Our Shared World brings together a large network of actors seeking to advocate for and support the successful realisation of SDG 4.7 across England by 2030, equipping our society to create a more sustainable, fairer, peaceful and resilient world.

The urgency of addressing complex and interrelated global challenges such as climate justice, the COVID-19 pandemic and racial and economic justice cannot be overstated.

The student climate strikes, #MeToo movement, COVID-19 and Black Lives Matter have revealed the pressing need – and opportunity – to ensure both formal and non-formal education systems include stronger elements of active citizenship. SDG 4.7 outlines the high-quality education for sustainable development and global citizenship that is needed to support and motivate people – especially young people – to tackle these global challenges. Set within the wider framework of the SDGs, SDG 4.7 emphasises the connections between global challenges – for example, to address the climate emergency we also need to understand its connection with other issues such as poverty or girls’ education.

Register for the next OSW – ‘Did You COP That?’ event
OSW Response to DfE Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy

The Department for Education has launched its Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy which includes a new natural History GCSE.

After a period of consultation on the draft Strategy, co-chairs Ann Finlayson, Andrea Bullivant and Elena Lengthorn have produced a response on behalf of the Our Shared World coalition.
Read the OSW response….

Convened in 2019, OSW is a broad and growing network of nearly 300 organisations including universities, INGOs and local NGOs, teacher and student unions, subject associations and UNICEF. It is one of the largest and most diverse coalitions working on supporting the successful implimentation of SDG4.7 in the Education Act in England.

All share a common vision based on the educational themes of SDG 4.7 and recognise that how we educate is as important as what we educate about. Co-chaired by CoDEC and SEEd, OSW is a directed network with distributed organisation involving a dynamic governance structure. In 2021, the network is focussing on the first two of its objectives: shifting the narrative on the purpose of education and sharing evidence about successful approaches to SDG 4.7. There are five working groups who deliver on these objectives:

Go to the Our Shared World Website

The OSW network includes:

For more information or to join the network and support one or more of these working groups, please contact us: ann.finlayson@se-ed.org.uk