Considering the urgent need to reduce the increasingly marked division of consumption needs between developed and developing countries it appears necessary to strengthen the integration of SCP issues in all sectoral policies.
From 2003 the Marrakech Process is working in this direction and through the institution of seven thematic task forces is developing concrete actions and activities to promote sustainable consumption and production patterns in various fields.
Recognizing the importance to develop awareness on SCP in young generations, Italy is chairing the Marrakech Task Force on Education for Sustainable Consumption, launched in May 2006, with the aim of promoting, at an international and regional level, the introduction of SCP principles in formal curricula.
A relevant outcome of the Marrakech Task Force, led by Italy, is the document Here and Now Education for Sustainable Consumption, a collection of guidelines and recommendations for the introduction of SCP in formal learning processes. Such document is being drafted in coordination with UNEP and UNESCO and under the guidance of an expert nominated by the TF secretariat, member of the Consumer Citizenship Network.
This activity represents also the effort to create synergies and stress the role of education as a cross cutting issue and essential mean of implementation aimed at changing behaviours and unsustainable cultural models of reference.
With this belief, Italy is actively involved in the UNECE Strategy on Education for Sustainable Development promoting activities at national and regional level. In particular, an interministerial agreement among Ministry for the Environment, Ministry of Education and Ministry for University and Research was signed on the 30th of January 2008 aimed at:
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reorienting formal, non formal and informal education towards sustainable development values and priorities;
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promoting training programmes for school directors and teachers oriented to create knowledge and skills on sustainable development;
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strengthening the academic curricula in order to develop professional skills on sustainable development widening the job demand on sustainability;
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promoting specific projects to improve eco-efficiency in school buildings considering them as ?learning places?;
Italy believes that this UN CSD is the appropriate international forum where the interdisciplinary contents of SCP and ESD can be emphasized. Rural development, Land, Drought and Africa represent crucial areas of action where initiatives promoting SCP and education could represent an added value to ensure the effectiveness of policies.
Some international processes, in particular at regional level, are working in this direction, as for example the efforts carried out by countries within the UNECE region to integrate ESD in sectoral policies. In our opinion regional initiatives, as those just exposed, could contribute to the work of the UN CSD by sharing their initiatives and experiences with other regions and countries and by exploring new areas of action in which to apply such approach.
