CESDEN – 3rd ESD Seminar

The 3rd Carpathian Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) Seminar was held in Belgrade, Serbia, 29-29 September 2026.

The seminar was hosted by the Ministry of Environmental Protection of Serbia in cooperation with the Secretariat of the Carpathian Convention and Špirála, a non-governmental network of environmental education organizations in Slovakia.

The Seminar created space for dialogue between the Carpathian expert community and Serbian stakeholders, with particular attention to inter-ministerial cooperation, development of the CESDEN network, the Carpathian ESD Roadmap towards 2030, and the links between ESD and pastoralism. The programme included:

• a one-day seminar focused on the Carpathian ESD Roadmap, networking, and connecting with Serbian experts;
• a one-day field trip focused on links between pastoralism and education in Serbia (circa 200km from Belgrade, with travel arranged).

The Seminar aimed to:

• strengthen cooperation between CESDEN experts, Serbian ESD actors and relevant public institutions;
• support dialogue on inter-ministerial cooperation for ESD in Serbia;
• present and collect feedback on the Carpathian ESD Roadmap towards 2030 and the further development of CESDEN;
• exchange experiences, challenges and possible solutions related to pastoralism and its links to sustainable development and ESD;
• create new connections between Carpathian and Serbian experts and organizations;
• identify opportunities for common projects and future cooperation in the ESD sector.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

The Carpathian Education for Sustainable Development Expert Network (CESDEN) has held ESD seminars and conferences since 2019. These meetings bring together international experts and practitioners for sharing recent projects, presenting research and developing joint activities relevant to the Carpathians. The First Carpathian ESD Seminar was organized by the Hungarian Presidency of the Carpathian Convention in 2019. Following its success, each Convention Presidency has been invited to host a regional Carpathian ESD Seminar, with the aim to showcase best practices, facilitate networking among experts and practitioners for sharing recent projects, presenting research and developing joint activities relevant to the Carpathians. The Second Carpathian ESD Seminar was organized by the Polish Presidency in 2022.

The organizers extend their sincere gratitude to the Ministry of Education, Sport, and Youth of the Republic of Cyprus for their invaluable support of the activities of the CESDEN