UNESCO and partners to feature climate education side event to the 11th Asia-Pacific Forum for Sustainable Development

The UNESCO Regional Office in Bangkok has announced that in partnership with Save the Children, Global Partnership for Education (GPE), Plan International, World Vision, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Secretariat, it will host a special side event to the 11th Asia-Pacific Forum for Sustainable Development (APFSD).

The ‘Building a Greener Future: Education as a Climate Solution’ side event will highlight new research on the impacts of the climate crisis, country progress, young people’s perspectives, and the power of multisectoral partnerships—including UNESCO's own Greening Education Partnership—to innovatively address the impacts of climate on children through education.

Strong education systems are essential to power the shift to safer, greener, more equitable and just societies. Learning about climate and environmental protection, in addition to developing twenty-first century skills, can strengthen a young individual’s resilience, including the ability to think critically and other socio-emotional competencies that are central for catalyzing environmental and climate action. Building a more secure, sustainable world where every young person can fully achieve their potential requires prioritizing and financing climate education.

The world’s interconnected crises, from climate change to economic and food security, affect the well-being of children, denying them their basic rights. Estimates show that 244 million children will not set foot in a classroom this year, while 1 billion are at extremely high risk of suffering from the climate crisis, implying serious impacts to their health and ability to learn. The economic downturn and debt challenges force the poorest families to decide whether any, or which of their children can go to school. Moreover, girls are at greater risk of dropping out of school and being forced into domestic labour and early marriage.

The ‘Building a Greener Future’ side event will examine the following key guiding questions:

• How are the climate and learning crises impacting poverty, gender equality and economic stability?
• What is the impact of these crises on children and young people? What are their recommendations?
• How are countries responding to these crises and using education to advance climate action?
• What is the role of education in climate action? How can investing in education and climate contribute to sustainable development, children’s well-being and achieving gender equality and inclusion?
• How can climate financing be more child-responsive and used to support education and children’s learning outcomes?

Through a diverse panel, this side event aims to amplify the voices of children and young people, highlighting the profound impact of climate on their ability to survive, thrive, and learn; and highlight education's role in achieving SDG 13. 

Anticipated outcomes include fostering multi-stakeholder dialogue among countries, youth, and civil society towards jointly addressing climate and education crises. The event aims to encourage cross-sector collaboration on climate issues by sharing concrete programme and financing examples. Furthermore, the co-organizers seek to build momentum for the UNESCO Greening Education Partnership and advocate for climate-smart education systems in the Asia-Pacific region.

• 21 February 2024
• 16.00–18.00 Bangkok time (GMT+7)
• Theater, First Floor, United Nations Conference Centre, Bangkok, Thailand

To register for this side event, whether attending in person or viewing online, please click here.

For those who wish to participate online, the deadline for registration is 19 February 2024. Alternatively, watch the session on UNESCO Bangkok's Facebook LIVE here.

To attend in-person, registrants must also register on Indico to be admitted to the APFSD; registration must be completed by 6 February 2024; to register for in-person attendance, please click here. 

Please register using the option, ‘Registration for Others, and choose the ‘Building a Greener Future’ side event. *** Those who do not register on Indico will not be admitted to the United Nations Conference Center. ***

Please contact: 

Ms Seek Ling Tan, Consultant, Education Section, sl.tan(at)unesco.org and copy eisd.bgk(at)unesco.org.

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