Investing in People and Learning for Greenand Climate Resilient Development

Climate change is a reality that is unfolding day by day for people around the world. We believe that learning about the causes of climate change and having the right skills to address its impacts at local, national and global levels is essential to keep up with the challenges of mitigation and adaptation - and take advantage of the opportunities. SDC is glad to contribute to the UN CC:Learn partnership to facilitate global access to information on climate change and support developing countries in building their human resource capacities.

Pio WennubstAssistant Director-General, Head of Department Global Cooperation, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC)

Schweizerische EidgenossenschaftConfédération suisseConfederazione SvizzeraConfederaziun svizra

Swiss Agency for Developmen tand Cooperation SDC

At the global level, the partnership supports knowledge- sharing, promotes the development of common climate change learning materials, and coordinates learning interventions through 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.

Thematic focus areas include:• Climate change science;• Climate finance;• International climate negotiations;• Adaptation planning;• Climate change and health;• Climate change and forests;• Climate change education for children.

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.

UN CC:Learn has completed a three year pilot phase (2011-2013) working in five pilot countries. It has now entered into a further three year phase (2014-2017) to include additional countries, new learning products and an up-graded learning platform. 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).

UN CC:Learn in a Nutshell

UN CC:Learn is a partnership of more than 30 multilateral organizations supporting countries to design and implement systematic and results‑oriented climate change learning.

The most important variable that determines whether Uganda is able to address the challenge of climate change and achieve sustainable development is human capacity.

Hon. Prof. Ephraim KamuntuMinister of Water and Environment of Uganda

Hundreds of thousands of policy makers, managers and technical experts worldwide face the challenge of enhancing their knowledge and competencies for climate change. For example, planning officers in sector Ministries need to know how to integrate adaptation and mitigation into sectoral policy and implementation; local authorities need to develop skills to integrate climate resilience in city planning; civil servants in Ministries of Finance need to become much more aware of the key sources of climate finance available both nationally and globally; and teachers need basic knowledge and teaching aids for the classroom.

Countries are becoming increasingly aware of the challenges and opportunities posed by climate change, yet they still lack sufficient capacities to provide their executives and technical staff with the skills they need to plan and implement effetive action. National climate change learning needs are not systematically reviewed and training is often conducted on an ad hoc basis by external organizations, without building the capacities of national and local training institutions.

In this context, facilitating access to climate change knowledge, the development of individual skills, and the strengthening of learning institutions are critical areas for investment.

The Climate Change Learning Challenge

The transition to green and climate resilient development requires unprecedented levels of awareness, knowledge, and skills.

In the Dominican Republic, UN CC:Learn supported a pilot training for 400 teachers on how to communicate on climate change and create a change in behaviour among their students. The training is now up-scaled, reaching out to 3,000 teachers with 1 million USD of national budgetary resources.

Goal and Objectives

Creation of Individual and Institutional CapacitiesThe overall goal of UN CC:Learn is the creation of sustainable individual and institutional capacities, in developing and transition countries, to plan and implement effective climate change actions, with the support of UN agencies and other development partners.

Global Level

The project objective at global level is to enhance information-exchange, develop common learning materials, and coordinate learning interventions through collaboration of UN agencies and other partners and programmes. By joining forces global UN CC:Learn partners can deliver higher quality and more cost-efficient learning services to countries than each member can achieve individually.

Country Level

The project objective at country level is to advance systematic and results-based approaches to climate change learning and skills development, working with national and regional training institutions. Learning actions are linked to major initiatives such as UN-REDD, the Global Framework for Climate Services, and the NAP Global Support Programme.

Programme Areas

Strengthening Knowledge-Sharing on Climate

Change Learning

Advancing One UN Training

on Climate Change

Human Resources and Skills Development in

Partner Countries

The primary beneficiaries of UN CC:Learn are governments in developing and transition countries committed to taking a strategic approach to climate change learning and skills development. National CC:Learn projects convened by governments reach out to, and involve all concerned sectors (agriculture, forestry, health, transport, etc.) and other stakeholders, such as business associations, trade unions, NGO, etc.

A second group of beneficiaries are national and regional training and education institutions which are interested in strengthening their capacities to deliver climate change learning.

UN CC:Learn also provides benefits for development partners which can better align their capacity development support with clear national learning priorities.

At the global level, UN CC:Learn partners benefit from increased efficiencies (e.g. through development of joint materials), increased visibility of their products and services, as well as access to a network of climate change education and training experts inside and outside the UN.

Target Groups

UN O

rgan

izatio

ns

UN C

ount

ry T

eams

Multi

late

ral D

evel

opme

nt B

anks

Multi

late

ral

Deve

lopme

nt B

anks

BilateralPartners

NationalClimateChange

Institutions

Finance andPlanningAuthorities

EducationMinistries

Educationand Training

Institutions

SectoralMinistries

Sub-NationalGovernments

NGOs

Media

TradeUnions

BusinessAssociations

BusinessAssociations

In Indonesia, UN CC:Learn supported the Center of Forestry Training and Education (CFET) in building capacities of decision-makers to implement REDD+ at national and sub-national levels.

Key Results National Level

Sectors and stakeholders working together to advancea strategic approach to climate change learning

Leveraging of new resources

for climate change learning.

In the DominicanRepublic, an initial grant of 30,000 USD for teacher training leveraged more

than 1 million USD in national budgetary funds - a 1:36 ratio.

Institutionalization of climate change learning in

national education systems.

In Malawi, the UNCC:Learn project has initiated the formal

integration ofclimate change in

the primary school curriculum.

National climate change learning

strategies in 5 pilot countries,

mobilizing high level political support.

Strategies

linked to broader policy

objectives.

Indonesia’s learning strategy aims to build

human capacity for the National Greenhouse

Gas Emission Reduction Plan (RAN GRK).

Implementation frameworks

established for

long-term sustainability.

Key Results Global Level

A vibrant partnership of 34 multilateral organizationsenhancing information exchange and coordinating UN support in the area of climate change learning

One UN learning productson key climate change topics.

8 introductorylearning modules.5 resource guides

for advanced learning. More to come!

Introductory e-course attracting

more than 1,000 people

per month.

Participants from all Least

DevelopedCountries.

Global knowledge-

sharingplatform attracting

visitors from 190 countries.

Online library includes

over 2,100 resources for climate change

learning.

Good learning practicesfrom around

the world.

In Malawi, a poster on climate change was produced in English and Chichewa, field-tested, and then printed in 15,000 copies as teaching aids for primary schools. The poster was distributed to more than 5,000 primary schools, reaching out to an entire generation of young Malawians.

UN CC:Learn is there to help people understand the complex issue of climate change and let them know where the best resources are to learn more.

Ms. Elena Manaenkova *Chair of the High-level Committee on Programmes (HLCP) Working Group on Climate Change

* Second from the left in the front row

A wealth of training and learning materials concerning climate change exists within the UN system. From the perspective of a user, it is often challenging to identify and access relevant resources.

The UN CC:Learn knowledge-sharing platform (www.uncclearn.org) has been established as a ‘one-stop-shop’ to access learning materials, activities and services offered by the UN.

The website includes:

• A searchable library with over 2,100 entries;• A calendar which features events with a clear learning or training component;• News articles about the latest developments and services in the area of

climate change learning;• A map with good learning practices;• Videos, links to relevant platforms, and much more.

Over 65,000 unique visitors from more than 190 countries explored the UN CC:Learn website in the period 2011 to mid-2015.

Programme Area 1

Strengthening Knowledge-Sharing on Climate Change Learning

Everything you want to know about climate change at your finger tips

UN CC:Learn partners are working jointly on climate change learning materials that are available to everybody as a public good. Products so far include a series of introductory modules and a self-paced e-course that provides “everything you need to know about climate change in a nutshell”, as well as resource guides for advanced learning that direct users to specific high-quality learning materials and courses that match their learning needs.

The materials draw on the specialized expertise of global UN CC:Learn partners (such as WHO in the area of health or WMO in the area of climate change science), combined with UNITAR’s know-how in learning methodologies.

Programme Area 2

Advancing One UN Training on Climate Change

High‑quality training products drawing on the expertise of more than 30 partners

Resource Guidesfor Advanced Learning

Do you want to learn more about the fundamentals of climate change science, but don’t know where to start?

The UN CC:Learn ResourceGuides provide an overviewof key learning topics andrelevant quality materials fora range of thematic areas.

Introductory e-Courseon Climate Change

Registrations from all 195 UNFCCC countries

The UN CC:Learn introductory e-course on climate change is a self-paced, free-of-charge online course that provides clear, concise and up-to-date information for anybody interested in acquiring essential knowledge about climate change. The course is based on six introductory learning modules, which take each an average of two to three hours to complete

Programme Area 3

Human Resources and Skills Development in Partner Countries

UN CC:Learn supports partner countries in developing national climate change learning strategies through multi-sectoral and multi-stakeholder collaboration. UN CC:Learn also provides support for early strategy implementation actions.

Since 2011, UN CC:Learn has been working in Benin, the Dominican Republic, Indonesia, Malawi, and Uganda. In 2014, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana and Niger joined the partnership. UN CC:Learn is also supporting a regional approach to climate change learning through the Central American Integration System (SICA in Spanish).

To make sure that the new countries can benefit from the pilot experience, UN CC:Learn actively fosters South-South-North collaboration through international knowledge-sharing events and bilateral advisory arrangements.

Supporting a strategic approach to climate change learning

National Climate ChangeLearning StrategiesNational climate change learning strategies systematically examine learning and skills development needs in key sectors concerned with climate change.

Guidance Note

A step by step guide building on the experience of partner countries

The guidance note responds to the request of more than 50 countries which have expressed interest in the

UN CC:LearnGood Learning Practices

Experiences with climate change education and training from around the world

UN CC:Learn is supporting actions that:

1 Lead to measurable increase of climate change knowledge and skills of individuals; and

2 Foster institutional capacity development through the engagement of local training institutes.

A selection of good learning practices supported by UN CC:Learn is available online at:

www.uncclearn.org/good-learning-practices

Professional Training

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

Conveying complex climate information to everyman - a training for journalists.

Education

UGANDA

Integrating climate change in primary and secondary education.

Strategy development

INDONESIA

Getting everybody on board for the development change learning strategy.

Professional Training

MALAWI

Preparing health workers to deal with the local effects of climate change.

Global Level

At the global level, UN CC:Learn partners nominate Focal Points that provide expertise for the development of new learning products. Moreover, global partners are engaged in the implementation of learning actions in partner countries working closely with UN Country Teams (UNCTs). The global partners meet annually to advise on programme implementation.

The UN CC:Learn Secretariat provides management and coordination support, and facilitates knowledge-sharing and methodology development. It comprises a Secretariat Head, a Senior Training Officer, a Training Officer and an Administrative Assistant,

National Level

Project activities at the national level are implemented under the oversight of a National Coordination Mechanism that brings together all relevant sectors and stakeholders. The mechanism is preferably an existing committee (such as a Climate Change Policy Committee), or where such structures do not exist, a mechanism can be established specifically for the UN CC:Learn project.

National partners and the Secretariat also engage with the UN Country Team and other development partners to ensure that UN CC:Learn support is fully integrated within on-going national level action on climate change.

Governance and Partnerships

UN CC:Learn is implemented through a network of global and national partners, including UN organizations, multi‑lateral development banks, and partner countries.

Na

tion

al

Glo

ba

l

One UNClimate Change

Training

Knowledge-Sharingon Climate ChangeLearning

UN CC:Learn Steering Group (34 Global Partners)

UN CC:Learn Secretariat (UNITAR)

National Lead Institution / Project Coordinator

National Coordination Mechanism

Other StakeholdersEducationand TrainingInstitutesNGOs

BusinessAssociationsTradeUnions

Government SectorsAgricultureEnergyWaterForestry

EducationFinancePlanning

UN Country TeamOther DevelopmentPartners

Human Resources andSkills Developmentin Partner Countries

In Benin the capacity of the Centre d’Education à Distance has been strengthened to regularly deliver trainings on climate change finance and negotiation skills.

Funding for UN CC:Learn is provided by the Swiss Government and UN partners.

UN CC:Learn Secretariat

UNITARPalais des Nations1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland +41 22 917 8109 uncclearn@unitar.org

www.uncclearn.org