• 23.09.2024

Dubai, UAE, 23 September 2024: Dubai Cares, a civil society organization formally associated with the United Nations Department of Global Communications (UN DGC), unveiled today its latest report: “Rewiring Education: The Climate Education Nexus”, advocating for the critical integration of education and climate action. The report is the culmination of two years of extensive consultations and bold dialogue at the RewirEd Summit 2023 at COP28 UAE and beyond, synthesizing insights from stakeholders across both the education and climate spaces.

Unveiled during the 79th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) week, this report builds on the foundation of the first RewirEd Summit outcomes report launched at the Transforming Education Summit (TES) in New York in 2022. The inaugural report, titled “Rewiring Education for People and Planet,” presented six “win-win” solutions designed to align thinking and actions across sectors and stakeholders, while the new edition builds on these solutions to focus more strongly on the critical role of education transformation for climate action from an ecosystem perspective, as well as the need for cross-sectoral collaboration to achieve the solutions necessary for people and planet.

At the heart of the report is the recognition that climate action and education transformation agendas cannot be addressed in isolation. The climate-education nexus holds immense potential to drive the systemic change required to tackle global challenges, but it remains underutilized. The report emphasizes that collaboration between these sectors will help each achieve its own goals, as well as enable far greater impact when combined. The report offers a blueprint for uniting education and climate efforts under a cohesive strategy, providing concrete recommendations and issuing a bold call to action: collaboration across sectors is essential for achieving both educational and environmental goals.

As Charles North, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) stated at the RewirEd Summit 2023: “Governments around the world are asking: Where do we begin? What works? How do we design this?” This report provides the much-needed guidance to help not only governments, but also policymakers, civil society, academia, educators, practitioners, youth, and private sector navigate the complexity of integrating education and climate action, delivering practical solutions to design effective strategies that align with both educational and environmental objectives.

Commenting on the launch of the report, His Excellency Dr. Tariq Al Gurg, Chief Executive Officer and Vice-Chairman of Dubai Cares said: “Throughout history, humanity has overcome monumental challenges, and today, climate change stands as the defining crisis of our time. Education is key to confronting this crisis head-on. Real progress on global issues – whether poverty, health, or climate change – depends on a fundamental transformation of education systems. The ‘Rewiring Education: The Climate Education Nexus’ report offers a clear, actionable blueprint to integrate education into the climate agenda, while also ensuring climate solutions are embedded in education.”

Al Gurg added, “This report is a powerful call to action for all stakeholders, urging them to place education transformation at the core of climate solutions. As we approach COP29, I call on global leaders to prioritize education in their climate negotiations and consider the vital recommendations outlined in this report. The time to act is now so we ensure that every individual is equipped with the knowledge, experience, skills, and values needed to build a prosperous and sustainable future for all.”

Five transformative solutions at the intersection of education and climate action

Recognizing that the challenges of climate change and other global crises cannot be solved in silos, the report presents five “win-win” solutions – across Early Childhood Development (ECD), planet-friendly school meals, teaching as a green profession, youth green skills development, and strategic private sector engagement -demonstrating how cross-sectoral collaboration can be mutually beneficial and align education transformation with climate action, economic development, and social progress to build resilient societies. These are concrete examples where strategic investment and collaboration can drive transformative impacts, accelerating progress on education, climate, and all development fronts. The emphasis on the importance of unifying efforts was echoed by Yasmine Sherif, Executive Director of Education Cannot Wait (ECW) at the RewirEd Summit 2023 saying: “Fragmented efforts, where various organizations and sectors work independently of each other, are no longer sufficient to address the complex challenges facing the world today. We need a holistic approach where governments, multilaterals, NGOs, and private sector partners collaborate closely to pool resources and expertise.”

Nine recommendations for systemic change and effective action at the climate-education nexus

Building on the “win-win” solutions, the report identifies nine key recommendations across policy, financing, and research to create the enabling environment needed to scale these solutions. It also provides a concrete roadmap for action, outlining clear steps that actors across sectors can take to advance critical priorities and drive meaningful action at the climate-education nexus. These recommendations echo what was emphasized by Amina J. Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations at the RewirEd Summit 2023 who said: “Accurate education data is crucial; increased research and monitoring are essential to bridge knowledge gaps and informing targeted interventions. We must also take measures to remove financial barriers to education.”

RewirEd Summit 2023 at COP28 UAE was the first-ever global education convening on climate, that was highly endorsed by the Rt. Hon. Gordon Brown, United Nations Special Envoy for Global Education when he said at the Summit: “Dubai Cares is leading globally in recognizing the connection between climate change and the denial of educational opportunities. By reconvening the RewirEd Summit, they have ensured that children’s opportunities remain at the forefront of global discussions, making certain that climate change does not infringe upon children’s rights to education.”

The Summit brought together more than 1,000 participants, including 2 heads of state, 22 ministers, and 28 CEOs, along with 260 speakers representing 209 entities and 76 countries. It led a global discussion showcasing the powerful solutions that exist at the climate-education intersection.

To download the report, please visit: https://rewiredsummit.org/