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JAPANESE

The Nagoya Declaration on Higher Education for Sustainable Development was adopted by the participants of the International Conference on Higher Education for Sustainable Development in Nagoya, Japan on 9 November 2014. It reaffirms the responsibility of higher education for pursuing of sustainable development and commits their support to further advancing sustainable development through education for sustainable development.




Nagoya Declaration on
Higher Education for Sustainable Development


  1. We, the participants and supporters of the International Conference on "Higher Education for Sustainable Development: Higher Education Beyond 2014 " and the associated University Student Summit on ESD, held at Nagoya University in Aichi, Japan on 9 November 2014, reaffirm previous relevant commitments including those made within the framework of the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD, 2005-2014), the Higher Education Sustainability Initiative for Rio+20, Rio+20 People's Sustainability Treaty on Higher Education and the IAU Iquitos Statement on Higher Education for Sustainable Development, and hereby declare our renewed commitment to and support for actions by the higher education community towards sustainable development.

  2. We acknowledge the responsibility that the higher education community bears in the international pursuit of sustainable development and reaffirm our commitments and support, beyond 2014, to pursue sustainable development through the pathway of education for sustainable development, ensuring that the higher education community continues to innovate and contribute to achieving sustainable development by:

  3. 2.1

    Advancing the aspirations of the UN DESD to create a world where everyone has the opportunity to benefit from education and learn the values, attitudes and lifestyles required for a sustainable future and a positive societal transformation, through increased reorientation of education towards sustainable development.


    2.2

    Recognizing and scaling up the accomplishments of the UN DESD, taking into account experiences and lessons learnt, and continuing the successful initiatives that have been developed throughout the Decade and, more specifically, since Rio+20; setting new goals that support a realignment of economic, social, cultural, environmental and educational frameworks in the spirit of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); contributing to the development of the post-2015 frameworks, establishing new strategic partnerships as required; and supporting assessment and reporting processes to ensure capacity development, transparency and continuous enhancement of activities.


    2.3

    Recognizing the crucial role and responsibility of higher education institutions to develop students and all types of learners into critical and creative thinkers and professionals to acquire relevant competences and capabilities for future-oriented innovation in order to find solutions to complex, transdisciplinary and transboundary issues, and to foster understanding and practice of collective values and principles that guide attitudes and transformations, respecting the environmental limits of our planet, through education, training, research and outreach activities.


    2.4

    Supporting the implementation of the Global Action Programme (GAP) on Education for Sustainable Development as a key mechanism to mobilize stakeholders to accelerate progress towards sustainable development at all levels and areas of education and learning, and drawing on, among others, information and communication technologies including social networking, in order to accelerate progress towards sustainable development, especially in the five GAP priority action areas of advancing policy, transforming learning and training environments, building the capacities of educators and trainers, empowering and mobilizing youth, and accelerating sustainable solutions at the local level.


    2.5

    Ensuring transformative changes in the vision and leadership of higher education, in knowledge development, learning strategies and research in relation to diverse systems of knowledge, while collaborating with stakeholders across the public and private sectors and leading by example, scaling up and mainstreaming innovative practices in learning and knowledge development, fostering community engagement through the whole-institution approach, ensuring green campus operations, and creating a conducive environment for supporting required transformative processes.


    2.6

    Undertaking actions that are sensitive to the contexts from the local to global levels in which particular sustainability challenges are manifested and different approaches and solutions are pursued, as well as different models of supporting higher education initiatives promoting science and learning.


  4. With this Declaration, we call upon world leaders to support the transformative role of higher education towards sustainable development, and commit to work together and further promote transformative learning and research by encouraging multi-stakeholder, multi-sector partnerships, communicating examples of sustainability practices, promoting broad and strong leadership and public awareness of the values of sustainable development and education for sustainable development, and recognizing the essential role and responsibility of higher education institutions towards creating sustainable societies.

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