The 12th World Environmental Education Congress (WEEC) took place in Abu Dhabi on 29 January – 5 February 2024. The event organized by the Permanent Secretariat of WEEC and the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi brought together youth, experts, NGOs, networks, and intergovernmental organizations dedicated to sustainable development, environmental education and SDG4.

On the opening day, H.E. Dr. Amna bint Abdullah Al Dahak Al Shamsi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, acknowledged the United Arab Emirates’ commitment to environmental leadership and emphasized the role of environmental education in addressing climate change challenges.

The Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens (BKMC) COO Katre Olmez, attended the congress to advance the Centre’s Global Citizenship Education (GCED) agenda as well as to present the BKMC’s newly launched online course “Your Future in Green Jobs” produced with the support of Dubai Cares and in collaboration with Plan International and Unbounded Associates.

The session which took place on January 30th, moderated by Gunter Pauli, Entrepreneur, Economist, and Author from Switzerland, welcomed fellow panelists Frederick Kakembo, Deputy Vice Chancellor of Ndejje University and Heba Aboukhousa, Assistant Professor, Mohamed Bin Zayed University for Humanities. Our COO discussed how non-formal education opportunities such as the online course could nurture youth leadership in green transition. During the Q&A with the audience, she highlighted the importance of GCED which goes hand in hand with Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and the BKMC’s activities in empowering global citizens. The session concluded with the need to break silos across sectors, and enshrine GCED & ESD into curricula worldwide and into lifelong learning.

Take our online course on Green Jobs now: https://bankimooncentre.org/green-jobs-online-course

Swipe through our pictures from the event: