Recording

Organizers

This session was organized by COP 28, Apolitical, Government Development and the Future Office UAE, the Bezos Earth Fund and C40

Background

Apolitical is a global online platform that connects public servants, policymakers, and leaders to share knowledge, ideas, and best practices in the field of government and public service. It aims to foster collaboration and innovation by providing a space for individuals working in the public sector to learn from each other and tackle common challenges, focusing on upskilling public servants in 21st-century skills. We partner with governments from the UK and Singapore to Canada and Brazil (as well as, of course, the UAE), academic institutions such as the University of Oxford, and foundations including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.  

In response to some of our research showing that 8 out of 10 public servants said that they did not have the tools or the training they need to take action on climate change, Apolitical launched the “Government Climate Campus” last year to try and close the green skills gap in government. In less than a year, the Government Climate Campus has attracted over 70,000 learners globally, with partnerships spanning governments, expert organizations, and influential foundations worldwide. This roundtable, hosted by Apolitical, Government Development and the Future Office UAE, the Bezos Earth Fund and C40, aims to encourage governments, multi-laterals and the wider public sector to follow the UAE’s leadership by pledging to scale climate and environment training and build climate capable governments. 

Objectives

The overall objective of the session was to get governments to commit to scaling climate and nature training and build governments capable of driving climate action. The commitments could span one or more of the following categories of capacity building: 

• Basic awareness and a foundational understanding relevant for all government officials, including the basics of the science, the effects of climate on key areas of government, and a government’s specific commitments to climate action

• Practical skills for policymakers and implementers working on big levers for climate (from those in climate and energy departments to those in critical intersecting areas like finance, procurement, and trade)

• Leadership understanding and buy-in to prioritize the actions required to achieve climate commitments and demonstrate climate leadership

Structure

Speakers

Moderators

Robyn Scott, Apolitical

Pooja Warier, Apolitical

Key Outcomes

• The keynote speakers set out the critical role of public servants in delivering on the promises of their governments in taking climate action, and how the challenge of climate change is now everyone’s job.
• 9 governments from different countries and levels of government (national, state and city) pledged to help build climate capable governments by ensuring training is made available to their teams, as well as the African Capacity Building Foundation (attached to the African Union)
• The hosts, Apolitical, invited other governments to pledge to help build climate capable governments in this critical decade, to give public servants the skills and knowledge they need to succeed.

Resources

Apolitical presentation slides

Apolitical Government Climate Campus: Building climate capable governments this decade