In 2002, the UN General Assembly declared that 2005-2014 would be the “Decade of Education for Sustainable Development” (UNDESD). UNGA Resolution 57/254, proclaiming the Decade, 
recognized the central role of education for the achievement of sustainable development as highlighted by several international instruments and documents including the recommendations from the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro and the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg.
Following the launch of the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development in March 2005, UNEP has made significant milestones in its role as the lead agency on environmental matters. Through collaborative efforts with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the formulation of the Environmental Education and Training (EET) Strategy for the Decade, UNEP is currently taking the center-stage in developing programmes and projects to fulfil the objectives of the Decade.
In order to implement the Decade activities more effectively, UNEP increasingly relies on its regional offices. Experience has demonstrated the benefits of working at the regional level, where immediate neighbours can more easily collaborate, often through existing regional institutions. UNEP’s activities for the Decade are visible at the regional level through many programmes, networks, and resources that are administered and coordinated by Regional Environmental Education and Training Focal Points.
In addition to UNESCO and UNEP, many other international and national institutions are undertaking activities to promote sustainable development education. To promote awareness and activities pertaining to the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, the UN has adopted the following logo:
For more information, see http://www.unesco.org/education/desd or contact esddecade@unesco.org or env.edu@unep.org