Education and climate change: Learning to act for people and planet

Held in the margins of the 2024 High Level Political Forum (HLPF) which includes a thematic review of SDG 13 on climate action this discussion 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 organized by the UNESCO Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report and partners 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. It will feature inputs of representatives from different sectors of the climate change community working to harness the potential of education for the overall transformation of economies. The event will also bring the voices of youth to the forefront and their demands for climate action and climate justice in and through education.

Format:

Short introductory remarks from UNDESA to provide context on SDG specific interlinkages before a presentation from the GEM Report new education-focus analysis and then a facilitated roundtable discussion with representatives from cross-sectorial partners. Providing brief interventions, the speakers will demonstrate the transformative power of education for climate action, and their willingness to work beyond silos for our collective well-being.

Key questions for group discussion:

· REFLECT: What are your reflections on interlinkage of education and climate. How is it a useful/ understandable framing to help accelerate advocacy efforts?

· CONTEXT: How can we accelerate climate action through education while ensuring transition processes are inclusive, faire, and leave no one behind?

· LOOKING-AHEAD: What do we need to do to rewire the conversation to embed education in climate agendas?

Speakers:

• Astra Bonini, Chief of the Integrated Policy Analysis Branch, Division for the SDGs, UNDESA
• Ambassador Camilla Mellander, Consul General of Sweden in New York

• Angela Busheska, Youth climate activist, North Macedonia
• Jennifer Williams, Executive Director, Take Action Global
• Neeraj Kumar Negi, Senior Evaluation Officer, Independent Evaluation Office, Global Environment Facility
• Priya Joshi, Senior Researcher, GEM Report, UNESCO
• Aissata M.B. Camara, Deputy Commissioner for Policy & Strategic Initiatives and Chief of Staff, NYC Mayor’s Office for International Affairs