Dubai: Dubai Cares, a civil society organisation associated with the United Nations Department of Global Communications (UN DGC), unveiled on Monday its latest report, “Rewiring Education: The Climate Education Nexus,” highlighting key recommendations for integrating education and climate action.
Among the major recommendations are five transformative solutions across Early Childhood Development (ECD), planet-friendly school meals, teaching as a green profession, youth green skills development, and strategic private sector engagement.
These “win-win” solutions demonstrate how cross-sectoral collaboration can align education transformation with climate action, economic development, and social progress, building resilient societies, Dubai Cares said in a press release.
The report was unveiled during the 79th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) week and builds on the foundation of the first RewirEd Summit outcomes report launched at the Transforming Education Summit (TES) in New York in 2022.
While the inaugural report, titled “Rewiring Education for People and Planet,” offered six solutions for aligning actions across sectors, the new edition focuses more strongly on the critical role of education transformation for climate action from an ecosystem perspective. It emphasises the need for cross-sectoral collaboration to achieve necessary solutions for people and the planet.
Immense potential
At the heart of the report is the recognition that climate action and education transformation agendas cannot be addressed in isolation. It stresses that the climate-education nexus holds immense potential to drive the systemic change needed to tackle global challenges, though it remains underutilised.
The report provides a blueprint for uniting education and climate efforts under a cohesive strategy, offering concrete recommendations and issuing a bold call to action: cross-sector collaboration is essential for achieving both educational and environmental goals.
Charles North, Deputy CEO 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?”
Much-needed guidance
Dubai Cares said this report provides much-needed guidance to governments, policymakers, civil society, educators, youth, and the private sector on how to integrate education and climate action, offering practical solutions to design effective strategies that align with both educational and environmental objectives.
Dr Tariq Al Gurg, CEO and Vice-Chairman of Dubai Cares, commented on the launch: “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.”
Dr 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 prioritise 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, skills, and values needed to build a prosperous and sustainable future for all/.
‘Win-win solutions’
The report also presents nine recommendations across policy, financing, and research to create the enabling environment needed to scale the “win-win” solutions.
It outlines clear steps for advancing priorities and driving meaningful action at the climate-education nexus, echoing calls by Amina J. Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, who emphasised the importance of accurate education data, research, and the removal of financial barriers to education.
The RewirEd Summit 2023 at COP28 UAE, the first-ever global education convening on climate, was highly endorsed by the Rt. Hon. Gordon Brown, United Nations Special Envoy for Global Education, who said: “Dubai Cares is leading globally in recognising 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 gathered more than 1,000 participants, including two heads of state, 22 ministers, 28 CEOs, and 260 speakers representing 209 entities and 76 countries. It sparked a global conversation, showcasing powerful solutions at the intersection of climate and education.
