CEMR/PLATFORMA, together with the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), is organizing an official side event at COP29 on the topic: “Combating climate change across generations: reinforcing global to local policy action for education.”
The session will engage discussion on how global goals can more effectively translate to local action. Specially, this session seeks to offer training and knowledge for local policy makers on how to enrich education so that it may effectively address the challenges faced in the world today.
Specifically, Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) has emerged as a key facilitator of goals to combat climate change and protect the environment, while encouraging economic growth and human development. Overtime, the field of ESD has seen robust uptake by the international community and been inextricably linked to global policy objectives, including those of UNFCCC, WHO, and other UN bodies.
Global momentum for ESD has soared over the years and never been more prominent in international policy discussions. Particularly, Target 4.7 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) urges countries to incorporate ESD into education. Target 4.7 was a key issue at the 2022 High Level Political Forum when it was championed by the governments of Finland and Nigeria, and subsequently was represented in dialogues at the UN Transforming Education Summit (2022) and SDG Summit (2023). However, now approaching the 2030 deadline for the SDGs and important climate targets, how effective are current conceptualizations of ESD, related implementation strategies, and ESD policy production? Furthermore, how has global momentum for ESD been translated to effective local practice?
Through a presentation of projects and case studies, this session will explore the implementation of education for sustainable development and global citizenship education (GCE), in an effort to display concrete actions with potential relevance across contexts. Knowledge and critiques from top scholars on ESD and GCE will be conveyed as vital background for educational planning now and into the future.
The overarching goal is the exchange of information among speakers and audience participants to inspire further development of their own climate education strategies, plans and actions, bearing in mind the various climate and/or education frameworks such as: the EU Green Deal, the EU Adaptation Strategy, the Paris Agreement (including COP26, COP27, COP28 and preparations ahead of COP29 and COP230) the Sendai Framework, Revision to the 1979 Recommendation, UNESCO Education for Sustainable Development Road Map, and more.
Agenda
Opening Remarks
Ronan Dantec, French Senator in Loire Atlantique, France
Moderator:
Dr. Amber Webb, Managing Director, SDG Academy, UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network
Keynote:
Rajendra Shenda, Founder and Director, Green TERRE Foundation; Former Director, United Nations Environment Program
Panelists:
Clifford Galea, Young elected officials Committee (YEOC) of CEMR
Prithi Nambiar, Executive Director, Centre for Environment Education
Pramod Kumar Sharma, Senior Director of Education, Foundation for Environmental Education