Mainstreaming ESD in the formal education system to raise awareness in the whole country

The Government of Mongolia has realized that because of environmental pressure, social transformation and rapid economic growth, Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is increasingly needed. However, political declarations have little impact on actual practices unless children, youth and adults learn about the importance of sustainable development and change their attitudes and behaviour towards the environment and the society. The intention of the project is therefore on one hand to mainstream ESD in the formal education system in the entire country and on the other hand to raise awareness on sustainable development among leaders and the society in general. The project also supports the private sector in the process of being certified according to sustainable standards, like ISO 14001.

IZB supports the implementation of the project in a consortium together with the German Service for International Cooperation (GIZ) and the Swedish University of Uppsala. The role of IZB is to support the design and the implementation of the project's Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning System, to make sure that poverty alleviation, cultural sensitivity and ownership aspects are included in this system. It is furthermore to build capacity of partners and within the Project Coordination Unit concerning ownership aspects and intercultural communication as well as to bring in the Swiss experience and expertise on ESD.