On 6 December 2023, UIL and the UNESCO learning cities of Bandar Khamir (Islamic Republic of Iran), Hamburg (Germany) and Shanghai (People’s Republic of China) will host an event, ‘Translating Global Net-Zero Commitments to Local Action: The Learning City Approach to Greening Communities’, as part of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 28), taking place in Dubai (United Arab Emirates).
Taking place in Dubai from 30 November until 12 December 2023, COP28 marks the next high-stakes annual negotiations between nearly 200 countries on tackling the climate crisis.
The learning cities model provides a powerful framework to coordinate the work on climate change education, to link institutions that work on similar topics, to allow for peer-learning among stakeholders, to upscale successful projects and to measure the impact of climate change education within local communities. Engaging a wide range of stakeholders – from city administrations, formal and non-formal education institutions, community centres, youth organizations, among others – will be key to ensure high commitment and well-coordinated strategies for climate change education that respond to the needs of all citizens, in particular vulnerable groups.
The event is an opportunity to showcase good practice in greening communities and will provide a platform for debate on integrating climate change education within urban climate action strategies. Outcomes of the event will be captured in a summary document, which will inform the development of a “Greening Communities Guidance Document” (a guidance tool for developing coordinated approaches for non-formal and informal learning and youth engagement in local communities), as a contribution to the Greening Education Partnership.
Session objectives
- Share good practices from UNESCO learning cities on integrating climate change education (CCE) within urban climate action strategies;
- Encourage cities to integrate education and sustainability into their development plans and climate action strategies;
- Share practical approaches on multi-stakeholder coordination for CCE in cities;
- Share experiences on the challenges and opportunities of a whole-of-city-approach to CCE;
- Discuss strategic approaches to strengthen non-formal and informal learning environments for greening communities.
Speakers:
- Mr Ralf Behrens, Head of the Department for Environmental Education and Education for Sustainable Development at the Hamburg Ministry of Environment, Climate, Energy and Agriculture, UNESCO learning city of Hamburg, Germany
- Mr Jürgen Forkel-Schubert, Senior consultant, UNESCO learning city of Hamburg, Germany
- Mr Jiacheng Li, Director, Shanghai Municipal Institute for Lifelong Education, UNESCO learning city of Shanghai, People’s Republic of China
- Mr Javad Mahmoodi, Senior Consultant, Bandar Khamir, Iran
- Moderator: Ms Edith Hammer, Programme Specialist, UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning
Time and date
6 December 2023, 14:15–15:15h (UAE time); Thematic day on “Multilevel Action, Urbanization and Built Environment, Transport”
Place
Al-Erth Room, Green Zone
Registration for online participation
https://unesco-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_sSIbYQ2zQRWsgue8iK6LTg#/registration
