The International conference "Teaching Climate Change and The United Nations System" | ERI SEE

Draft Outline

2nd CEE/SEE Regional Colloquium

Capacity Building on
Global Governance and the UN System

 

Teaching Climate Change (and the United Nations
System)

 

 

Belgrade, May 17th & 18th, 2010 (to be confirmed)

 

Rationale:

 

Climate Change is undoubtedly the most pressing global
issue of our time. For addressing the complex multi-stakeholder and multilevel challenges
associated with climate change mitigation and adaptation an appropriate
knowledge base is needed not only among public authorities but also among civil
society, business sector etc. in order to have problem aware constituencies in the
countries of the world supporting with their attitudes and actions governments
towards bold future oriented global climate change action.

 

UN system plays an important role in “Teaching Climate
Change” in several ways:

-        
It is obvious
that a global challenge like climate change can be addressed effectively only
with global coordination and cooperation among relevant stakeholders. As United
Nations system (e.g. UNFCCC, UNEP, ..) is the central institutional framework
for global governance responses to the climate change challenge, it is
important to build capacities worldwide on the functioning of the UN system;

-        
at the same
time UN organizations like UNESCO, UNITAR, UNDP etc. play an important role as provider
and facilitator of climate change education and last but not least

-        
UN system plays
somehow the role of a lighthouse for climate change awareness building activities
of global civil society (and e.g. national UN associations) and there is a need
for a strategic approach to partnerships in this area, too.  

 

The countries in Southeast
Europe are facing similar climate change challenges. On the one
hand scientific climate change models predict especially serious climate change
impacts in SEE but on the other hand SEE countries have also some kind of
“window of opportunity” open as they are currently reforming and modernizing
their socio-economic systems and governance structures in the context of EU
integration processes and there is a chance to adapt relatively early to
climate change in a joint effort of mobilizing national, European and official
development assistance resources and to foster EU integration of the SEE region
through joint climate change action. 

 

Therefore the issue of “Teaching
Climate Change” will be addressed at this conference in a regional setting as
“2nd CEE/SEE Regional Colloquium - Capacity Building on Global Governance and
the UN System”. [2]

 

Target audience: broad range of senior and junior experts, government
representatives, civil society activists from SEE region (universities, public
authorities, NGOs, schools, media, etc.)

 

Organisers:

 

-    
Faculty of Law,
University of Belgrade, www.ius.bg.ac.rs/eng/  

-    
Faculty of
Political Sciences, University
of Belgrade, www.fpn.bg.ac.rs/eng/index_e.html

-    
Environmental
Ambassadors, Belgrade,
www.ambassadors-env.org/  

-    
Academic
Council on the United Nations System ACUNS, www.acuns.org

-    
Austrian
Science and Research Liaison Office (ASO) Ljubljana
www.aso.zsi.at

-    
Diplomatic Academy of Vienna & Diplomatic Academy of Belgrade (to be confirmed)

 

in cooperation with:

 

-    
Ministry of
Environment and Spatial Planning, Republic
of Serbia, www.ekoplan.gov.rs/en/index.php 

-    
United Nations
Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), www.unitar.org

-    
United Nations
Association of Serbia, www.unaserbia.rs/
 

-    
Diplo
Foundation, Belgrade Office www.diplomacy.edu

-    
United Nations
Environment Programme www.unep.org/

-    
United Nations
Development Programme www.undp.org/

-    
World
Federation of UN Associations WFUNA www.wfuna.org

Proposed Possible
speakers (to
be confirmed)

 

-        
Mr. Oliver Duli?, Serbian Minister of
Environment and Spatial Planning (implications of outcome of UNFCCC
negotiations in Copenhagen,
role of UNEP, ..)

-        
N.N., European Commissioner on Climate Change
(shall be introduced with nomination of new European commissioners team)

-        
Mark Richmond, UNESCO, Director, Division for the Coordination of UN Priorities in
Education, Platform Manager, Intersectoral Platform on Education for
Sustainable Development

-        
Mr. Miroslav Kukobat, Regional Cooperation
Council (the SEE Regional perspective: Regional
Coordination of National Climate Change Strategies -> „Climate Change Framework Action Plan for Adaptation“
à what
human/scientific resources are needed?)

-        
Mrs. Andjelka Mihajlov, Environmental
Ambassadors, Belgrade,
Teaching Climate Change and the role of business sector and civil society

-        
Mr. Jovan Kurbalija, Director,
DiploFoundation, Innovative Diplomatic Training on Climate Change

-        
Mr. William S. Infante, United Nations
Development Programme, Climate Change, Development and the Crucial Role of
Education

-        
Ms. Laurence Pollier, UNFCCC secretariat,
teaching climate change and Art 6 of the UNFCCC Convention “The Role of
Education and Outreach” http://unfccc.int/cooperation_and_support/education_and_outreach/items/2529.php

-        
Mamadou Moussa Diakhite, United Nations Institute for Training and Research –
Climate Change Programme

-        
Vesselin Popovski, United Nations University,
development of a global e-Learning system on environmental/sustainability
issues

-        
Ramu Damodaran, Chief, Civil Society Service, Outreach Division, Department of Public
Information, United Nations; The Academic Impact Initiative and the need for
Open Education Resources on the UN system and Climate Change (video message from NY)

-        
Nebojša Naki?enovi?, IIASA, Laxenburg, the science-policy (UN system) nexus

-        
Brenda Abrar-Milani or Gilles Sommeria,
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change IPCC, IPCC Climate Education Fund

-        
Paul McAleavey, Head of EU Coordination at the European Environment Agency, Teaching climate politics

-        
Michael Platzer, Presentation of the Proceedings of 1st CEE/SEE UN Capacity Building
Colloquium »Can the UN be taught?«

 

Thematic
sessions:

-        
Tertiary
multisectoral education (e.g. environmental diplomacy (DA Vienna), green MBA
(ICPE Ljubljana), how to get donor communities involved? How to get ministries
of education involved?..)

-        
Materials for
Public schools (UNA Serbia)

-        
Knowledge
production for public decision making (IPCC (Lu?ka Kajfež Bogataj, Ljubljana), Scientific capacity Building in
the Region - Belgrade Initiative on Climate Change (Presented by Danica Spasova, Republic
Hydrometeorological Service of Serbia), UNODC environmental security, UNCCD
Capacity building for combating desertification and SEE); involving standing
committee of towns and municipalities; Albania Hanik Baraji (NATO meeting Budapest; Montenegro: Grubiša Perovi?, Office for sustainable development)

-        
Information for
the media and the broader public (International Press Center Vienna, input from
UNESCO
conference on Climate change and broadcasting media of Sept 2009 )

 

Networking
session:

 

-        
Development of
a (regional) Web 2.o platform (UNU, UNSA, ACUNS), possibility for cooperation
with Blog “Teaching Climate Change Law &
Policy. Pedagogy,
Resources, Insights” ? www.teachingclimatelaw.org/

-        
Initiating strategic
cooperation initiatives among ministries of science, education and the
environment in SEE region on joint (regional) climate change education !!!

 

Links to
related events:

 

• UNESCO International Seminar on Climate Change Education 27-29 July 2009
  http://www.unesco.org/en/education/dynamic-content-single-view/news/international_seminar_on_climate_change_education_france_27_29_july/browse/2/back/9195/
• I. Inspiring Climate Education Conference
  in Copenhagen
  from October 12-14, 2009 www.ice2009.org/
• IIASA (Laxenburg/Austria) conference “Learning
  and Climate Change“, April 2006 http://www.iiasa.ac.at/Research/PCC/learn-conf/learning%20SI/index.html

 

Contact:

 

• Michael
  Platzer, ACUNS Austria, michaelkplatzer@yahoo.com
• Miroslav Polzer, Austrian Science and Research Liaison Office (ASO) Ljubljana polzer@zsi.at
• Prof. Ivana Krsti?, Faculty of Law, University of Belgrade, ikrstic@ius.bg.ac.rs
• Aleksandra Knez-Milojkovi?, Environmental Ambassadors, Belgrade, www.ambassadors-env.org/  
• Prof. Tanja Miš?evi? & Marija
  Jeremi?, Faculty of Political Sciences,
  University of Belgrade

 

---

[1] This is a working
title; the final title will be determined at the preparatory meetings in
Belgrade mid of January 2010

[2] The 1st event has been the CEE/SEE Regional Colloquium „Can the UN be
taught? Innovative Teaching about the United Nations“ which took place
November 22nd 2008 at Diplomatic Academy in Vienna (proceedings can be
downloaded at www.aso.zsi.at/sl/publikation/3331.html

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