Children and youth make up nearly half of the population in the Mediterranean, presenting a tremendous opportunity to drive nature-positive and climate-sensitive change. However, unlocking this potential requires increased efforts and investments, particularly within the educational sector. Equipping young people with the necessary knowledge, skills, values, and attitudes is critical to fostering a more sustainable future.

In response to this need and in the framework of the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29), the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), in collaboration with UNIMED-Mediterranean Universities Union, organises a peer-to-peer session that will bring together universities from across the Euro-Mediterranean region and will serve as a platform for institutions to share insights and best practices for adapting curricula to the challenges of climate change. Participants will explore what strategies have proven successful and identify the key obstacles they face in implementing these changes.

A key focus of the discussion will be the financial aspects of curriculum reform in the context of a changing climate. Ensuring adequate funding is crucial for the success of these reforms, and understanding the long-term value of climate-smart education is vital for securing the necessary resources. The session will address whether universities have access to the financial support required to implement these essential changes.

The session will also be the occasion to present the preliminary results of the survey that was recently launched by the UNIMED SubNetwork on Climate and Environmental Change, coordinated by the University of Girona in Spain and the Abdelmalek Essaadi University in Morocco, to gather information on the existing curriculum offered by the universities of the region.

In addition, the main outcomes of the ASMeC project, coordinated by UNIMED and co-funded by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, will be shared to feed the session also with the views and perceptions of the Mediterranean students about the effects of climate change and the consequent migration flows.

Details and Agenda
The session will take place in Baku and online from 12:30 to 13:30 (Baku time), 9:30 to 10:30 (CET). 
You can find the detailed agenda here.

Hybrid format
Live: COP29 Mediterranean Pavilion in the F1B areaOnline: YouTube Channel “Mediterranean Pavilion – COP29” https://www.youtube.com/@mediterraneanpavilion-cop2205