UNSSC at COP 27: Designing a better world through learning

UNSSC joined world leaders, delegates, and members of the international community and civil society organizations for the 27th Meeting of the Conference of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27 ) held from 6 to 18 November 2022 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. Attended by more than 35,000 participants, the conference included policy discussions, side-line events, and negotiations on climate action.

UN Climate Change collaboration with UNSSC at Resilience Frontiers 

In partnership with UN Climate Change (UNFCCC), UNSSC ran interactive sessions and virtual reality tours at the Resilience Frontiers pavilion. The experience gave visitors the opportunity to step into a virtual reality experience that allowed them to “step inside” a city undergoing transformative change. The exercise was aimed at challenging participants’ perspective, and make them reflect on important questions about the sustainable future we want to create.

Through this collaboration UNSSC also designed and delivered Future Café sessions, which included playing climate-related games and engaging with interactive visuals to highlight different pathways to net zero. The Staff College also launched its first in-person virtual reality (VR) tour which was followed by in-depth climate action discussions about paradigm shifts, stakeholder engagement, and mindset changes.

“We need creative spaces to look at what transformation means and elicit ideas for a world where we give back more than we take from the planet”, said Youssef Nassef, Director, Adaptation, and founder of Resilience Frontiers at UNFCCC. 

"Transformative change entails transforming our relationship with each other and with nature, reflecting upon our different values and collective aspirations for well-being and community resilience”, said Marcela Main Sancha, Resilience Frontiers Manager. 

 Watch the Resilience Frontiers video  

 Watch UNSSC’s engagement at Resilience Frontiers  

Explore the activities at the Resilience Frontiers Pavilion here

UNSSC launches its first in-person virtual reality tour at COP 27

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UNSSC and UN Environment launch the My Sustainable Living Challenge

Another noteworthy highlight was the launch of the joint UNSSC/UNEP My Sustainable Living Challenge . Set to officially launch in 2023, the – online gamified learning platform is designed to channel learning towards behaviour change through actionable commitments. “My Sustainable Living Challenge promotes learning and behaviour change through action. It helps you take part in an immersive journey where you can learn about sustainability and the impact of your lifestyle”, said Sophie Loran, Communications Officer at the UN Environment Programme.

UNSSC is accepting registrations for the programme.

For more information and to register, click on this link.  

 My Sustainable Development Living Challenge launched at COP 27. Credit: United Nations in India

These two initiatives are part of UNSSC’s commitment to increasing accessibility to climate change education. Though COP 27 has concluded, the Staff College will continue regular peer learning and knowledge exchange opportunities to increase climate literacy among leaders, professionals, and practitioners. 

UNSSC provides several learning opportunities on various climate-related topics. For more information, please visit the UNSSC website or email us at info@unssc.org.