COP31: ICESCO and Pakistan Put Climate Education at the Centre with New Green Curricula Standards

Antalya, Türkiye — Climate education moved to the centre of COP31 on Friday, as the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and Pakistan held a seminar on learning and climate resilience in Antalya — a day after ICESCO launched new standards for greening school curricula across the Islamic world.

The message from both days was the same: the shift to a climate-resilient future will be led in classrooms. ICESCO Director-General Dr. Salim M. AlMalik said climate commitment depends on the knowledge and skills people gain in schools and universities, and on scientific research that responds to community needs.

Key facts

• 13 November 2026: ICESCO and Pakistan’s Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination held the seminar “From Learning Campuses to Climate Solutions” at COP31 in Antalya.
• 12 November 2026: ICESCO launched the Standards and Guidelines for Greening School Curricula in the Islamic World, developed with Cambridge University Press & Assessment.
• 171 million students had their schooling disrupted by climate hazards in 2025 — one in ten students worldwide, according to UNICEF.
• Less than 1 per cent of global climate finance reaches education, UNICEF says.
• 2027: ICESCO will launch its Green Schools Program with strategic partners to help member states turn schools into sustainable, climate-resilient learning environments.

A seminar on learning and climate solutions

The seminar, titled “From Learning Campuses to Climate Solutions: Advancing Climate Resilience Through Education, Innovation and Partnerships”, was organised by ICESCO in partnership with the Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination of Pakistan on Friday, 13 November, as part of COP31. It brought together Dr. Musadik Masood Malik, Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, and Alibek Kuantyrov, Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of Kazakhstan, alongside senior officials and representatives of international institutions.

Dr. AlMalik thanked the Government of Pakistan for its cooperation in organising the event, saying it opened the way for joint projects supporting education systems and strengthening climate resilience. He stressed the pivotal role of teachers in raising students’ awareness of the adverse effects of climate change on their lives and communities, and highlighted the importance of developing curricula tailored to young people’s needs and building institutional expertise in climate science.

ICESCO’s contribution to climate resilience through education and science was presented by Dr. Ahmed Albanyan, Head of the Education Sector, and Dr. Kuanysh Yergaliyev, Head of the Science and Environment Sector. Their work includes the Global Dashboard for Tracking Progress in Green Education, developed in partnership with UNESCO, and the ICESCO Platform for Green Transformation, which brings together government bodies, organisations, universities and research centres working on clean energy, environmental governance and water management. Dr. AlMalik added that universities have a central role in preparing young people for the labour market and in developing solutions to the challenges facing communities.

New standards for greening curricula

The standards launched a day earlier give countries a shared framework for bringing climate knowledge and environmental stewardship into school curricula. The launch took place on Thursday, 12 November, at a ministerial session titled “Every School a Climate Action Hub: from Green Schools to Greening Curriculum”, organised by ICESCO in cooperation with Kyrgyzstan’s Ministry of Education and Science and the University of Cambridge.

Among those attending were Adylbek Kasymaliev, Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan, Nadira Dzhusupbekova, Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Kyrgyzstan, and Dr. Shezra Mansab Ali Khan Kharal, Pakistan’s Minister of State for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination. The project was presented by ICESCO education expert Waqas Afridi and representatives of the University of Cambridge, the UN World Food Programme, the Hassan II International Center for Environmental Training and the Kyrgyz Academy of Education, who outlined the next phases of its development and consultation with member states and international experts.

“Climate change is no longer a distant threat for future generations but a present reality that is reshaping economies, endangering livelihoods, disrupting education, and putting the futures of millions of children at risk,” Dr. AlMalik said at the launch. “The transition to a climate-resilient future must be led by education. Greener economies begin with changing the way we teach and learn.”

ICESCO also announced that its Green Schools Program will launch in 2027, commending Kyrgyzstan’s green school model. At a separate panel on 12 November, “Leveraging Technology for Advancing Greening Education from Glaciers and Water Security to Climate-Resilient Schools”, organised with Kyrgyzstan’s Ministry of Education, participants discussed how artificial intelligence, digital learning platforms and educational technology can support climate-responsive curricula. The panel was moderated by Quinn Runkle, Director of Climate Education at Cambridge University Press & Assessment, and featured Romina Khurshid Alam, Coordinator to the Prime Minister of Pakistan on Climate Change and Environmental Coordination.

Why education is now a climate issue

The push to green education comes as the damage to learning is becoming impossible to ignore. According to UNICEF, at least 171 million students experienced climate-related school disruptions in 2025 — one in ten students worldwide. Climate hazards disrupted schooling in 106 countries and territories that year, with 40 experiencing repeated disruptions, and schools affected by extreme climate events in low-income countries lose an average of 18 instructional days every year.

Yet education remains one of the least funded parts of the climate response: UNICEF says it often receives less than 1 per cent of global climate finance. A UNESCO review cited by Devex found that only 47 per cent of countries’ school curricula even mention climate disruption, and in recent years only 2.4 per cent of climate finance has been spent on climate and child-related activities.

That gap is why the education agenda has grown at COP31. The Greening Education Partnership, convened by UNESCO, now brings together 100 countries — with Türkiye becoming its 100th member at this conference — and more than 2,000 organisations, aiming to ensure every learner is climate-ready. UNICEF’s Children’s Climate Risk Report 2026 found that 1.1 billion children face at least three overlapping climate hazards, and the Antalya Protocol for Action aims to bring climate change into education curricula by 2030 and build strong climate awareness across society by 2035.

What happens next

Today, Saturday 14 November, is COP31’s Children, Youth, Education and Skills Day. The COP31 Presidency and the Greening Education Partnership are co-hosting a High-Level Ministerial Meeting from 10:00 to 15:00, organised with Türkiye’s Ministry of National Education, UNESCO and the OECD, with the morning session focused on climate-friendly schools and teacher training and the afternoon on climate literacy as a measurable learning outcome, including the first PISA climate literacy assessment in 2029.

ICESCO’s COP31 programme includes more than 50 contributions across member states’ pavilions and international organisations. On Friday, Indonesia’s Minister of Environment, Jumhur Hidayat, told Dr. AlMalik his country is interested in hosting the ICESCO Conference of Environment Ministers in 2027, and the two sides discussed green schools and the integration of environmental and climate issues into school curricula. Dr. AlMalik also presented ICESCO’s Youth Climate Leaders Initiative, which seeks to empower young people to develop solutions to climate challenges in their communities.

The standards launched in Antalya now go to member states and international experts for consultation — the next step in turning a conference commitment into lessons in classrooms.

Frequently asked questions

What is ICESCO?

ICESCO is the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, an intergovernmental body that supports its member states in education, science and culture. At COP31 in Antalya it is running more than 50 events and sessions on greening education and climate resilience.

What are the new greening curricula standards?

The Standards and Guidelines for Greening School Curricula in the Islamic World were launched by ICESCO on 12 November 2026 at COP31, developed with Cambridge University Press & Assessment. They give countries a shared framework for integrating climate knowledge and environmental stewardship into school curricula, with further consultation with member states and experts to follow.

Why does climate education matter at COP31?

Because climate change is already disrupting learning: UNICEF reports that at least 171 million students had their schooling disrupted by climate hazards in 2025, and schools in low-income countries lose an average of 18 instructional days a year to extreme climate events. Education is also severely underfunded, receiving less than 1 per cent of global climate finance, according to UNICEF.

What is the Green Schools Program?

ICESCO’s Green Schools Program, announced at COP31, will launch in 2027 with strategic partners to help member states transform schools into sustainable, climate-resilient learning environments. Kyrgyzstan’s green school model was commended at the launch as an example for others to follow.

What happens on 14 November at COP31?

Saturday 14 November is COP31’s Children, Youth, Education and Skills Day. A High-Level Ministerial Meeting on greening education runs from 10:00 to 15:00, TeachersCOP 2026 presents teachers’ climate education projects, and the Global Child Climate Manifesto is presented at a press conference at 09:30.