Education and Climate Panel in Baku as Part of COP29: The Role of Universities in Climate Action Discussed

As part of COP29, held in November in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, the panel organized in collaboration with UNITAR, CIFAL Istanbul at Bahçeşehir University and CIFAL City of London, "The Role of Higher Education in Addressing Climate Change: Leadership, Innovation and Impact," addressed the critical role higher education institutions play in combating climate change. Bringing together academics, decision-makers and industry representatives at the international level, particularly from Europe, Türkiye and the Gulf region, these two important UN-affiliated training centers aimed to further increase the impact of universities in climate action.

The panel discussed how universities can take on active roles in climate change-related curricula, research and community engagement. It also aimed to strengthen cooperation among representatives of academia, the private sector, the public sector and civil society and to form new partnerships in sustainability. Within this framework, the foundations were laid for new education programs and capacity-building projects in combating climate change. Innovative education models focusing on climate resilience and sustainability, particularly in STEM fields, were highlighted.

The panel featured experts in their fields, including Bahçeşehir University President Prof. Dr. Esra Hatipoğlu, GEDU Global Education CEO Dr. Vishwajeet Rana, UNITAR CIFAL Global Network Vice President Dr. Ebru Canan-Sokullu, UNITAR Senior Program Coordinator Mr. Daniel Nazarov and CIFAL York Multimedia Coordinator Mr. Peyman Naeemi. At the event, moderated by Mr. Daniel Nazarov, the importance of higher education in combating climate change was emphasized and concrete steps to strengthen academic and sectoral collaborations were discussed.

While aiming to increase the impact of higher education institutions in climate action, the event also contributed to building a sustainable future by encouraging the active participation of university students and young researchers in the process. The ideas put forward and the collaborations developed during the panel once again showed that the academic world needs to play a more active role in combating climate change.