Education for Sustainable Development for women in troubled Balochistan | WPN World People News

While many international organizations and NGOs are wrapping up activities in Balochistan, Pakistan due to increasing instability, IUCN’s Balochistan Partnerships for Sustainable Development (BPSD) project continues its work to promote sound environmental governance through better management and capacity building.

Recently, IUCN Pakistan in collaboration with the Education Department held a workshop on “Climate Change Issues and Options” attended by 90 female students and 15 female lecturers at the Inter Girls College in Mastung, Balochistan. The workshop is a real achievement for the IUCN Balochistan Programme because of cultural restrictions in the area. Mastung is conservative and local women do not get opportunities to participate in such gatherings and to learn about issues such as climate change and the degradation of ecosystems.

The workshop was led by Ms. Shakeela Naveed, IUCN’s Communication and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) Officer, BPSD who explained Education for Sustainable Development to the audience emphasizing the importance for all to acquire the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values necessary to shape a sustainable future.

The women learned about climate change, its underlying causes and its impacts on our planet. Topics covered the impacts of global warming already being felt over the world, for example erratic weather, strong and frequent typhoons, extremely hot weather conditions and short weather patterns. In addition, greenhouse gases impacts on climate were discussed which lead to modules on alternate sources of energy like wind and solar energy and how these can contribute to human well-being. The workshop stressed that all people must be engaged to change their way of thinking and the life style to ensure a sustainable future.

The ESD programme focuses on including key sustainable development issues in teaching and learning about climate change, disaster risk reduction, biodiversity, poverty reduction, and sustainable consumption. It also requires participatory teaching and learning methods that motivate and empower learners to change their behavior and take action for sustainable development.

Source: International Union for Conservation of Nature