Climate Classroom @ COP23 Gets Attendees up to Speed on Key Climate Change Matters

22 November 2017, Bonn, Germany - The Climate Classroom provided an opportunity to COP23 attendees to get up to speed on key climate change topics. This 45-minute learning experience aimed at introducing and providing highlights in key climate change areas, for people to be better prepared when joining other discussions and events going on at the annual UN conference on climate change in Bonn, Germany.

On this occasion, the sessions were delivered in English and French by expert trainers from organizations committed to sustainable development, including FAO, IFMSA, ILO, WHO, WMO, UNESCO, and UNDP. Nine classes were delivered throughout COP23 on the following topics: Paris Agreement, Climate Finance, Climate Change and Jobs, Climate Services for Decision-Making, Circular Economy, Adaptation, Climate Change and Health, and Climate Empowerment.

The Climate Classroom @ COP23 has been delivered in an open space, visible to a broad public, using a completely mobile “pop-up” set-up, including chairs, a flipchart and banners. During each session, the lecturer and the 20 participants were equipped with professional headsets through which were able to follow the lecture and engage in the discussion.

Over 180 people interested in learning more about climate change joined throughout the 2-weeks of COP. Decision-makers, government officials, practitioners, academics, and students from around the world were all part of the public. At COP23, the Climate Classroom proved its continuous success with a full audience at each of the sessions. The pop-up setup and headsets used to discuss different climate change topics are still a learning experience that people find innovative and appealing. 

The Climate Classroom @ COP23 is an initiative of the Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC) and the One UN Climate Change Learning Partnership (UN CC:Learn), in collaboration with UN Partners. 

Full Climate Classroom @ COP23 gallery.

#ClimateClassroom on Twitter.

About UN CC:Learn

UN CC:Learn is a partnership of more than 30 multilateral organizations supporting countries to design and implement systematic, recurrent and results-oriented climate change learning. At the global level, the partnership supports knowledge-sharing, promotes the development of common climate change learning materials, and coordinates learning interventions through a collaboration of UN agencies and other partners. At the national level, UN CC:Learn supports countries in developing and implementing national climate change learning strategies. Through its engagement at the national and global levels, UN CC:Learn contributes to the implementation of Article 6 of the UNFCCC on training, education and public awareness-raising, and the 2012-2020 Doha Work Programme.  Funding for UN CC:Learn is provided by the Swiss Government and UN partners. The Secretariat for UN CC:Learn is hosted by the UN Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR).

Photo 1: Dr. Yulia Yamineva, Senior Researcher at the Centre for Climate, Energy and Environmental Law of the Law School, University of Eastern Finland.

Photo 2: Mr. Moustapha Kamal Gueye, Coordinator of the Green Jobs Programme at ILO.

Photo 3: Mr. Filipe Domingos Freires Lúcio, Director of the Global Framework for Climate Services (GFCS) Office in the WMO Secretariat.

Photo 4: Ms. Julia Wolf, Climate Change Natural Resource Officer at FAO, and Ms. Rohini Kohli, Lead Technical Specialist, National Adaptation Plans, in the Resilience and Sustainable Development team at UNDP.

Photo 5: Mr. Charles Hopkins, UNESCO Chair at York University.

Photo 6: Dr. Magaran Bagayoko, ‎Regional Adviser and Programme area Coordinator, WHO and Ms. Sanne de Wit International Federation of Medical Students' Associations (IFMSA).