COP 28: Second International Seminar on Climate Change Education-OCE
By Houmi AHAMED-MIKIDACHE
The Office for Climate Education (OCE), created in 2018, is organizing the second edition of the international seminar on climate change education from 12 to 15 September at the ecosite of Villarceaux with an opening ceremony at the Simone and Cino Del Duca Foundation, in Paris.
The inaugural day of the seminar will take place at the Simone and Cino Del Duca Foundation in Paris on Tuesday 12 September. This high-level day will bring together leading policymakers and international partners. For this second edition, about eighty people should participate. These will include education officials, academics responsible for professional development, teachers, international cooperation in education, donors and other stakeholders in the field of education and continuing training.
“Promoting climate change education”
According to the organizers, in the coming days, round tables and in-depth exchanges will help develop and promote climate change education. This will be an opportunity to present the international projects of the Office for Climate Education, including ALEC (Latin America for Climate Change Education), they said.
Several topics are on the agenda:
Scientific pedagogy based on investigation
Humanities and Social Sciences in the Context of Climate Change Education
Building positive stories for climate action
Intersections between Global Citizenship and Climate Change Education
The implementation of quality Climate Change Education and its evaluation methods
Public Policies: Integrating Climate Education into Nationally Determined Contributions
Strategic planning workshops
Through this seminar, the Office for Climate Education says it wants to respond to the growing demand for understanding the issues related to climate change education. According to the institution, this three-day event is an opportunity to assimilate the best practices and tools available in terms of climate education. The Office for Climate Education also wants to encourage and accelerate the provision of innovative projects worldwide. According to Article 12 of the Paris Agreement adopted in 2015, education is recognized at the international level as an essential tool for information, awareness and public participation in the fight against climate change.
But the challenges are many. During the previous seminar, the issue of critical thinking, understanding climate change and professional distance on this topic were the subject of in-depth analyses and debates. Many developing countries still do not have climate teachers.
In Comoros, recently, OCE educational and scientific managers have completed training for secondary school teachers. This cooperation project entitled “Bundo la Malezi”, initiated by the Ministry of Education in Comoros and the French Development Agency (AFD) began in December 2021. This training made it possible to integrate the context of climate change in the Comoros, through an educational and scientific approach. Comoros is one of the Small Island Developing States, vulnerable to climate change. In 2019, the country was hit by Cyclone Kenneth.
