Climate Smart Education Systems Initiative
The Climate Smart Education Systems Initiative (CSESI) seeks to enhance countries' capacities to mainstream climate change adaptation and environmental sustainability into education sector plans, budgets and strategies. It also aims to enhance the capacity of education ministries to better coordinate across different sectors on climate and environment-related policy and programming.
As part of its contribution to this initiative, UNESCO is supporting the ministries of education specifically with curricula and teacher development to make schools more resilient to climate risks. This entails:
- integrating learning of climate change and environmental sustainability into primary and secondary schools.
- reviewing and, where required, adjusting, and revising the curricula and syllabi for primary and secondary schools.
- reviewing teacher education curricula based on each country’s needs and opportunities.
 Launched in 2023, the initiative has begun with support to Malawi, Zimbabwe, Cambodia and South Sudan, and plans to expand activities up to 35 of the most climate-vulnerable countries between 2024 and 2026.
