Investing in Education

Today, January 24 let's celebrate International Day of Education

“Where would we be without education? As we mentor the next generations to tackle the climate crisis there are high hopes that those coming after us will do a better job in halting the climate crisis”

Mirella Salvatore is a Climate Change Officer and Statistician leading FAO’s work to support countries in reporting under the Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF), and emphasizes the benefits of investing in an institutional reporting framework. By promoting the engagement of youth and academia she believes that country capacities for future national reporting will be greatly enhanced in a sustainable manner.

The ETF was established in 2015 and provides arrangements to track and report on national climate change mitigation policies and adaptation actions towards achieving the global temperature and adaptation goals through new Biennial Transparency Reports (BTRs) under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Through #Academy4Transparency, an initiative developed in collaboration with Zimbabwe’s Marondera University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (MUAST), a series of capacity-development activities were carried out to ensure both the university and its students were fully up to date on current UNFCCC processes, in particular reporting under the ETF. The initiative aims to increase the potential of universities and research institutes to support government in addressing the new reporting commitments and train the next generation of climate experts in the effective implementation of the Paris Agreement and its ETF.

Through the #Academy4Transparency initiative, students at the Marondera University have been given the capacity to better understand the ETF and potentially contribute to country-driven reporting processes under the UNFCCC, reducing the impact of high staff turnover in the government, strengthening domestic expertise on the topic and retaining relevant knowledge in the country, while offering young people job opportunities.

The Initiative is part of the efforts under the FAO capacity-building initiative for transparency in the agriculture, forestry, and other land use sector (CBIT-AFOLU) and is in line with Zimbabwe’s National Climate Change Learning Strategy that aims to make Zimbabwe a “climate change resilient, literate and responsive nation” by 2030.

Based on the experiences of the #Academia4Transparency Initiative, FAO with the support of the Children and Youth constituency to the UNFCCC (YOUNGO), put together a pocket guide, on Transparency under the Paris Agreement to demystify the concept and technical language around transparency in the context of climate change for young people and beginners.

The #Academia4Transparency initiative in Zimbabwe has not only been a success but can be easily replicated by other universities and academic institutions to develop the capacities of students and institutions to one day support their countries’ reporting through the ETF under the Paris Agreement.