Summary of Initiative

The Cropper Foundation with the support and partnership of UNESCO (through the Trinidad and Tobago National Commission), The University of the West Indies, the Delegation of the European Union to Trinidad and Tobago, the United Nations Environment Programme Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean (UNEP ROLAC) and bpTT, will be hosting a regional workshop for the Caribbean on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) on April 28th and 29th 2011 at The Cascadia Hotel and Conference Centre, Port of Spain, Trinidad. The workshop is entitled ‘Assessing progress and developing capacity in the Caribbean region in the context of the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD)’.

Why a Regional Workshop on Education for Sustainable Development?

The year 2010 marked the mid-point of the DESD, and given the finding that significantly more effort is required in the Caribbean to achieve the goals of the DESD, there is now an opportunity to reflect on what has been done since 2005 as a means of planning the way forward. In light of this, and given TCF’s interest and experience in ESD to date, the Foundation proposes to organize and host a Regional workshop in 2011 which would bring together key ESD practitioners and stakeholders throughout the Caribbean.

Workshop Objectives and Target Audience

The  workshop will be conducted in two parallel sessions which will run largely independently of each other. The main objective of each of the two parallel sessions is given below:

1.         A Workshop to Follow-up on the DESD which will seek to assess the overall progress in ESD in the Caribbean Region within the context of the DESD as a means of:

·      developing a comprehensive framework of DESD activities and initiatives which will involve bringing better synergy and thus coherence to activities underway; and catalyzing activities and initiatives to fill gaps and address areas which have been neglected to date 

·      identifying possible mechanisms which would allow for more effective coordination of DESD activities

·      enhancing networks and collaboration in support of the DESD

·      encouraging donor support for ESD activities within the Region

2.            A Workshop for Caribbean youth which will seek to enhance capacity and leadership in the Caribbean in support of Sustainable Development by providing an opportunity for discussion and exchange amongst young people and professionals (students/teachers/youth groups etc.) on:

·      the main sustainable development challenges in the Caribbean, and the role of governance in addressing these challenges

·      role of youth in efforts towards achieving greater environmental sustainability at the national, regional and global levels, including the involvement of youth in environmental decision-making and governance

·      careers and available resource materials in the field of sustainable development


Geographically, the workshop will cover:

·          CARICOM countries 

·          Selected islands (including both independent states and territories throughout the Wider Caribbean) including Cuba, Haiti, 
           Dominican Republic, the French islands and the Dutch Antilles.

·          Selected counties such as Australia or those from Europe which have been implementing the DESD and provide good examples 
           which might be of use to the Caribbean Region