UNESCO and partners catalyse cooperation and regional commitment to education for climate change and sustainability in Asia-Pacific

UNESCO has reaffirmed its leadership in catalysing cooperation for climate education in Asia-Pacific towards ensuring that every learner is climate literate and prepared to take individual and collective action in fighting the climate crisis. That message underscored the side event, ‘Building a Greener Future: Education as a Climate Solution’, at the 11th Asia-Pacific Forum for Sustainable Development, which was held at the United Nations Conference Centre on 21 February 2024, in Bangkok. 

The event was co-organized by the UNESCO Regional Office in Bangkok (UNESCO Bangkok), the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), Save the Children, Plan International, World Vision International, the United Nations Children's Fund, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Secretariat. 

The event featured spirited discussion among a panel of regional government, youth, civic, and philanthropic stakeholders who explored education’s critical role in offering climate solutions and equipping children and youth to become active ‘change agents’ catalysing a more equitable and sustainable future in Asia-Pacific. Discussion foregrounded the fundamental importance of climate education for empowering a new generation in working towards a safer and greener future for all. There were roughly 70 onsite and 116 online participants via Zoom conferencing, with additional viewers joining a Facebook LIVE broadcast. 

Ms Kim also highlighted the need for robust multi-stakeholder collaboration and the fostering of dialogue at the highest levels, as will be facilitated by the upcoming UN ‘Summit of the Future’ later this year. Above all, she noted, ‘Environmental and sustainability education must be integrated in school curricula to cultivate a sense of responsibility and encourage sustainable behaviours.’  

Additional opening remarks were offered by Mr Roger Yap Chao, Jr., Assistant Director of the Education, Youth, and Sport Division, ASEAN Secretariat, who shared that ‘the ongoing development of the ASEAN Environmental Rights Framework highlights that young people and children have the right to meaningful participation in decision-making in climate action.’ Congresswoman Honorable Madame Cynthia K. Chan, Vice Chair of the Committee on the Welfare of Children, House of Representatives, Republic of the Philippines, recounted her first-hand experience of Super Typhoon Odette, of 2021, noting, ‘Young people suffer disproportionately in such crises due to vulnerable living conditions, disruptive education, and reliance on external support systems...These challenges underscore the importance of addressing the vulnerabilities of the youth in building resilient communities amidst climate change’, but that there remains a ‘beacon of hope in education.’ 

Speakers of the side event shared perspectives and insights into actionable solutions including Ms Chan; Ms Anita Paudel, of Nepal’s National Planning Commission; Ms Monika Budha, a youth speaker from Nepal; Ms Mau Rima, a youth speaker of World Vision International, Cambodia; and Ms Deepali Gupta, Advocacy and Regional Partnerships Specialist (Asia-Pacific), of GPE.