Policymakers’ understanding of the holistic nature and implications of sustainable development (SD) determines a nation’s commitment to sustainability. The study involved in-depth interviews with 20 policymakers. The study identified underlying interconnections between policymakers’ perceptions, commitment and awareness of SD and whether they developed the necessary values and attitudes required to promote sustainability at both local and national levels. These findings provided reflections for the development of Education for Sustainable Development programmes targeting policy makers to expedite implementation of SD in Malta.
Act No. X (2012). Sustainable development act. Government of Malta. 10July2012.
2.
BennettJ., & CrudgingtonA. (2003). Sustainable development: Recent thinking and practice in the UK. Engineering Sustainability, 156(ES1), 27–32.
3.
BriassoulisH. (1999). Who plans whose sustainability? Alternative roles for planners. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, 42(6), 889–902.
4.
CañasA. J., NovakJ. D., & GonzálezF. M. (2004). Concept maps: Theory, methodology, technology. Proceedings of the First International Conference on Concept Mapping, Universidad Pública de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain.
5.
CohenL., ManionL., & MorrisonK. (2011). Research methods in education. London: Routledge.
6.
Government of Malta (2002). Malta national report: Submitted by the Government of Malta to the World Summit on Sustainable Development. Malta: Government of Malta.
7.
HawkinsR. G. P., & ShawH. (2004). Briefing: Sustainable development: ‘A monument for eternity’?Engineering Sustainability, 157(1), 3–5.
8.
HiliP. (2017). Education for sustainable development for Maltese policy-makers: A requisite or an option? (Unpublished Ph.D. thesis). Faculty of Education, University of Malta, Malta.
9.
IUCN, UNEP, & WWF (1991). Caring for the Earth: A strategy for sustainable living. Switzerland: Gland.
10.
Leal FilhoW., ManolasE., & PaceP. (2015). The future we want: Key issues on sustainable development in higher education after Rio and the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 16(1), 112–129.
11.
LemonickM. D. (2009). Top 10 myths about sustainability. Scientific American, 19(1s), 40–45.
12.
Malta Environment and Planning, Authority (MEPA) (2008). The environment report 2008. Malta: MEPA – National Statistics Office.
13.
National Commission for Sustainable Development (NCSD) (2006). A sustainable development strategy for the Maltese islands (2007–2016). Malta: NCSD.
14.
PaceP. (2007). Empowering citizens through education for sustainable development. In XuerebP.G. (Ed.), Business ethics and religious values in the European Union and Malta—for a moral level playing field (pp. 209–220). Civil Society Project Report 2007. Malta: The European Documentation & Research Centre, University of Malta.
15.
PaceP. (2009). Emerging from limbo: Environmental education in Malta. In TaylorN., LittledykeM., EamesC., & CollR. K. (Eds.), Environmental education in context: An international perspective on the development of environmental education (pp. 73–82). Rotterdam: Sense Publishers.
United Nations (2002). Report of the World Summit on Sustainable Development. Johannesburg, South Africa, 26 August–4 September 2002. New York: United Nations.
