Leadership plays a pivotal role in transforming education systems to meet the urgent challenges of sustainability. Whether formal or informal, empowered leadership fosters vision, agency, and collaboration—essential elements for reorienting learning environments towards a more just and sustainable future. This is why we have prioritized writings and projects addressing leadership since 2024:
Our recent publications:
- Leadership in UNESCO PROSPECTS in partnership with Springer (2024).
- Learning to lead to live together sustainably - addressing leadership in the UNESCO IdeasLab (2024).
More activities are currently underway in partnership with our networks:
Peace, Empowerment, and Action through Reflective Leadership (PEARL): Empowering Non-Formal Leadership in the Teaching Profession through ESD (currently in design phase)
Since the establishment of the UNESCO Chair at York University (Canada) in 1999, teacher education has been a central focus, culminating in the creation of the International Network of Teacher Education Institutions (INTEI), now comprising institutions in around 50 countries. In 2005, INTEI-led research informed UNESCO’s Guidelines and Recommendations for Reorienting Teacher Education to Address Sustainability, recognizing teachers as key stakeholders. While the role of school leaders in whole-institution approaches has been widely acknowledged, the leadership potential of teachers without formal titles—those who lead laterally—remains underexplored.
Led by the UNESCO Chair at York University, the global PEARL initiative is aimed to investigate how non-positional teacher leadership can drive transformative learning for sustainability. It aims to bridge the gap between policy and practice by developing and validating strategies that strengthen lateral and informal leadership, teacher agency and enable peer-led innovation.
PEARL contributes directly to Priority Area 3 of the ESD for 2030 Roadmap: Building the Capacity of Educators (UNESCO, 2021).
Leaders of Learner Empowerment (LoLE): Empowering Formal School Leadership for Whole School Approaches to ESD
Led by the UNESCO Chair in Higher Education at Leuphana University (Germany), and supported by international partners including the York UNESCO Chair, LoLE operates across four continents to strengthen the capacities of formal school leaders and extended leadership teams. Targeting those responsible for school development, LoLE empowers leadership to drive Whole School Approaches (WSA) to ESD through collaborative learning. The initiative introduces a novel training module that: (a) focuses explicitly on school leaders; (b) integrates action research and peer-to-peer learning through communities of practice and coaching by ESD experts; and (c) encourages innovation via international exchange. By equipping leaders as change agents, LoLE supports systemic transformation within and beyond individual schools.
LoLE contributes directly to Priority Areas 2 and 3 of the ESD for 2030 Roadmap: Transforming Learning Environments, Building the Capacity of Educators (UNESCO, 2021).
LEAP-FAST – Leaders in Higher Education Alliance and Programme: Accelerating Sustainability Transformations in Higher Education
Designed as a global initiative by UNITAR and UNESCO, supported by Majmaah University and the Governments of Japan and Switzerland, the UNESCO Chair at York contributes to the design and delivery of LEAP-FAST. LEAP-FAST builds a global alliance of higher education leaders driving systemic sustainability transformations across governance, curriculum, pedagogy, and operations. The initiative targets senior and mid-level university leaders, equipping them with the competencies needed to implement Whole Institution Approaches (WIA) aligned with the SDGs. Its structured Certificate Programme combines self-paced learning, online and in-person workshops, professional mentoring, and peer exchange. It promotes transdisciplinary learning, critical thinking, and inclusive leadership grounded in ESD principles.
LEAP-FAST contributes directly to Priority Areas 1, 2, and 3 of the ESD for 2030 Roadmap: Advancing Policy and Transforming Learning Environments, Transforming Learning Environments, Building the Capacity of Educators (UNESCO, 2021).