UNESCO puts climate education at the heart of COP31 as Türkiye joins global alliance

Türkiye’s entry as the Greening Education Partnership’s 100th member country will mark a milestone at COP31 for an alliance launched at the UN Transforming Education Summit in 2022.

Education will take centre stage at COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye, on 14 November 2026, when the climate summit dedicates its thematic day to Children, Youth, Education and Skills. UNESCO, through the Greening Education Partnership, will support the COP31 Presidency and Türkiye's Ministry of National Education in bringing education into the heart of climate discussions. The programme will explore how learning can strengthen climate resilience by giving people the knowledge, practical skills and values they need to take climate action, with attention to how education systems prepare learners for the challenges facing their communities.

Türkiye becomes the partnership's 100th country member

Türkiye's entry as the Greening Education Partnership's 100th member country will mark a milestone at COP31 for an alliance launched at the UN Transforming Education Summit in 2022. UNESCO describes the partnership, bringing together 100 countries and more than 2,000 organizations, as the largest global alliance for climate education. Its work covers four connected areas—schools, curricula, teacher development and communities—recognizing that preparing every learner for climate change requires changes across the places where people learn, the subjects they study and the support available to their teachers.

For Türkiye's Minister of National Education, Yusuf Tekin, membership offers an opportunity to share the country's education work internationally and develop new partnerships. He described joining as an important step as Türkiye prepares to host COP31, building on work the country has pursued with determination over many years. The milestone also comes ahead of the partnership's fifth anniversary in 2027, giving countries and participating organizations a moment to consider how their commitments can translate into stronger climate education and more visible progress within national education systems.

A new phase brings implementation and evidence into focus

Discussions in Antalya will help shape the structure and work of GEP 2.0, the partnership's next phase, with a stronger focus on country-level implementation and regional cooperation. The gathering will bring countries and partners together to advance climate education, accelerate the greening of education systems and spotlight Education for Sustainable Development. This focus connects the partnership's global ambitions with the work needed inside education systems, where decisions about schools, teaching and curricula determine how learners encounter climate change and develop the confidence to respond.

The partnership will also launch its Monitoring and Evaluation Working Group together with Türkiye's Ministry of National Education and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The group will strengthen data, evidence and accountability, particularly through the GEP Global Tracker, a global observatory on climate change education. Better monitoring will help countries and partners understand the progress being made and the areas needing greater attention, giving the partnership a clearer basis for assessing commitments and supporting the next stage of its work.

Young people and teachers help shape resilient education

Children, young people and teachers will be at the centre of the COP31 discussions, with their meaningful participation presented as essential to shaping education systems that respond to climate change and prepare learners to contribute to sustainable futures. The programme will address education's role in climate-related crises and emergencies, alongside the longer-term changes needed to build resilient education systems. Outcomes and commitments from Antalya will feed into the wider Education for Sustainable Development agenda and build momentum towards UNESCO's World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development, scheduled for 13–15 January 2027 in Nairobi, Kenya.