Kohl, Katrin and Sanusi, Zainal Abidin and Hussien, Suhailah (2025) Reflections on education for sustainable development and the new UNESCO recommendation on education for peace, human rights and sustainable development. IIUM Journal of Educational Studies, 13 (2). pp. 28-47. E-ISSN 2289-8085
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Abstract
Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) has been a pivotal, yet evolving concept in the global discourse on sustainability since its introduction in Agenda 21 (1992). This article critically examines the recent UNESCO Recommendation on Education for Peace, Human Rights and Sustainable Development (2023) in light of ESD’s disputed definition(s), functions, and intended outcomes including perspectives on philosophical underpinnings. The analysis applies Critical Social Theory and uses critical discourse analysis. The findings show that despite the UNESCO Recommendation’s claim of creating consensus on definitions of concepts including ESD, it perpetuates existing inconsistencies and vagueness, thereby hindering implementation and fulfilment of the enabling role of ESD. The study demonstrates that the UNESCO Recommendation includes references to humanistic thought without acknowledging or addressing potential limitations in relation to diverse worldviews. Following an extensive literature review published in 2024 (Kohl et al., 2024), this article is a second insight into doctoral research underway at the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM). The research analyses the ESD-related UN/UNESCO discourse between 1992 and 2023, examining ESD’s understanding and references to humanistic thought. Moving forward, the authors call for pluralistic perspectives on ESD that embrace a shared basis and philosophical grounding to support context-sensitive implementation.
| Item Type: | Article (Journal) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | education for sustainable development, UNESCO, critical discourse analysis, humanistic thought, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), 2030 Agenda. |
| Subjects: | L Education > L Education (General) |
| Kulliyyahs/Centres/Divisions/Institutes (Can select more than one option. Press CONTROL button): | Kulliyyah of Education > Department of Social Foundations & Educational Leadership Kulliyyah of Education Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences Sejahtera Centre for Sustainability and Humanity |
| Depositing User: | Dr Suhailah Hussien |
| Date Deposited: | 30 Dec 2025 16:14 |
| Last Modified: | 30 Dec 2025 16:14 |
| Queue Number: | 2025-12-Q1284 |
| URI: | http://irep.iium.edu.my/id/eprint/126393 |
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