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ABU DHABI, 25th April, 2023 (WAM) — The Ministry of Education, MoE, has announced the UAE’s Roadmap for Green Education Partnerships in preparation for COP28.
The announcement was made by the Ministry of Education at a press conference at its Abu Dhabi headquarters in the presence of Dr Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi, Minister of Education; Dr Amna Al Dahak Al Shamsi, Assistant Undersecretary for Nursing and Capacity Building, Ministry of Education; UNESCO Salah Khaled, Regional Director, Gulf States and Yemen; Jumana Haj-Ahmad, Deputy UNICEF Gulf Representative. The press conference was also attended by senior officials of the Ministry of Education and representatives of its local and international partners.
Dr Al Falasi said COP28 was important because it provided a roadmap for using education to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and tackle climate change, adding that it also raised awareness about climate change and discussed projects to address its impact . He emphasized the importance of global cooperation to integrate the climate agenda into education and coordinate efforts to combat climate change. He also noted that the UAE is keen to chart a practical and flexible roadmap that countries across the globe can adapt, adapt and benefit from when educating students and educators about climate change.
Dr Al Falasi said: “Individual behavior on climate change remains key to making a real difference, and with it comes the vital role of education in changing thinking, actions and attitudes about the environment today and in the future. In the Ministry of Education, we can play a key role in promoting the role of education in combating climate change by building environmentally friendly courses and schools and training educators to build sustainable green communities.The UAE hosting COP28 provides another opportunity to highlight the country efforts in this area and mobilize international efforts to integrate green education into education systems in the region and the world.”
Commenting on the launch of the Green Education Partnership Roadmap, Shamma bint Suhail Faris Al Mazrui, Minister of Community Development, Vice-President of the Arab Youth Center and Youth Climate Advocate at COP28, said: “Today we are equipping our children and young people with environmental education The foundation is that they build a safer future and make our world a better place. Therefore, our wise leadership is very focused on educating young people and building a love for the land in their hearts so that they can be the first movers of tomorrow’s environmental action .”
The roadmap includes the UAE Green Education Partnership, a key initiative aimed at strengthening the role of education in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and integrating the climate agenda into the UAE education system.
During the press conference, the Ministry of Education signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and with the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) to advance climate education and climate action. Children and adolescents during and after COP28. The Ministry of Education also announced that it is designing the first educational pavilion in the history of COP.
Salah Khaled, Director of the UNESCO Regional Office for the Gulf States and Yemen, said that UNESCO is pleased to announce a partnership with the UAE Ministry of Education to mobilize commitment on climate change and education at the upcoming COP28.
Under the leadership of the UAE, UNESCO will support the organization of a high-level advocacy meeting with Member State leaders on the role of education in addressing the climate crisis, and the co-creation of the first Green Education Partnership (GEP) multi-partner trust fund. Launched last year at the Transformative Education Summit, the Green Education Partnership (GEP) focuses specifically on addressing climate change, one of the most pressing challenges of our time.
“UNESCO will work closely with the Ministry of Education to design the first education pavilion in the history of COP with the Green Education Partnership (GEP). Finally, UNESCO will work with the Ministry to improve the awareness of educators and learners. Awareness of the importance of protecting oases, a special ecosystem and observatories of climate change, is a common feature of several Arab countries,” added Salah Khaled.
said Jumana Haj-Ahmad, Deputy UNICEF Gulf Representative. “We at UNICEF are delighted to join the Green Capabilities Initiative led by the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Education. We look forward to a strategic partnership aimed at providing children and young people with climate education and green skills, which are critical to helping them adapt and prepare to cope The impact of climate change is critical. Through this partnership and ahead of COP28, UNICEF will support climate education training for school principals and teachers across the UAE. Educators in the UAE and abroad will also have access to open-source learning materials .”
“At UNICEF, we see the climate crisis as a children’s rights crisis. Almost every child in the world faces climate and environmental hazards. Children and young people will face climate crises, water insecurity, and We simply did not participate in the full destructive consequences of other disasters. Therefore, our duty to all young people and future generations is to involve them in all negotiations and decision-making processes related to climate change at the national, regional and international levels,” she added .
The roadmap identifies environmentally and climate-friendly initiatives that the MoE aims to achieve at the start of COP28 and beyond. For example, the Ministry of Education will have 50% of the UAE’s schools and campuses certified green; and provide training for more than 2,400 educators and 1,400 principals.
The ministry will also launch the Voices of Children initiative, under which child advocates in the country will be given training opportunities to exercise their right to participate in decision-making related to their environmental future. Under the Voice of Educators initiative, the Department of Education will highlight the critical role of educators in raising awareness of climate change and addressing its impacts. These two initiatives will help amplify the voices of more than 70 students and educators.
In addition, the Ministry of Education will collaborate with UNESCO to establish the United Nations Green Education Multi-Partner Trust Fund (MPTF), and the UAE will act as an advocate, including in MPTF partners and capitalizing efforts. Both parties will also raise learners’ awareness of the importance of protecting oasis systems in the Arab world as cultural and natural ecosystems.
Through the Ministry of Education’s commitment to achieving the goals of the Green Education Partnership, the Ministry will work on four pillars, namely Green Schools, Green Learning, Green Capabilities and Green Communities.
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