The Global Governance of Education for Sustainable Development: Cities as Critical Policy Spaces

• In Event: Highlighted Session: Sustainability, Climate Change, and the City

Proposal

This study explores the global governance of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), emphasizing cities as critical spaces for policy formation. Traditionally dominated by national governments, education policy on ESD now includes diverse non-state actors—international, national, and local (Kwauk & Casey, 2021; Læssøe & Mochizuki, 2015). The proliferation of global education agendas, such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030 Agenda, has intensified the circulation of ideas about “good” or “high-quality” education, including the knowledge, values, and behaviors deemed necessary for today’s world. Connected to ESD, SDGs 4 (Education) and 13 (Climate Change) focus on incorporating sustainability into national policies on curriculum, teacher training, and assessment, prompting education systems to adopt plans at multiple levels (Filho & Hemstock, 2019). While the nation-state remains influential in shaping policy, policy mobilities perspectives highlight how multilateral initiatives, partnerships, and networks mobilize policies (Læssøe & Mochizuki, 2015). These operate horizontally, transversally, and vertically, involving actors from UNESCO, the World Bank, the European Union, UNICEF, the OECD, and others, including corporations, foundations, and civil society (Stone, 2004; Verger et al., 2016). Thus, the global governance of ESD reflects a multi-stakeholder model where local interests intersect with national, transnational, and private actors (McKenzie & Aikens, 2020).

Cities are key in shaping ESD policy, with 55% of the global population in urban areas, projected to reach 70% by 2050 (United Nations, 2023). Highlighted by Goal 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities, the Paris Agreement (2015), and the New Urban Agenda (2016), city governments play a crucial role in mitigating the climate crisis. These frameworks underscore the ability of local governments to advance sustainability, engage citizens, and contextualize the SDGs (UNDESA, UN Habitat & UNDP, 2024). Our study focuses on how cities, emboldened by globalization, are embracing education policy reforms related to ESD. Using qualitative research methods, we analyze publicly available documents and interviews with selected policy-makers in three cities: Seoul (Korea), San Jose (Costa Rica), and Washington, DC (US). Preliminary findings of our comparative analysis suggest the distinctive ways that three cities are embracing and leveraging ESD policies in their own city and national contexts. Seoul uses a centralized, city-led approach, integrating ESD into public education through plans like the 5-year Environmental Education Plans. San Jose blends national policies with international influences, balancing global pressures with regional leadership, while schools retain autonomy, such as in school gardening. Washington, DC adopts a decentralized, community-driven approach, partnering with local organizations to integrate ESD into broader educational and equity initiatives. Elaborating these findings, our paper highlights cities as critical spaces for examining how different systems focus on ESD, why these ideas are emerging now, and who shapes these policies. However, we caution that cities, like nation-states, are not singular entities but “a strategic terrain for a series of conflicts and contradictions” with “multiple presences” (Sassen, 2006, p. 315). This highlights the need for further research into marginalized actors who shape, resist, and are affected by ESD policies.

Authors

• Doo Rhee Lee, The George Washington University

• Imesha Ediriweera Patabendige

• Jessie Wetherby, The George Washington University

• Maha Tahira Malik

• Laura C. Engel, The George Washington University