Spotlight

Integrating environment and sustainability in the education systems was the topic of a meeting between Dr. Hamed Alhammami, Director of UNESCO's Regional Office for Education in the Arab States, and Najib Saab, AFED's Secretary General. AFED introduced to the UNESCO team the outlines of its forthcoming report on Environmental Education in Arab Countries, which aims at providing an overview on the current situation at school and university levels, and present recommendations on how to upgrade the curricula in such a way that allows education to better boost sustainability. Saab presented to the Regional Office library a set of AFED annual reports on various environment topics. Alhammami outlined UNESCO's strategic work program in the Arab region for 2018-2021, which highlights emergency measures to sustain access to education in areas facing conflicts.

Dr. Alhammami welcomed AFED initiatives, and expressed UNESCO's willingness to share information and take part in the report, including providing expert reviews. Saab assured that AFED will share with UNESCO all the data being collected by its researchers on the status of environmental education in the Arab countries, with team from both parties working on the analysis.