 2030 provides a particularly relevant framework for the region: "We must acknowledge that the climate emergencies we are facing today certainly require immediate mitigation and repair actions, but they above all demand deep behavioral changes, likely over several generations."

Thus, the participating countries committed to launching, finalizing, and/or implementing national ESD initiatives, with UNESCO's support. These initiatives aim to strengthen local capacities, improve education policies, and ensure regular monitoring of progress. To this end, the countries discussed the development of a sub-regional action plan to identify common capacity-building needs and forms of support, and to better coordinate efforts with other countries to pool resources and develop joint actions.