4th February, 2015. In less than a year, the UN CC:Learn platform gathered close to 10,000 registrations from all parties of the UNFCCC. The graph shows that there has been steady growth throughout the year.
15 December 2014, Lima, Peru. The 20th Conference of the Parties (COP 20) to the UNFCCC has adopted the Lima Ministerial Declaration on Education and Awareness-raising. The Declaration encourages “governments to develop education strategies that incorporate the issue of climate change in curricula and to include awareness-raising on climate change in the design and implementation of national development and climate change strategies and policies in line with their national priorities and competencies.” The Declaration thereby confirms and strengthens the Doha Work Programme on Article 6 that was adopted at COP 18 in 2012.
10 December 2014, Lima, Peru. In an innovative initiative (possibly the first of its kind globally) the Central American countries met this week at a side event chaired by the Minister of Forests, Fisheries and Sustainable Development of Belize, Ms. Lisel Alamilla, to discuss a regional programme on climate change learning. The Central American region already has a climate change strategy which was negotiated in 2010 under the Central America Integration System (SICA). Now SICA member countries want to build on this strategy through coordinated action on climate change learning.
10 December 2014, Lima, Peru. Indonesia’s National Climate Change Learning Strategy was featured at a COP 20 side event on “Education and Communication as Cornerstones for Effective Climate Actions” in Lima, Peru on 10 December 2014. Ms. Amanda Katili-Niode, Head of the Secretariat of Indonesia’s Council on Climate Change (DNPI) pointed out that the learning strategy was an important step towards implementing Article 6 of the Convention which deals with education, training and public awareness-raising. Ms. Katili-Niode further explained that the learning strategy is feeding into a broader Article 6 strategy (known as the ‘Stranas’) which the Council is currently developing. The Stranas also covers public participation and access to information.
8 December 2014, Lima, Peru. An unusual side event at the annual Climate Conference in Lima (COP 20) provided a snapshot of what the United Nations is doing to support climate change education and training for children, youth and adults. Panellists and participants discussed how learning can actually ‘make a difference’ on the ground as well as the role of formal, non-formal and informal approaches. The audience also actively engaged in a game on climate risk management animated by the Red Cross Climate Center (RCCC). The event was hosted by UNEP, UNITAR, UNESCO, UNICEF, FAO, and IFAD in collaboration with YOUNGO. It was moderated by Mr. Daniel Abreu, National UN CC:Learn Focal Point at the National Climate Change Council of the Dominican Republic.
4 December 2014, Lima, Peru. While inside the ‘Pentagonito’ (the venue where currently the 20th Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC is taking place) negotiators are discussing a new agreement for the period after 2020, the ‘Voices for Climate’ area provides an opportunity for the general public to learn about climate change and how it affects forests, mountains, oceans, cities and energy supply. Inside this imaginative space, Ambassadors for Climate Change Learning from four countries (Dominican Republic, Indonesia, Malawi and Uganda) engaged in a discussion with COP delegates and visitors from Lima on how to strengthen learning on climate change, from education for children to professional training for adults. The event was the first joint performance of the UN CC:Learn Ambassadors since their endorsement by the UN CC:Learn Steering Group in October 2014.
10-12 November 2014, Nagoya, Japan. The UNESCO World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) was held in Nagoya, Japan, from 10-12 November 2014 to take stock of the achievements, as well as challenges, of the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development and discuss global action on ESD post-2014. The UN Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), as a member of the UN Alliance on Climate Change Education, Training and Public Awareness, represented the UN CC:Learn Secretariat at the Conference.
21-22 October 2014, Putussibau, Indonesia. Indonesia’s National Climate Change Learning Strategy has secured funding to expand its support for REDD+ with a further training event for local decision makers funded by GIZ. The event, which took place in Putussibau on 21-22 October 2014, is a great example of the way in which UN CC:Learn can leverage further activity by attracting co-financing.
1-2 October 2014, Geneva. Participants from 16 UN organizations and 8 UN CC:Learn countries took part in the 5th Steering Group Meeting of UN CC:Learn Partners, 1-2 October 2014, Geneva, Switzerland. The meeting allowed to wrap up the first phase of the UN CC:Learn project and discuss activities for the second phase.
30 September - 1 October 2014, Geneva. Participants from the five UN CC:Learn pilot countries (Benin, Dominican Republic, Indonesia, Malawi, Uganda) met with participants from three new partner countries (Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Kazakhstan) to share experiences in the development and implementation of national climate change learning strategies during a UN CC:Learn workshop.
Malawi, September 2014. As part of their effort to integrate climate change education in Malawi’s primary school curricula, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology of Malawi recently launched a publication called Climate Change Sourcebook for Primary School Teachers.
Good news! The UN CC:Learn Guidance Note for Developing a National Climate Change Learnign Strategy is now available in French and Spanish. A group of decicated volunteers has supported the translation of the document in order to make it more accessible to people all around the world.
22 September 2014. In order to show Governments and the public how the diverse entities of the UN system work together in the area of climate change, the United Nations developed the booklet entitled "How the United Nations System Supports Ambitious Action on Climate Change - The United Nations System Delivering as One on Climate Change and Sustainable Development".
9 September 2014. In little more than 6 months the UN CC:Learn online Introductory Course on Climate Change has received close to 8000 registrations from all 195 countries that are party to the UNFCCC. The course offers an overview of key issues related to climate change, including the science, negotiations, adaptation, mitigation, finance and planning.