The City of Bonn held a celebration on Market Square to commemorate the United Nations’ anniversary on Saturday, 25 October 2014. UNESCO-UNEVOC joined the festivities.

Click on the image to see some pictures of UNESCO-UNEVOC at United Nations Day!

This year’s theme was “8:0 for development – education scores!” to celebrate the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, which is coming to a close at the end of 2014. Together with the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) in Hamburg, and jointly with the UN agencies of Bonn and Germany, the UNESCO-UNEVOC team ran an information desk and a drawing booth where children could draw their ideas for a sustainable future. UNESCO-UNEVOC also held a quiz to challenge citizens’ knowledge on green skills and sustainable lifestyles.

Ms Alix Wurdak of UNESCO-UNEVOC was invited to the stage to present the work of the UN agencies in Bonn and especially that of UNESCO in advancing education and skills for sustainable development.

UN Day is celebrated around the world to commemorate the anniversary of the founding of the United Nations on 24 October 1945. As the German UN City, together with the United Nations Organizations and the many NGOs and governmental organizations located here, Bonn has made UN Day celebrations with an all-day programme an annual tradition.

UN Talks

The UN Day festivities were preceded by the UN Talks on Friday evening, 24 October, under the heading “Bridges to the future – on the completion of the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development”. Organized every year by the city of Bonn, the discussion involved panellists that have contributed to the Decade:

• Ms Isa Baud, President of EADI
• Mr Borhene Chakroun, Chief of UNESCO’s Section for Youth and Skills
• Ms Kornelia Haugg, Chief of TVET and Lifelong Learning at the Federal Ministry of Education and Research
• Ms Barbara Hemkes, Head of Section for Quality, Sustainability and Permeability, BIBB
• Ms Anita Reddy, Chief of Cooperation and Education, Engagement Global

The panellists reflected on the successes and shortcomings of the United Nations’ Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, which comes to a close at the end of 2014 and for which UNESCO is the lead agency. They shared examples of local as well as national and international efforts to contribute to sustainable development.

Mr Chakroun highlighted the role that education can play in helping foster the skills, knowledge and attitudes that can promote and achieve sustainable development goals.

Young people's care for the environment can attract them to technical and vocational jobs

Ms Hemkes of BIBB (a member of the UNEVOC Network) gave an example of how orienting traditional jobs towards sustainability and resource efficiency can make them more attractive to young people. She gave the example of the profession of water manager, a traditional job that had previously been perceived as unattractive by young people. Explicitly labelling it a green job has valorized the profession in the eyes of young people, and it has gained a renewed interest and increased enrolment among school graduates as a result.

All panellists engaged in questions from the audience, and they appreciated the momentum and visibility the Decade had given to gearing education towards sustainability. Even though the Decade is coming to a close, the projects that have been undertaken as part of it will continue.

The evening was opened by a number of dignitaries and officials, including Lord Mayor of Bonn Jürgen Nimptsch and Detlef Dzembritzki, President of the German Society for the United Nations. Juan Carlos Villagran, Head of UN-SPIDER, welcomed the participants on behalf of all the UN agencies located in Bonn.

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UN Day 2014 in pictures