After two years of successfully offering leading climate law and governance training to future climate leaders worldwide, the Democratising Education for Global Sustainability and Justice Programme (DemEd Global, https://degsj.org/) team travelled to Baku in November 2024 to further strengthen their commitment to democratising climate leadership. Baku, Azerbaijan played host to the 29th United Nations Conference of the Parties (COP 29) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). At COP29, DemEd Global co-hosted a Climate Law & Governance Day event for over 3,400 registrants, offered training through a Climate Law & Governance Specialisation Course to 1,100 learners, and agreed to offer 750 full scholarships to future climate leaders from four highly-climate vulnerable countries.
DemEd Global – a programme for climate law and policy education for future climate leaders from highly climate-affected countries worldwide – is a close partner of the Centre for International Sustainable Development Law (CISDL). The DemEd Global programme is supported by CISDL affiliates Professor Marie-Claire (DemEd Programme Director; CISDL Senior Director), Dr Markus Gehring (DemEd Programme Advisor; CISDL Lead Counsel for Trade, Investment, and Finance), Adv Tejas Rao (DemEd Research Coordinator; CISDL Senior Manager and Governor), Adv Maeve McDermott (DemEd Programme Coordinator; CISDL Associate Fellow), and Ms Rosie Ward (DemEd Engagement Coordinator; CISDL Associate Fellow).
The DemEd Global team in Baku: Left to right: Adv Maeve McDermott (DemEd Programme Coordinator), Ananya Chaudhur (Manager of the UNFCCC COP29 Climate Law and Governance Initiative), Prof Marie-Claire Cordonnier Segger (Chair of DemEd Global), Dr Antoinette Nester (DemEd Global Programme Advisor), Adv Tejas Rao (DemEd Global Programme Research Coordinator), and not pictured: Dr Markus Gehring (DemEd Programme Advisor).
Striving to build legal capacity in highly climate vulnerable countries through expanding access to cutting-edge education, the team met with ministers from Bangladesh, Liberia, Pakistan, and Sierra Leone to sign new partnerships to provide 750 future law and policy leaders full scholarships to enroll in DemEd Global courses. The scholarships will permit learners from each aforementioned country to complete between two and six of DemEd Global’s most popular substantive courses, focusing on key topics in sustainable development law and policy. This includes 150 scholarships allocated to Pakistani climate leaders.
Syed Bulent Sohail, the head of Program and Partnerships at the Institute of Business Administration in Karachi, Pakistan, commented on the role of the scholarships in advancing climate resilience:
“Climate education is not just a necessity—it is a strategic imperative for Pakistan’s future. By embedding climate literacy into all levels of society, from schools to government institutions, and across all sectors, Pakistan can build a resilient and capable population to meet the climate challenges ahead. With collaboration between the government, industries, academia, and international partners, Pakistan can fulfil its climate commitments and transition toward a sustainable future, in line with the global goals of the Paris Agreement.”
Signing a Letter of Agreement with ministers from Pakistan for 150 scholarships.
Pakistan is one of the most climate-vulnerable countries in the world, grappling with the devastating impacts of floods, droughts, water scarcity, smog, glacial melt, and rising temperatures. These climate-related phenomena threaten not only ecosystems but also the livelihoods, health, and economic stability of hundreds of millions of Pakistanis. Climate education is a tool for fostering resilience, driving innovation, and facilitating informed decision-making, all of which are foundational to confronting climate change. This approach aligns with Pakistan’s Climate Change Act, National Climate Change Policy, National Adaptation Plan, and its commitments under the Paris Agreement.
The Paris Agreement, which serves as a global framework for climate action, emphasizes the need for education, training, and capacity-building. These elements are seen as critical to supporting nations in meeting their climate goals. This global framework is aligned with Pakistan’s goals and underscores the critical importance of climate education for achieving a low-carbon, climate-resilient economy, particularly in developing nations like Pakistan.
Current and future law and policy leaders from any sector around the world will soon be able to apply for a place in DemEd Global’s Spring 2024 courses. To find out more, especially if interested in supporting the programme, please write in the first instance to the Research Coordinator, Tejas Rao: tr465@cam.ac.uk.