2024 HLPF breakfast briefing Education and climate change: Learning to act for people and planet

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. 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. 

Short introductory remarks from UNDESA to provide context on SDG specific interlinkages before a presentation from the GEM Report sharing 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, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs 
• Vegard Holmelid, Special Representative for the Sustainable Development Goals, Government of Norway
• Priya Joshi, Senior Researcher and Climate and Education Lead, GEM Report
• Jennifer Williams, Executive Director, Take Action Global 
• Angela Busheska, Youth climate activist, North Macedonia

Additional speakers to be added. 

Register here to attend in-person/the event will be Livestreamed on Facebook @GEMReport