Climate change education at COP28
UNESCO is actively involved in accelerating climate change education and will showcase its efforts at the global stage during this year's United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP28) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, from 30 November to 12 December 2023. This international event provides a valuable platform for securing commitments and actions from countries regarding climate change education. From greening schools and curriculums to climate change education, the essential role of learning in providing long-term solutions for the climate crisis is taking centre stage at this year's conference.
Throughout the 13-day event, UNESCO will co-host a series of events highlighting the essential role of education in getting every learner climate-ready, and the importance to address the impact of climate change and related displacement on the right to education. In collaboration with the UAE Ministry of Education UNESCO as secretariat to the Greening Education Partnership will establish the first historical Greening Education Hub, featuring over 200 sessions organized to promote concrete actions and solutions through education. Youth members of the Partnership will also play a leading role in the dialogue and paving the next steps.
Objectives
- To mobilize and strengthen political commitment on greening education;
- To share good practice and solutions on climate change education;
- To generate opportunities for synergetic action on greening school, curriculum, the capacities of teachers and systems and communities.
- To highlight the impact of climate change displacement on the right to education.
Greening Education Hub
30 November-12 December
Green Zone, Expo City
The inaugural Greening Education Hub, known as the Greening Education Hub: LEGACY – إ ث from the Land of Zayed, will be set up in the green zone. The hub is hosted by the UAE Ministry of Education, co-organised with the Greening Education Partnership, supported by its UNESCO secretariat. The space and the corresponding events will emphasize education's pivotal role in addressing the climate crisis.
The hub is designed around the four action pillars of the Greening Education Partnership: greening schools, greening curriculum, greening teacher training and education system's capacities, and greening communities.
Events will include national programming, showcasing the work undertaken by UAE government and national partners to greening education in UAE, and international programming, showcasing international activities undertaken to green education globally.
Side events organized in the Greening Education Hub
- A transformative target: Strengthening climate change education and communication for the future
1 December, 10:30-11:30 am
The session will feature ministers of education and advocates all working together to promote education for climate action within an urgent global timeframe. - Climate change and the right to education
4 December, 3:45-4:45 pm
Jointly organised by UNESCO, Education Cannot Wait and the International Rescue Committee, the panel session will delve into the impact of climate change and induced displacement on the right to education. The event unfolds with insights into global trends, innovative solutions, audience engagement, and a powerful call to action - Translating global net-zero commitments to local action: The learning city approach to greening communities
6 December, 2:15-3:15 pm
The event will showcase good practice in greening communities and provide a platform for debate on integrating climate change education within urban climate action strategies. - Greening higher education: Transforming competences and practices
6 December, 5:00-6:00 pm
The event will highlight the different roles, responsibilities, and potentials of higher education in promoting the achievement of all the SDGs in connection with and with an emphasis on SDG 13. It will also define and describe the process by which sustainability competencies can be integrated into all degree programs, knowledge production and sharing, science, technology, and innovation transfer at the higher education level. - Greening education for a water secure world in a changing climate
10 December, 10:30-11:30 am
This session aims to raise awareness of the importance of education for climate, particularly on hydroclimatic impacts such as floods, droughts and tropical cyclones.
Full programme of the Greening Education Hub
Ensuring human rights for climate migrants and displaced individuals
3 December, 10:00-11:30 am
Thailand Pavilion – Blue Zone B62
UNESCO has joined forces with UNU-IAS, the Thai Ministry of Education and IOM to organise a side event "Ensuring Human Rights for Climate Migrants and Displaced Individuals" on 3 December, which will focus on the needs and rights of people displaced by climate and environmental change, including the right to education. The event will highlight the launch of the global report of the UNESCO initiative on the impact of climate change and displacement on the right to education.
Greening Education Partnership annual meeting
3-part event
8 December 2023
Green Zone, Expo City
1. High-level session on greening education
On the occasion of Youth and Education Day, UNESCO in partnership with the Ministry of Education of UAE will organize a session focusing on youth-based action to green education. Key stakeholders will engage in discussions on accelerating green education across the world. The objective of this event is to secure political support and strengthen the global commitment on the common agenda for education and climate change at COP28 and beyond.
During the event, The Declaration on the Common Agenda for Education and Climate Change at COP28, which was drafted based on the inputs from the Greening Education Partnership member countries, stakeholders as well as the partner countries of Global Partnership for Education, and with the support of the UK as an Advisory Group member of the Greening Education Partnership and the host of COP26, will be presented.. It aims to strengthen and renew the country commitments and actions at COP28 and beyond on the role of education in adapting and mitigating climate change and the need for more investment to accelerate greening education globally.
2. Technical meetings on boosting Greening Education Partnership
The high-level session will be followed by technical concurrent sessions on boosting the objectives of the Greening Education Partnership and accelerating action on the four pillars. Members working on each pillar will gather to discuss next steps and activities for achieving the Partnerships’ mission.
3. Working group meetings on way forward and action through the four pillars
9 December 2023
This session will focus on reflections on the achievements of the member groups working on the four pillars and discuss the way forward, highlighting elements in the annual report and key data and evidence from the baseline survey report.
Education as a catalyst for people and planet: Rewiring our common agenda
High-level event on education for climate action at the RewirED Summit
8 December, 2:15 pm-3:00 pm
Connect Conference Centre (C3), Green Zone
Held alongside COP28 the ReWired Summit seeks to spotlight education as the critical agent to address climate change and situate climate change education at the top of the political agenda.
This event will support a movement to ensure that education is central to climate action, enhance linkages with other sectors and highlight the need for deep and substantive cross-sectoral collaboration within and outside of education to create a more sustainable, prosperous, and equitable world.
Greening schools: Where do we go from here?
Post-COP28 UNFCCC-UNESCO webinar
12 December, 2:00-3:00 pm
This session marks the end of the second season of UNFCCC-UNESCO webinars. It will review COP28, discussing what we've learned, achieved, committed to, and where we go next in promoting climate change education, with a focus on greening schools.
In the previous webinars, we explored how schools can go "green" by incorporating Education for Sustainable Development into their teaching, facilities, governance, and community engagement. Building on the commitments made at COP28 by governments and others, the discussion will revolve around how to encourage cooperation across different sectors and among various stakeholders, bridging governments and society to support global efforts in making education and schools more environmentally conscious.
This session will tackle these questions:
- What did we accomplish in making schools more eco-friendly during COP28?
- What's the plan for turning these commitments into action?
UNESCO at COP28
UNESCO is fully engaged in the UN Climate Change Conference, (COP28, United Arab Emirates) to support urgently needed climate action.
Resources
Recent UNESCO publications on climate change education
