German ESD competence centers

The ESD Competence Centre Education – Sustainability – Municipality, works to promote Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) for and with municipalities across Germany.

Germany’s National Action Plan on Education for Sustainable Development (NAP BNE) contains proposals and recommendations for integrating ESD into the German education system. According to the National Action Plan, municipalities and their educational landscapes are key to disseminating and promoting ESD. By funding schools, colleges and independent learning providers, they have the impact to promote and shape the ways in which ESD is integrated into formal, non-formal and informal educational settings.

This is where the ESD Competence Centre Education – Sustainability – Municipality comes in. The joint project, funded by Germany’s Federal Ministry of Education and Research, supports around 50 municipalities in systematically developing and implementing ESD at a local level. Its aim is to link ESD approaches and initiatives with a data-based local education management approach and to optimize local processes based on empirical research.

Learn more about the project offices and model municipalities on the interactive map on the German ESD competence center website.