By
Patience Awopegba, Marifa Mwakumanya, Irenee Ndayambaje & Lynndina Essack
August, 2025
In their efforts to accelerate the achievement of all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), the LEAD-ESD partner countries—Kenya, Rwanda, Seychelles, and Uganda—have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the capacities of educators in Teacher Training Colleges and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions, as well as heads of institutions, education officials, and policymakers. Their goal is to integrate sustainability principles into education systems. These countries recognize the urgent need to equip educators, policymakers, and institutions with the skills, knowledge, and attitudes necessary to localize and operationalize ESD through targeted institutional and national capacity-building initiatives.
The Eastern African countries have prioritized the critical role of the education sector in transforming the learning environment and fostering climate resilience and sustainable development. This is being achieved through the integration of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in teacher education, curriculum development, and policy implementation. Through the LEAD-ESD project, these countries will receive support to implement UNESCO’s ESD for 2030 roadmap, with a particular focus on SDG 4.7, which aims to build national capacity to understand and implement ESD and address sustainable development challenges.
In line with this commitment, the LEAD-ESD implementation teams in Rwanda and Seychelles held sensitization meetings to engage government officials, heads of institutions, and policymakers. These meetings aimed to strengthen support for the implementation of the Leadership for Education for Sustainable Development (LEAD-ESD) project in their respective countries.
Rwanda
On 18 July 2025, Rwanda hosted a Virtual Workshop on the LEAD-ESD Project Overview and Institutional Engagement. The workshop aimed to brief key education officials from nominated institutions on the Leadership for Education for Sustainable Development (LEAD-ESD) Project, present the implementation roadmap, and clarify expectations, anticipated outcomes, and institutional commitments required throughout the training program. The workshop, hosted by the Rwanda National Commission for UNESCO, brought together 22 participants from various institutions who actively contributed to productive discussions.
The workshop convened key and senior leaders from the Rwandan education sector, including Secretary General of Rwanda National Commission for UNESCO (RNCU) and key staff of the same institution, the Delegate of the Vice Chancellor of the University of Rwanda (UR), the Principal of University of Rwanda-College of Education (UR-CE), the representative from Rwanda Polytechnic (RP) Colleges, Representatives of the Rwanda Basic Education Board (REB), representative of Rwanda TVET Board (RTB), selected Principals of Teacher Training Colleges (TTCs), selected Heads of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) schools and the implementation team of the LEAD-ESD.
Through insightful presentations and discussions, participants gained a clear understanding of the purpose and scope of the LEAD-ESD Programme, as well as the ESD for 2030 priority action areas. These include advancing policy, transforming learning environments, building the capacity of educators, empowering and mobilizing youth, and accelerating local action.
Participants were informed that a central focus of the LEAD-ESD project is to strengthen the capacity of educators, heads of institutions, and policymakers to transform the education sector by integrating sustainability into curricula and learning environments. A key component of the project is the establishment of a transformative change initiative, designed to offer sustainable solutions to local challenges while addressing one or more of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The Secretary General opened the workshop by welcoming participants and outlining the main objective of the LEAD-ESD initiative in Rwanda: to build the capacity of teacher educators, school leaders, and institutions to integrate Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) principles across all levels of education, from early childhood to higher education. He emphasized that ESD is UNESCO’s strategic response to global challenges such as climate change, environmental degradation, and social inequality, aiming to equip learners with the knowledge, skills, values, and attitudes necessary for sustainable action while advancing the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 4.7. The workshop situates Rwanda’s efforts within regional and global frameworks, including ESD for 2030 and the East African Community’s sustainability agenda, and reinforces the country’s commitment to the Greening Education Partnership, which promotes eco-friendly schools, sustainability-focused curricula, teacher training, and community engagement. Concluding his address, the Secretary General stressed the urgency of the climate crisis and called on all stakeholders to make strong institutional commitments, collaborate across sectors, and translate discussions into actionable outcomes to achieve meaningful educational transformation for sustainability in Rwanda. During the workshop, Prof. Maarifa Mwakumanya and Dr. Patience Awopegba provided an overview of the LEAD-ESD programme, emphasizing its role in equipping educators, TVET instructors, policymakers, and institutional leaders with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to integrate Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) into curricula and institutional practices. They highlighted that ESD for 2030 is a global framework currently active in Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, and Seychelles, which goes beyond content delivery to transforming how institutions function and respond to sustainability challenges, with priority action areas including advancing policy, transforming learning environments, building educator capacity, empowering youth, and accelerating community-level sustainability action. Following this, Dr. Njihia Mukirae detailed the guidelines and expectations for LEAD-ESD change projects, explaining that these initiatives aim to strengthen SDG 4.7 by embedding ESD into policies, curricula, teaching practices, and community engagement. He outlined the target groups, programme goals such as establishing a regional leadership platform and sharing best practices, expected impacts on environmental protection, gender equity, and social wellbeing, and participant selection criteria emphasizing diversity, ICT readiness, and institutional leadership involvement. Assoc. Prof. Ndayambaje Irenee then presented Rwanda’s national implementation plan, stressing the importance of selecting motivated participants with ICT skills, ensuring gender inclusivity, and guiding institutions to carefully prepare high-quality, collaborative change projects aligned with national development priorities. The workshop concluded with closing remarks from Mr. Ngoga Eugene Fixer, who underscored the urgency of the climate crisis and called on all stakeholders to take responsibility, collaborate effectively, and commit to advancing a sustainable future through education.
Seychelles
Seychelles
Seychelles organized a virtual kick-off meeting for the LEAD-ESD project on 30 July 2025 to introduce the initiative to senior government officials and heads of institutions. The meeting aimed to rally their support and foster participatory, collaborative engagement between institutional leaders and staff involved in the project. A key objective of the session was to request senior officials to authorize and encourage their staff to actively participate in the implementation of the LEAD-ESD programme.
The meeting was attended by prominent senior officials, including the Secretary General of the Seychelles National Commission for UNESCO, the LEAD-ESD National Coordinator, the LEAD-ESD National Focal Person, an ESD expert, and directors from key educational institutions: Seychelles Institute of Teacher Education, Seychelles Maritime Academy, Seychelles Institute of Agriculture and Horticulture, Seychelles Institute of Technology , Institute for Early Childhood Development and the Director General for Technical and Digital Education Division.
Participants were introduced to the purpose and scope of the LEAD-ESD Programme, along with the key learning actions to be delivered throughout its implementation. These include:
- Establishing a contextual and Impactful Change Project
- Reviewing policy, context, and competencies
- Exploring the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and critical sustainability issues
- Applying transformative learning approaches and creating enabling learning environments
- Designing and assessing significant learning experiences in ESD
- Monitoring, evaluating, and scaling Change Projects for greater impact
Additionally, participants were informed about an online course in Education for Sustainable Development, which will be undertaken by the target groups. This course is designed to equip them with practical skills and hands-on experience to effectively integrate ESD principles into their respective learning environments.
The Secretary General of the Seychelles National Commission for UNESCO emphasized the urgent need to address the alarming impacts of climate change, particularly for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) like Seychelles. She expressed strong support for the LEAD-ESD Project, noting its potential to significantly strengthen the implementation of SDG 4.7 by building the capacity of educators to mitigate climate change and address broader sustainability challenges.
She reiterated that the LEAD-ESD Project is an integral part of the ESD for 2030 initiative, designed to help countries enhance educator capacity to advance policy, transform learning environments, and empower youth and communities. This is achieved through transformative engagement in impactful Change Projects, as well as through peer learning and knowledge exchange.
Government officials, policymakers, and heads of institutions in both countries were informed that the LEAD-ESD project will be implemented in phases across the Eastern Africa region, with the first cohort in Phase One comprising Kenya, Rwanda, Seychelles, and Uganda. The sensitization meetings sparked strong interest in the LEAD-ESD initiative, and participating leaders expressed their commitment to supporting the project by providing both technical and financial assistance to ensure its successful and impactful implementation.
The launch of the LEAD-ESD project underscored the importance of building the capacity of educators, education officials, and policymakers to enable effective implementation of ESD initiatives. This capacity-building effort is intended to accelerate progress toward achieving SDG 4.7 and contribute to the realization of all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.
Way Forward
As a next step, leaders were informed about the upcoming official launch of the LEAD-ESD project in each participating country through virtual “National Inception Workshop” as well as “in-country physical workshops” for policy scoping. These workshops will serve to further educate stakeholders on the project’s implementation processes, facilitate the action-oriented online ESD course, and support the establishment of practical Change Projects.