November 5th 2022
Sharm-El-Sheikh, Egypt
COP27 : The Office for Climate Education awards teachers leading the way in climate education at school.
Sharm-El-Sheik, November 07, 2022 - In the framework of the United Nations Climate Conference (COP27), the UNESCO center Office of Climate Education, awarded 4 teachers who are leading the way in climate education inside and outside the classroom in their respective countries.
“Teachers play a key role in the global climate response. both through their place at the interface between information and pupils, their knowledge and know-how, but also as a figure of inspiration in a changing future. The TeachersCOP provides a needed space for their work to be recognized, as well as shared with teachers from around the world.” said Eric Guilyardi, President of the Office for Climate Education.
According to a UNESCO report released in 2021, only 53% of school curricula worldwide mentions climate change, and only 2% do so in a meaningful way.
In the changing and evolving context of climate change, the work and adaptability required of teachers is great. They have to face the difficulty of learning this new, multidisciplinary and evolving climate science and the expectations of young people in the face of this information. However, often the support provided to teachers is not equal to the high degree of adaptability that is required of them.
In these challenging conditions, some teachers, schools and educational actors have been seizing these questions for several years and have initiated change. This year TeachersCOP set out to find and recognize those teachers.
For the Latin America and Caribbean region, UNICEF Latin American and the Caribbean Regional Office in alliance with MERI Foundation, ensured the selection of teachers' best practices in the region, through the contest Climate Guardians.
"This award illustrates the individual commitment of teachers on the front line, showing us daily that climate education is empowering. But these initiatives should not be personal; States must support them to achieve long-term generational change in Latin America and the Caribbean," added Youssouf Abdel-Jelil, UNICEF's Regional Director a.i.
"Through education children and adolescents can obtain the tools to recognize, connect and value living beings and their environment, to learn to coexist harmoniously with the environment", said Francisca Cortés Solari, Executive President of MERI Foundation.
Thanks to this global effort the TeachersCOP gathered more than 250 projects submissions, and reached more than 1500 teachers from 29 different countries, effectively creating an international and diverse space to recognize teachers’ ever growing commitment to climate education.
Out the 268 project submissions received, 4 teachers were selected by their peers to be awarded the Office for Climate Education:
- Laetitia Legrand - School curriculum, France
- Wilson Hernan Correa - Education ressources, Colombia
- Paola Sapochnik - Professional development of teachers, Argentina
- Edson Dongo - The role of school in the context of climate change, Zimbabwe
The awarded teachers will have the opportunity to present their projects at an official side-event at the Science for Climate Action Pavillion (program of the pavilion), at the heart of the Blue Zone at COP27, on Thursday 10th of November, streaming here.
About the Organizations:
The Office for Climate Education (OCE), is a center under the aegis of UNESCO created at the initiative of La main à la pâte and the climate scientists community (the founding members are IPSL, Météo et Climat, IRD, Météo-France and Sorbonne University), which aims to promote climate change education in France and around the world. The OCE produces educational resources for teachers and students, through international cooperation between scientific bodies, NGOs and educational institutions.
About UNICEF
UNICEF works in some of the world's toughest places, to reach the world's most disadvantaged children. Across more than 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, to build a better world for everyone.
For more information about UNICEF and its work for children, visit www.unicef.org/lac/en
About MERI Foundation
MERI Foundation is a private non-profit institution, part of Cortés Solari Philanthropy, created in 2012, whose mission is to develop scientific research, environmental education in linkage with communities, and advocacy for the conservation of strategic ecosystems for climate change mitigation.
Media contact:
Communications officer: Djian Sadadou / djian.sadadou@oce.global / +33 7 49 95 69 93