In October 2025, the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs (Kultusministerkonferenz – KMK) and the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung – BMZ) jointly published the new “Global Development Orientation Framework – Education for Sustainable Development in Upper Secondary Schools” at the 5th Conference of Education Ministers. As a contribution to the implementation of the United Nations' Agenda 2030 and the German Sustainability Strategy, this standard work provides a comprehensive basis for systematically anchoring education for sustainable development (Bildung für nachhaltige Entwicklung – BNE) in secondary schools, especially in upper secondary education. 

The orientation framework refers to the model of sustainable development with its four target dimensions that need to be reconciled: social justice, ecological compatibility, democratic policy-making, and economic performance. Actions should be guided by planetary boundaries that must not be exceeded and by the basic needs of all people. The subject chapters each contain didactic concepts, sample topics, and lesson plans based on the Standing Conference’s educational standards and examination requirements for upper secondary schools. The orientation framework is supplemented by chapters on digitization, teacher training, and the whole school approach, among other things. 

The aim of the orientation framework is to strengthen education for sustainable development as an educational principle in upper secondary schools and to provide conceptual support to all those involved in the education system, such as education authorities, teacher training institutions, textbook publishers, and civil society. 

Source: Eurydice Unit Germany (Länder)