A new cycle of the SEAMEO–Japan Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) Award is about to begin — inviting schools across Southeast Asia to be part of a growing regional movement for sustainable futures.

Since its establishment in 2012, the Award has recognised inspiring school initiatives that connect learning with real-world challenges — from environmental conservation and renewable energy to community resilience and global citizenship. Each year, schools across the region come together to share how education can drive meaningful change within their communities and beyond.

The 2026 edition continues this journey, opening new possibilities for how schools can shape learning experiences that support both student development and community well-being in a rapidly changing world.

All public and private schools in Southeast Asia — from kindergarten to secondary and vocational levels (up to Grade 12) — are invited to take part.

Outstanding school initiatives will be recognised at the regional level, with awards including:

• A study visit programme in Japan for the 1st prize winning school
• Monetary prizes and certificates of recognition
• Opportunities to share and showcase practices with schools across Southeast Asia and Japan

More details, including the official call for entries, will be announced soon.

Stay tuned — and be part of the next wave of innovative, community-driven learning for sustainable development.

In 2002, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 57/254 and declared the period 2005-2014 as the “United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development” (DESD).

The UNESCO General Conference at its 40th Session and the UN General Assembly at its 74th Session in 2019 endorsed Education for Sustainable Development: Towards achieving the SDGs (ESD for 2030) as the global framework for implementation of ESD from 2020-2030.

ESD for 2030 builds upon the lessons learned from the Global Action Programme on ESD (GAP, 2015-2019), in response to the increased importance placed on ESD to promote the contribution of learning content to the survival and prosperity of humanity. ESD 2030 places emphasis on education’s contribution to the achievement of the SDGs. It aims to review the purposes and values that underpin education and reorient all levels of education and learning to contribute to sustainable development and to strengthen education and learning in all activities that promote sustainable development.¹

While ESD is implemented worldwide under the GAP, in support of further promoting ESD in Southeast Asia, the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) and the Government of Japan through the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan (MEXT), in cooperation with the UNESCO Bangkok, have shown their collective commitment to promote best practices in ESD in schools across Southeast Asia, by organizing the SEAMEO-Japan Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) Award. The award scheme has been held annually since 2012.

The objectives of the SEAMEO-Japan ESD Award are:

1. To raise awareness of ESD in schools and communities across Southeast Asia;
2. To promote ESD best practices in schools and communities across Southeast Asia;
3. To share and exchange knowledge and best practices on ESD in schools across Southeast Asia and Japan;
4. To encourage networking among schools and communities which implement ESD practices in Southeast Asian countries and Japan; and
5. To support the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of United Nations.

¹https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000374802.locale=en

*The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) consist of 17 integrated and interdependent global goals with associated 169 targets, which aim to shift the world on to a path towards sustainable and resilient development. https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdgs

The Award has been conducted with the following themes and participated by the following number of schools in Southeast Asia.

Ms Chunkan Benchaporn
Programme Assistant, SEAMEO Secretariat
Email: seameojapan.award@seameo.org
Website: www.seameo.org