Education – Knowledge Sharing Platform

Education provides the most consistent pathway out of poverty and vulnerability, it is said. UNDP and UNITAR look at how this argument plays out for climate change, particularly around resilience.

Authors: Angus Mackay, Rohini Kohli, Josefina Ashipala, Liam Fee

UN CC:Learn and UNDP logos.

Adaptation does not happen in a vacuum. It needs specific knowledge and skills to be made available to the many. We can only harness the energy and ideas of society through education, and adaptation works best if the solutions are designed as close as possible to where the impacts are being felt.

We are referring to education across the different stages of life, from schooling to universities and technical education as well as through adult learning and training in all its forms. If we take this broader view, universities, national think tanks, research entities, and local learning institutions are all part of the broad mix of institutional stakeholders necessary to transform education systems.

Student in Kenya. Photo credit: Lorenzo Franchi 7 UN CC:Learn

Here are three reasons why we think that climate change education deserves a closer look.

1- Countries are asking for help. Many countries have a keen interest in refocusing their education systems towards climate change action. This is because they realise that both current and future generations need to have a deeper understanding of the issues at stake when it comes to climate change. You only have to look as far as the NDC Partnership’s national frameworks to see this demand coming through almost universally.

Development partners, perhaps led by the UN system, need to do more in this space. Systematic (rather than piecemeal) assessments of needs can bring greater visibility and engagement. The One UN Climate Change Learning Partnership (UNCC:Learn) has been developing national learning strategies for a decade offering a wealth of experience covering formal, informal, and non-formal education measures. Learning action plans covering all NDC sectors and supporting general education provide a further step.

Investment plans to support these proposals would take us one step further, as we are seeing in countries like Namibia, Bhutan, and Zambia: Namibia has linked accessing USD 18 billion in climate finance for its NDC to ensuring ‘retention of nationals with the necessary skills and knowledge’; Bhutan has made its national educational institutions a central pillar of its National Adaptation Plan, to train public sector officials in adaptation and resilience on a recurrent basis; and Zambia is launching a major climate change education project that seeks to transform its education system as a driver for green growth. These are important steps that are being taken by countries to consolidate gains made on adaptation towards a green and fair economic transition.

2- Climate education pays off. The Global Center on Adaptation documents several case studies on the relationship between climate change, vulnerability, and education. As its 2022 Report on “State and Trends in Adaptation” says:

‘Africa has a large and growing young population, with about 60 percent under the age of 25. While the sheer size of this young population poses challenges in terms of providing education and employment, it also brings major opportunities …. in ways that can accelerate economic growth, build resilience, and drive transformational adaptation.’

Classroom in Mauritius. Photo credit: Lorenzo Franch / UN CC:Learn

The UN CC:Learn experience on financing climate education is also quite telling. Small investments in planning for climate education can unlock much larger financing. For example, the Dominican Republic was one of the first countries to receive a UN CC:Learn grant back in 2012 which it used to leverage millions of dollars of public money to train primary school teachers across the country. More recently Zambia has been successful in leveraging a major IKI grant (17 million Euro) for climate education based on a UN CC:Learn grant of $100,000 in 2018.

Long-term solutions to the climate emergency must engage those on the frontlines. We are talking about interventions that go beyond ‘consultation’ and that involve local communities as the principal architects of adaptation action. Despite well-intentioned efforts to consult more effectively in project design, many development practitioners would probably agree that those principal architects often sit many hundreds or even thousands of miles from where the impacts are being felt. And indeed there are multiple reasons for this; some having to do with global financing structures.

Turning this tendency around will require an approach that invests in education, research, and learning through partnerships with universities and other training and research institutions. Such an approach would help to unlock national potential, strengthen locally driven research, engage with indigenous solutions, and better document what works and why.

The Organic Farm7 is an organic farm in Zambia that uses innovative irrigation techniques to water crops and solar energy as its primary energy source. Its founder, Mr. Abel Hangoma, an engineer by profession, is committed to teaching his methods to other farmers. Photo Credit: Lorenzo Franchi / UN CC:Learn

UNDP is a member of the Adaptation Research Alliance – a global coalition on action-oriented research that informs adaptation solutions. The work of the ARA emphasises learning as a driver of solutions, particularly at the local level. This work builds on UNDP’s long-standing support to countries to strengthen knowledge and skills both at the community level and within different tiers of government.

Learning and education take place throughout a lifetime, both in and out of school. It may occur in the community, in more distant locations, and increasingly online. At the global level, the Massive Online courses developed by UNITAR and UNDP have reached tens of thousands of practitioners.

Below are some resources from the UN CC:Learn platform, which covers nearly 100 courses in multiple languages and trains more than 100,000 individuals per year.

National Adaptation Plans: Building Climate Resilience in Agriculture (UNITAR/FAO/UNDP partnership)
Building Climate Resilience through Ecosystem-based Adaptation Planning (UNITAR, UNEP and UNDP partnership)

Is it time for a fresh look at climate change education? We think so.

Representatives of the FACE-NDC project consortium partners and the Ministry of Green Economy and Environment at the launch event of the FACE-NDC Project. Photo: Lorenzo Franchi / UN CC:Learn

On 25 October 2023, UNITAR took part in the launch of the FACE-NDC project, the largest investment in climate education to date, which promises to reshape Zambia’s approach to climate change education and build the capacity of Zambians on climate change by 2030.

Read on to find out more about this groundbreaking project.

Countries all over the globe are looking for ways to unlock or tap into funds to help them climate-proof their economies and meet their climate commitments. In this context, Zambia is leading by example.

In a groundbreaking move on 25^th October 2023, Zambia spearheaded a transformative initiative— the “Facility for Action for Climate Empowerment to Achieve the Nationally Determined Contributions (FACE-NDC).” This forward-thinking initiative was launched by Zambia’s Minister of Green Economy and Environment, Hon. Eng. Collins Nzovu at a packed Mulungushi International Conference Centre in Lusaka, Zambia.

Minister of Green Economy and Environment, at the launch event of the FACE-NDC Project. Photo: Lorenzo Franchi / UN CC:Learn

With a generous contribution of EUR 17 million contribution from Germany’s International Climate Initiative (IKI), the 7-year-long FACE-NDC project will be supporting the Zambian government in implementing its National Climate Change Learning Strategy, crafted in 2019 with support from UN CC:Learn.

The FACE-NDC project will be implemented by a consortium of five partners: UNITAR, UNESCO, FAO, the Copperbelt University, and the University of Zambia. Centered on collaboration, it will bring together several key stakeholders in the country, such as universities, civil society, government entities, and the private sector, to drive green initiatives, and job creation and ensure that the skills Zambians will need in the future are included in national educational and training programmes.

FACE-NDC launch event in Lusaka, Zambia. Photo: Lorenzo Franchi / UN CC:Learn

In his keynote address, the Minister of Green Economy and Environment in Zambia, Hon. Nzovu said:

“By implementing the FACE-NDC project, the government intention is that students, teachers, professionals, government and private actors, as well as communities at large use their improved capacities to adopt climate-friendly behavior and support a climate-resilient, low-carbon, and green transition of the economy.” And concluded his remarks by calling ‘…all stakeholders to ensure successful promotion and change of climate-friendly behavior.’

And highlighted the African proverb that says:

‘It takes a whole village to train a child’.

Students at the launch of the FACE-NDC Project. Photo: Lorenzo Franchi / UN CC:Learn

In the UN Resident Coordinator’s opening remarks, delivered on her behalf by FAO Country Representative Ms. Suze Percy Filippini, Ms. Beatrice Mutali remarked:

‘This is the single largest investment in a country for climate change education, and as climate change is of greatest importance to young people it is only right, therefore, that we should increase investments in climate change education.’

With dozens of activities planned, the project will strengthen Zambia’s formal and non-formal education systems, build capacity for climate change action across the country, and put it on the right path to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 47% by 2030, as stated in the country’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC).

Ms. Suze Percy Filippini, FAO Country Representative in Zambia delivering the UN RC’s opening remarks, at the launch event of the FACE-NDC Project. Photo: Lorenzo Franchi / UN CC:Learn

Collaborating closely with diverse government institutions exemplifies the integration of complementary expertise from the UN system and national tertiary education institutions for transformative climate education. FACE-NDC aims to impact approximately 2 million beneficiaries, encompassing school-going learners, adult learners, teachers, educators, trainers, and professionals in both public and private sectors.

The project stands as a testament to the potential of investing in climate change education, demonstrating how such endeavors can yield transformative outcomes amidst a changing climate. Furthermore, it plays a crucial role in supporting countries to achieve their ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions.

Mr. Angus Mackay, Director for Planet Division (UNITAR) and Head of UN CC:Learn Secretariat, at the launch event of the FACE-NDC Project. Photo: Lorenzo Franchi / UN CC:Learn

The UN CC:Learn Dialogue Space on Learning through Youth brought key stakeholders to discuss ways of engaging youth in climate change action.

Read on to find out what went on.

How can UN CC:Learn and partners better encourage youth to get involved in climate action?

On 24 May 2023, UN CC:Learn and partners got together at the Dialogue Space on Learning through Youth to answer this and other questions related to the role of youth in climate action.

This Dialogue Space was set up as part of UN CC:Learn’s fifth implementation phase with the purpose of providing UN CC:Learn partners with a platform to discuss, share experiences, and collaborate on ways of strengthening youth capacity for climate change action and learning. This Space recognizes the role of youth as key leaders in climate action and strives to create and leverage synergies among UN CC:Learn partners to support youth in their climate endeavors.

The event was led by the newly appointed chair of the Learning through Youth Dialogue Space, Dr. Amanda Katili Niode, Director of the Climate Reality Project Indonesia, whose one-year term commenced in March 2023. Dr. Niode highlighted that there are 1.8 billion young people aged 18-24 globally today, which represents the largest youth generation in history. She also stressed that youth are already taking actions in favor of the climate around the world but that they require support, such as coaching, to unleash their full potential and harness their best ideas and solutions.

Dr. Niode and her team introduced the Climate Reality Project Indonesia, which is the Indonesia branch of the Climate Reality Project, a not-for-profit organization founded in the United States in 2006 with a mission to increase global public awareness of the climate crisis at a grass roots level. Dr. Niode and team highlighted three key projects being carried out by Climate Reality Project Indonesia: the Climate Hero project, the Youth Leadership Camp and the ClimArt project.

After the presentation, partners were invited to showcase their youth initiatives and answer three questions:

What are some effective strategies for communicating the urgency of climate change to other young people and to older generations?
How can we encourage more young people to get involved in climate activism, advocacy, and action?
How would you like to engage in climate action?

The one-hour discussion engaged participants, who provided their inputs throughout. A few takeaways from the discussions were: for the first question, partners agreed that the creation of an open space for people of all ages to share their perspectives and experiences can be enrich the climate change discourse. For the second one, capacity building arose as one of the key elements to encourage more youth to act on climate change. And for the final question, the World Scouts movement was brought up as a good way to get a large number of young people engaged in climate action.

To wrap up the event, Mr. Angus Mackay, Head of the UN CC:Learn Secretariat, delivered final remarks that touched on the importance of having both quantity and quality in youth climate action, since all degrees of involvement are needed given the urgency of the climate crisis. He also emphasized the role of international cooperation in collaborative and impactful action.

The course aims to raise the awareness and strengthen the capacities of key stakeholders in South Africa on the concepts, approaches, and tools for enabling climate-smart agriculture in the country.

Enroll

Education

Self-paced course

4 hours

English

Why take this course?

The course aims to raise the awareness and strengthen the capacities of key stakeholders in South Africa on the concepts, approaches, and tools for enabling climate-smart agriculture in the country.

At the end of the course learners will be able to

Explain what climate-smart agriculture (CSA) is, its main principles, objectives and benefits
Identify critical social, environmental, and economic opportunities for CSA in South Africa
Describe applications of CSA in various agricultural domains, such as livestock and croplands
Discuss the role of remote sensing and identify practical steps to apply CSA in South Africa
Discuss enabling conditions for the adoption of CSA in South Africa

The course at a glance

1. Principles of Climate Smart Agriculture: The first module provides the rationale and key concepts related to climate change and climate-smart agriculture. It also provides an overview of South Africa’s agricultural sector.
2. Climate-Smart Crop Production: The second module explores how CSA differs from mainstream agriculture in crop production and why it is essential to adopt CSA given the impact of climate change.
3. Climate-Smart Livestock Production: The third module focuses on livestock production. It explores the importance of livestock production for food security, the link between climate change and livestock production, ways to adapt livestock production to climate change.
4. Climate-Smart Remote Sensing: The fourth module introduces basic remote sensing concepts and their application in the agriculture domain.

Get your Certificate

Participants must complete the final course assessment to receive a Certificate of Completion. To complete the test learners are allowed 3 attempts; a grade equal to or higher than 70% constitutes a passing grade.

Neeshad Shafi took the Intro Course on Climate Change and founded the first and only not-for-profit environmental organization registered in the State of Qatar. His NGO strives to protect the environment while giving equal opportunities to women and the youth. Read his full story below!

When one thinks about climate change action, Qatar is not really the first place that comes to mind. But Neeshad Shafi, founder of the Arab Youth Climate Movement Qatar, is changing that. As a student, Neeshad wanted to better understand climate science and advocacy, which led him to discover UN CC:Learn and its platform with free e-courses. He set out to complete the “Introductory e-Course on Climate Change” and successfully completed the course in 2015. The knowledge acquired in the course laid out the groundwork for his future endeavor: founding the Arab Youth Climate Movement Qatar (AYCMQ), the single not-for-profit environmental organization registered in the State of Qatar.

AYCMQ is a youth-led NGO building a movement that fosters understanding of the natural ecosystems and empowers the community to act. It does that by raising environmental awareness at grassroots level and by targeting youth and adults with tailored activities, helping to promote active participation in dialogue and in finding solutions.

AYCMQ’s values are also rooted in gender equality. For instance, more than half of its team members are women and so are most of the participants who take part in the organization’s activities, which is something remarkable everywhere but especially in a Gulf country.

“At AYCM Qatar we are founded on the presciple of gender equality. More then 50% of our team comprises of women members and we have always given up most space for women and youth girls in various programs of ours.” – Neeshad Shafi, 2022 UN CC:Learn Champion

The UN CC:Learn Dialogue Space on Learning for Countries brought key stakeholders to discuss “young people capacity building gaps and needs to access climate finance”.

Read on to find out what went on.

Photo Credit: UN Photo/Amanda Voisard.

How can UN CC:Learn and its partners better promote capacity building to enable youth to access climate finance?

That’s what the Dialogue Space on Learning for Countries held on May 16 2023 set out to answer. This space was set up as part of UN CC:Learn’s fifth implementation phase with the goal of bringing key stakeholders together to discuss, share experiences and collaborate on key topics at the forefront of the Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE) agenda. This would help build knowledge and skills in countries to support the implementation of their Nationally Determined Contributions and National Adaptation Plans.

The event was led by the newly appointed Chair of the Learning for Countries Dialogue Space – Dr. Roberta Ianna, a Senior Expert at the Ministry of Environment and Energy Security in Italy and focal point on ACE for Italy – whose one-year term commenced in March 2023. She kicked off the discussion by highlighting the increasingly important role that youth are having in climate action, stressing how access to climate finance can help unlock several opportunities for youth and asking the audience how organizations working with and for the youth, like the UN and other NGOs, can empower young people to access climate finance.

Dr. Ianna’s introduction was followed by a series of presentations and an exchange session. To kick off the presentations, Ms. Emanuela Vignola and Dr. Ianna presented about the Youth4Climate and Youth4Capacityinitiatives respectively. Both initiatives are supported by the Government of Italy. Then, Mr. Demetrio Innocenti, from the Green Climate Fund (GCF), spoke about GCF’s role in supporting youth access to climate finance. The last presentation was by Mr. Ricardo Toxiri, from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), who explained how IRENA supports young innovators in the energy transition process by empowering youth-led businesses and projects.

The moderated discussion had participants answering two questions: “How can young people be empowered to access climate finance?” and “What other initiatives or good practices are there?”. Some key takeaways from it were that young people should have more access to a series of capacity-building opportunities in which they could learn key soft and technical skills and have direct access to experts in their areas of interests. Also, hands-on, decision-making power to enable youth to fully implement their climate action initiatives arose as something that would empower them to better unlock climate finance. Moreover, as part of the exchange, the Government of Ghana shared its experience in developing a National Climate Change Learning Strategy with a strong youth component, and the Government of Senegal laid out a series of activities carried out in the country to strengthen ACE.

To wrap-up the session, Mr. Angus Mackay, Director of the Division for Planet at UNITAR, invited participants to reflect that:

There is still a big gap between what youth need and what organizations are delivering. Moving this needle requires real support through practical initiatives such as the ones presented by the guest speakers.
Vulnerable countries and groups are still not being fully engaged.
Technical understanding of the topic supports the skills that one gains while learning on the job. There is still heavy lifting to be done to build soft skills together with solid understanding of climate change within education systems.

This Dialogue Space was attended by several UN CC:Learn Partners, including the United Nations Development Programme, United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the British Council, the Green Climate Fund, the Future Leaders Network, the Global Center on Adaptation, MIET Africa, the NDC Partnership, Soka Gakkai Italy, YOUNGO, and the International Renewable Energy Agency, and the Governments of Senegal, Kenya, Liberia and Zimbabwe.

Caroline Ouko is a Kenyan Action for Climate Empowerment advocate and climate change negotiator. With the knowledge acquired from UN CC:Learn, she has been able to carry out several environmental initiatives and negotiate on behalf of her country at major climate change conferences .

As a school student in Kenya, Caroline would walk to school along the Nairobi River, which used to be a thriving environment, full of water and fish. As years went by, the landscape drastically changed, and the booming ecosystem dwindled due to human activity and human-driven climate change. Caroline finished school, went to university, and ended up becoming a scientist engaged in environmental research. She developed an interest in climate change and completed the “Introductory Course on Climate Change” in 2014, which shed light on several questions she had at the time. She grew to believe that one of the best ways to raise awareness of climate change and encourage climate change action is by promoting climate change literacy, particularly among youth.

In this context, Carolin became an advocate for Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE) in Kenya and got nominated to the Climate Change Unit under Kenya’s Land Reclamation Department. As an ACE advocate and public official, she represented Kenya as a negotiator in several key climate change conferences, such as COP26 in the United Kingdom, SB56 in Bonn and COP27 in Egypt. As a climate negotiator, she has been involved in some of the most important outcome within ACE, like the Glasgow Work Programme. Back home in Kenya, she is pushing the ACE agenda at home and was responsible for putting together, through a consultative process, the Kenya’s first ACE submission.

Caroline planting a sapling.

This first commitment towards ACE will enable Kenya to further provide youth with the necessary skills to act on the climate crisis. Caroline is optimistic:

“The youth are at the center of this programme and I’m confident that if we let youth lead, we may reach net zero even sooner. I am pushing the ACE agenda.” – Caroline Achieng Ouko, 2022 UN CC:Learn Champion

Maryam Eqam is a climate advocate and founder who has completed 10 UN CC:Learn courses. She founded the Earth Needs Love, a not-for-profit empowering youth and working in favor of the environment. Read more about her inspiring story below.

Climate change is disproportionately affecting women and that’s why Maryam Eqan, a 23-year-old master’s student from Pakistan, is empowering women to act on climate change. Maryam has always felt that she should do something about the climate crisis. She looked for opportunities to deepen her knowledge on the issue and came across UN CC:Learn, where she ended up completing 10 courses. The courses provided her with the right set of skills and knowledge to help her establish her own environmental organization: The Earth Needs Love. Earth Needs Love is a youth-led and youth-focused organization that works in favor of the environment, climate, and sustainable development. The organization recognizes the lack of opportunities women have despite playing an important role in addressing climate change and promoting nature conservation. To overcome this problem, Earth Needs Love has set up the “Women for Environment” initiative to raise environmental awareness and build capacity of women. Their moto is “By women, for women”.

Currently, almost 30 women and girls from Asia and Africa have joined the Women for Environment initiative. Together, they build each other’s capacities on gender and environment and are developing a policy brief on “Women and Environmental Leadership”.

Maryam Eqam at a climate march demanding “equity now”.

In addition to her work in the organization, Maryam has also taken part in high-level events, such as the Biodiversity COP (COP15) and the High-Level Political Forum in 2022, for which she wrote a policy brief on sustainable energy with the help of the “Gender Equality and Human Rights in Climate Action and Renewable Energy” e-course.

“I believe that learning about environment and climate change should never stop as this is the keyway to achieving more as it sensitizes one to live sustainably and inspire and influence others to do the same. “ – Maryam Eqan – 2022 UN CC:Learn Champion

The “Plastic Waste and the Basel Convention” e-course , originally launched in English in 2022, is now available in French and Spanish. The course unpacks the role of the Basel Convention in addressing plastic waste and how it can support countries in dealing with this growing global issue.

Read on to learn more about the course!

Plastic waste is a global environmental problem which affects countries and people in several ways. From health issues to the destruction of ecosystems, the plastic waste problem brings about a myriad of negative consequences that disrupt both livelihoods and economies, seriously disturbing the lives of regular citizens, especially the most vulnerable. For instance, improper plastic disposal is leading to increasingly dangerous levels of marine litter, including plastic litter and microplastics, that harm marine life and end up in the global food chain.

In 2019, the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal and the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA)emphasized the role the Basel Convention has in addressing the high and rapidly increasing levels of marine plastic litter and microplastics by preventing plastic waste from entering the marine environment. In a landmark decision, the COP adopted amendments to Annexes II, VIII and IX (the Plastic Waste Amendments), making the Basel Convention the only global legally binding instrument that currently specifically addresses plastic waste.

Currently, there is no consolidated ‘one-stop-shop’ that Basel Convention Focal Points, Competent Authorities and other stakeholders can rely on to gain a comprehensive understanding of the steps needed and the tools and guidance available to ensure prevention and minimization, environmentally sound management and control of transboundary movement of plastic waste. Considering this, the Secretariat of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm (BRS) Conventions in cooperation with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and funded through the European Union (EU) Global Public Goods and Challenges programme (GPGC) developed the “Plastic Waste and the Basel Convention” e-course, which aims to fill this gap and is available in three languages: English, French and Spanish.

Learning objectives

After completing the course, learners will be able to:

Summarize the key trends, challenges and opportunities related to plastic waste management at global and national level;
Discuss the Basel Convention and its key provisions and annexes as well as the role of the Conference of the Parties (COP) and its subsidiary bodies with respect to plastic waste;
Explain how different types of plastic waste are classified and must be managed under the Basel Convention

Who should take this course ?

While the course is primarily targeted at the Focal Points and Competent Authorities of the Basel Convention, it is suited for learners irrespective of their level of pre-existing knowledge of the Basel Convention and plastic waste. It may also be useful for other government stakeholders, civil society, the private sector and the general public with some waste management or environment knowledge.

Course Completion and Certification

The successful completion of the course rewards the learner with a certificate. To complete the course, the learner must complete all three modules and pass each associated quiz with a minimum grade of 70% from no more than three attempts. The completion of each module also rewards the learner with a badge.

Take the course in English, French or Spanish.

Axelle Vera is a young professional from Cameroon who is building out her career with the help of UN CC:Learn. In 2022, she applied for an internship at the Central African Women Initiative in Climate Action (WICA) programme and, thanks in part to UN CC:Learn, she landed the job!

What if taking a UN CC:Learn course meant opening doors for brand new opportunities? In February 2022, Axelle came across a call for applications for the Central African Women Initiative in Climate Action (WICA), which is US-funded capacity building programme for women living in Cameroon, Gabon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic, and the Republic of Congo on greenhouse gas measurement, reporting and verification (MRV), mitigation, and adaptation, as well as the climate negotiation process and implementation of the Paris Agreement. She decided to apply for it and soon got a response back from the WICA programme: they asked her to complete the “Climate Change: From Learning to Action” course in a week’s time in order to get her application through. She put her hands to the task, completed the course and send them the certificate of completion. Two months later she was picked by WICA to join their regional project in Yaoundé, Cameroon.

As part of this project, Axelle took part in several trainings, both theoretical and practical, on Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use (AFOLU), Energy, and Climate Change Negotiations. She performed so well during the trainings that she was one of five people picked for a fully funded scholarship with the Greenhouse Gas Management Institute (GHGMI) to follow a Diploma in GHG Measurement, Reporting and Verification, which will give her the opportunity to put her newly acquired skills into practice through a three-month internship.

Axelle Vera gave an interview during an in-country workshop held as part of her internship. (Personal archive)

While undertaking all these capacity building programs, Axelle got a full-time role at an environmental consultancy bureau in Cameroon working as an Assistant Carbon Project Manager and even managed to complete the “Mastering Adaptation Plans: From Start to Finish” e-course. As she put it:

“All this started with me validating a course on UN CC:e-Learn to apply for the WICA program. So, thanks to UN CC:Learn!” – Axelle Vera Eunice Nfono Efoulou, 2022 UN CC:Learn Champion

Axelle’s story proves that by improving your knowledge on climate change, one can fulfil their dreams and progress their careers.

Three reasons why climate change education is critical for adaptation and resilience.

Empowering Zambians for a Climate Resilient Future: Launching of the Facility for Action for Climate Empowerment to achieve Nationally Determined Contributions (FACE-NDC)

UN CC:Learn and Partners Discuss Way of Increasing Youth Climate Action

Climate-Smart Agriculture in South Africa

Why take this course?

The course at a glance

Get your Certificate

Engaging Youth People to Advance Climate Action in QATAR

UN CC:Learn brings together key stakeholders to find ways to support youth access to climate finance.

Voices for the Future: Youth Advocacy and Climate Negotiations in Kenya and Beyond

The Earth Needs Love, Leadership and Gender Equality

The Plastic Waste and the Basel Convention e-course is now available in Spanish and French

Climate Change Literacy for Career Development: A Success Case from Cameroon