Minister of National Education Yusuf Tekin invited the member countries of the UNESCO Green Education Partnership to COP31 to be held in Türkiye in November and said, "We are determined to develop together the understanding of education that we have grown in the Green Homeland, for a green world and a more equitable future, with the common will of COP31." he said.
According to the statement made by the Ministry, Türkiye became the 100th country to participate in the Greening Education Partnership (GEP) carried out by the UNESCO Secretariat.
Türkiye's participation in GEP and Minister Tekin's video message were shared with the international public by being published on UNESCO's website, GEP Global Monitoring Platform and in the October bulletin of the partnership.
In his video message published at the annual meeting of GEP held this month, Tekin underlined that the 31st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP31), which will be hosted by Türkiye in Antalya, is a historical meeting that will strengthen the common will in the fight against climate change.
Stating that he believes that COP31 will create new opportunities for education diplomacy as well as climate diplomacy, Minister Tekin said, "Because permanent solutions to the climate crisis require a radical change in the way people think and live. The strongest basis for this change is education. We believe that education should serve world peace and raise generations that respect democracy, human rights and the environment. We accept respect for the environment as one of the most important responsibilities we have towards future generations." made his assessment.
Pointing out that the Turkey Century Education Model, which forms the framework of Türkiye's renewed education programs, aims to raise generations that respect world peace, democracy, human rights and the environment by focusing on personality building, Tekin said:
"Within the scope of the model, environmental and sustainability issues are addressed with an education approach in which knowledge turns into skills, values into behavior, and awareness into awareness of responsibility towards future generations. Following the Climate Change Action Plan we published in 2022, we took our work to a further stage with our targets for the 2026-2030 period. We are taking steps covering all components of our education system, from the curriculum to the professional development of our teachers, from green and resilient schools to disaster preparedness. We are taking steps to protect our students, teachers and "We make our families and all our education stakeholders an active part of this process."
"Türkiye's participation will contribute to strengthening mutual learning"
Minister Tekin emphasized that international indicators also confirm the progress made by Türkiye in education and pointed out that Türkiye is the member country of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) that increased its scores the most in three basic areas in the PISA evaluations published in September.
Stating that they welcomed the high performance of Turkish students in the field of environmental science, which was evaluated as a subscale for the first time, Tekin continued as follows:
"With this strong knowledge, we are joining the UNESCO Green Education Partnership as its 100th member when we host COP31. We find this participation important in terms of sharing the work we have been carrying out with determination for many years on a global scale and developing it with new partners. We believe that the Green Education Partnership will share Türkiye's strong education infrastructure, implementation capacity and models developed in the field with the international community, benefit from the experiences of different countries and contribute to the strengthening of mutual learning. We invite you to the event to be held in Türkiye in November. "We are determined to discuss the decisive role of education in climate action together at COP31, to share our experiences and to develop joint projects together, with the common will of COP31, to develop the understanding of education that we have developed in the Green Homeland for a green world and a more equitable future."
The largest global collaborative network in climate change education
GEP, launched in 2022 as part of the United Nations Education for Transformation Summit, operates as a global partnership platform that aims to transform education systems in line with environmental sustainability and adaptation to climate change.
The partnership, the largest global collaboration network in the field of climate change education, brings together 100 countries and over 2 thousand organizations.
GEP carries out studies in four main areas, including the green transformation of school environments, the development of curriculum, strengthening the professional capacity of teachers and the participation of families and society in sustainability efforts.
In this context, it is aimed to equip every student with the knowledge and skills to understand climate change, adapt to its effects and contribute to the shaping of a sustainable future.
Türkiye's experience in education and climate will be shared with international stakeholders
The comprehensive studies carried out by the Ministry of National Education in different areas of the education system, from curriculum to professional development of teachers, from green school practices to the participation of children and young people in climate action, will become more visible at the international level with Türkiye's participation in GEP.
Sharing the knowledge that the Ministry has built on its strong educational infrastructure with countries around the world will enable Türkiye's experience in the field of climate education to contribute to international collaborations and be among the examples of good practices.
Within the scope of the Turkey Century Education Model, including environment, climate change and sustainability issues in education processes, supporting the professional development of teachers, disseminating green and climate change resistant school practices and disaster preparedness studies are among the experiences that Türkiye will share within the framework of GEP.
It is aimed to bring together the "Green Homeland - My School is a Cure for the Future" studies, which support the participation of students, teachers, school administrators and families in environmental protection and sustainable living activities, with international good examples and to improve information sharing between countries.
High-level dialogues focused on "Youth and Education" will be held at COP31
Within the scope of COP31, which will be hosted by Türkiye, high-level dialogues will be held on the theme of "Youth and Education" in cooperation with GEP.
In the studies to be carried out with the support of UNESCO and OECD, the transformative role of education in the face of climate change, the experiences and good practices of countries, and the contributions of children, youth and teachers to climate action will be discussed.
It is also planned to contribute to the Climate Enhancement Action (ACE) agenda of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and to establish a new Monitoring and Evaluation Working Group within the GEP.
These studies aim to put countries' commitments in the field of education and climate into practice, monitor progress and strengthen accountability.
Türkiye's GEP membership will pave the way for new collaborations
Türkiye's participation in GEP will allow the ministry to share its work in the field of climate education and sustainability on a global scale, benefit from the experiences of different countries and develop new partnerships.
With the work to be carried out within the scope of COP31, the Ministry aims to bring Türkiye's experience in the field of education to the international public, strengthen cooperation between countries and contribute to joint efforts to raise generations prepared for climate change.
