Staying abreast of the latest climate developments is essential to making timely, effective and sustainbale climate decisions. Yet, busy delegates and professionals often experience a lack of time and space for learning while attending climate meetings.

The Climate Classroom aims to address this challenge, offering a short, interactive learning experience that is designed to help those attending get quickly up-to-speed on a range of climate change topics – strengthening the understanding and decision-making capacity of particularly junior delegates from African countries, Least Developed Countries (LDCs), Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Landlocked Developing Countries both in the context of climate negotiations as well as national policymaking and action.

This 1.5-hour Climate Classroom at SB60 will introduce learners to the work of the Rio Conventions as well as explore the role of young people and their capacities in the synergistic implementation of the work of the three Conventions.

The Climate Classroom is an initiative of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation SDC and the One UN Climate Change Learning Partnership (UN CC:Learn) in collaboration with UN and other partners.

Credit: UN CC: Learn

Credit: Rio Impact

Background

Efforts to integrate the implementation of the three Rio conventions (UNFCCC, CBD & UNCCD), together with the sustainable development goals (SDGs), offer potential opportunities to streamline processes and deliver transformative results. However, in practice, most projects and policies remain limited in scope and in the level of integration leading to duplication of efforts, incoherent approaches, and limited overall effectiveness. Launched in 2023, the Joint Rio Conventions Capacity-building Programme is dedicated to developing the capacities of domestic policymakers and practitioners to effectively integrate the implementation of three Rio conventions into development programmes, policies and activities aligned with the achievement of the sustainable development goals. 

Mandated by and collaborating with the secretariats of the three Rio Conventions, Rio Impact is supporting the development of the Joint Capacity-building Programme with the aim of strengthening individual and institutional capacities of relevant national institutions and individual policymakers and practitioners. It is currently developing i) a series of knowledge products and training modules under a set of thematic areas where entry points of synergy-building have been identified, and ii) an online knowledge-sharing platform accessible to stakeholders around the world. 

The Climate Classroom  - An Espresso Shot of Climate Learning 

Staying abreast of the latest climate developments is essential to making timely, effective and sustainable climate decisions. Yet, busy delegates and professionals often experience a lack of time and space for learning while attending climate meetings. The Climate Classroom aims to address this challenge, offering a short, interactive learning experience that is designed to help those attending get quickly up-to-speed on a range of climate change topics – strengthening the understanding and decision-making capacity of particularly junior delegates from African countries, Least Developed Countries (LDCs), Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Landlocked Developing Countries both in the context of climate negotiations as well as national policymaking and action.  

The Climate Classroom is an initiative of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation SDC and the One UN Climate Change Learning Partnership (UN CC:Learn) in collaboration with UN and other partners. 

Objectives

Participants will learn to 

• define the synergies and existing linkages between the Rio Conventions and the SDGs as well as the the capacity gaps and needs for synergistic implementation at different levels. 
• recognize youth participation and engagement in building synergies towards achieving the three Rio Convention’s objectives in alignment with the sustainable development goals. 
• discuss the findings of the first four thematic modules of synergy-building entry points, including the essentials and rationale of promoting synergies amongst the Rio Conventions, integrated planning of national strategies, accessing and mobilizing finance for synergistic projects, and the role of local and indigenous knowledge in supporting synergies.  
• identify case studies, good practices and insights shared from experienced practitioners such as national focal points of the Rio Conventions, experts of UN agencies and non-governmental organizations.  

Structure

The Climate Classroom will take place in a hybrid format accessible to participants both in-person and online. It will be a combination of knowledge-sharing and interactive pattern, consisting of presentations of the four thematic modules supported by short explanatory videos, Q&A sessions for each module, and a group work & open dialogue session where youth participants are invited to discuss and share their opinions on the roles and expectations of young people to build synergies across Rio Conventions and SDGs. 

Speaker

Ludwig Liagre - Director, Senior Advisor, Rio Impact

Fahim Faisal - Senior Advisor, Rio Impact

Peihan Yang - Advisor, Rio Impact

Lisa Maina - Programme Consultant, UN CC:Learn (Moderator)