Equipping young people in developing countries with green skills
is a vital component of tackling the unprecedented climate crisis we are facing.
This was the message from Education Above All (EAA) Foundation, one of the largest
global foundations in development and education, participating in the 2023 MENA
Climate Week.
Hosted by the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Riyadh the event gathered
policymakers, practitioners, businesses, and civil society to discuss and examine
barriers to overcome climate change, solutions, and global initiatives to address the
situation.
Addressing delegates in the ‘Integrating Climate Change Education into the Education
Systems in the MENA region” panel discussion, Mr Abdulla Al-Abdulla , the Executive
Director of Reach Out To Asia (ROTA), an EAA Foundation programme said: “The
impacts of climate change, from shifting weather patterns to rising sea levels, are felt
globally, and the challenges posed are unprecedented in scale. Moreover, the largest
generation of youth in history, nearly 90% of 1.8 billion individuals aged 10-24, reside in
developing countries.”
He continued: “These young people hold the key to our collective future, but they are
disproportionately affected by the climate crisis, despite bearing the least responsibility
for it. Education is a powerful tool in bridging the knowledge and gap in skills that young
people face in addressing climate change.”
To address this issue, EAA’s Reach Out To Asia (ROTA), has embarked on a new
mandate this year focused on Education for Climate Action with three main focus areas;
Greening Learning, Greening Communities, and Greening Refugee Camps.
These focus areas intend to integrate climate education into secondary school curricula
and build the capacity of teachers and facilitators; equip young people with the
knowledge and green skills they need to take climate actions in their communities; and
develop relevant knowledge and skills for refugee youth to lead climate actions within
these camps to foster sustainability.
Concluding his address Al Abdulla said:
“Our belief is that when young individuals understand the issues, acquire green skills,
and develop the values and attitudes necessary for climate action, they can become the
driving force behind tangible change in their communities.”
ROTA's approach to climate education focuses on cognitive, socio-emotional, and
behavioural domains, prioritising the behavioural domain to encourage and empower
youth to make sound climate actions using their acquired knowledge and green skills.
These initiatives align with national and regional climate plans, including Nationally
Determined Contributions (NDCs), supporting climate mitigation, adaptation, and
resilience as defined by the OECD.
ROTA–EAA Foundation runs various global projects aimed at equipping youth with
green skills, knowledge, values, and attitudes for sustainable living. In Vietnam, ROTA
collaborates with ActionAid to empower young community leaders in driving climate
action and connect youth in a national network to influence decision-makers.
Recently, ROTA–EAA Foundation also launched the Green Youth 360 project with the
Girl Child Network in Kenya, empowering youth in refugee camps with skills like tree
planting, beekeeping, agriculture, environmental cleanup, and renewable energy, to
address environmental challenges.
About the Education Above All (EAA) Foundation:
The Education Above All (EAA) Foundation is a global foundation established in
2012 by Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser. EAA Foundation aims to
transform lives through education. We believe that education is the single most
effective means of reducing poverty, creating peaceful and just
societies, unlocking the full potential of every child and youth, and creating the
right conditions to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Through our multi-sectoral approach, unique financing models, focus on
innovation as a tool for social good, and partnerships, we aim to bring hope and
real opportunities to the lives of impoverished and marginalised boys and girls.
EAA Foundation is comprised of the following programmes: Educate A Child
(EAC), Al Fakhoora, Reach Out To Asia (ROTA), Protect Education in Insecurity
and Conflict (PEIC), Innovation Development (ID) and Together project.
