Higher Education and COP 30

COP30 is set to take place in Belém, Brazil, from Monday, 10 November to Friday, 21 November 2025. Organized under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), COP 30 will convene representatives from 198 countries committed to advancing global climate action. As the Convention’s principal decision-making body, the Conference of the Parties (COP) reviews progress, sets policy direction, and negotiates new commitments to address climate change. The conference will bring together Parties to the Convention, the Kyoto Protocol, and the Paris Agreement, alongside observers from civil society, including higher education institutions. More information is forthcoming, and as the event approaches, the IAU will share updates on how higher education institutions are engaging with the event.

Education will be discussed in the official programme under pillar 5: Social and Human Development, on 12 and 13 November.

Events:

• UNESCO Greening Education Partnership & Climate Change Education - 12 & 13 November (hybrid/online)
• COP30 Ministerial Roundtable on Greening Education on Thursday, November 13, from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. (on site participants only)
• United Nations University - Institute for Advanced Sustainability (UNU IAS): several events on site, see here
• Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), see events here
• Youth Group- SOS International Weds 12 Nov, 14:50 - 15:35 BRT, Children and Youth pavilion, blue zone: Youth conversations on climate education with SOS International. Featuring young climate and education leaders from UK, Brazil, Bulgaria and The Gambia. (on site)
  • Sat 15 Nov, 16:45 - 18:15 BRT, blue zone official side event room 5: Powering Net Zero: The Case for Climate Education. Co-convened by Earth Day and SOS International, featuring strategic, governmental and youth leads from around the world. (on site)
• International Science Council:  Climate experts spotlight, 15 November | Side Event Room 6 Details
• UNIMED Call to Action: An open call for universities across the Euro-Mediterranean region to step up their role in addressing the climate emergency has been launched, coordinated by Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) and UNIMED – Mediterranean Universities Union.
• The Alliance of Sustainability Leadership Education (EAUC) Webinar
  • Mark your calendars - 12 & 13 November are education-themed days and a great opportunity to engage your staff and students in conversations about climate action.
  • If you are travelling to Brazil and work in higher education, join the University Climate Action Whatsapp Group and this engagement event beforehand to connect with other sector delegates.
• Climate-U Network Conference: Higher Education and the Climate Crisis, 04 - 08 November, 2025, Belém, Brazil and Online. More information.
• Higher Education for Climate Action Pavilion - (in person, Blue Zone) see agenda here: https://bit.ly/HigherEd-COP30  (open in Google Calendar App for a better experience). The pavilion is led by Unicamp in partnership with the Mexican Institute of Technology of Monterrey, whose aim is to show that, beyond research, teaching and outreach, universities are important as laboratories for solutions to address climate change, both in terms of technologies and in supporting the development of public policies.

For more information:

🔗 Access the official COP30 website
🔗 Follow the RINGO constituency for research sector updates
🔗 Browse the list of accredited NGOs and HEIs
🔗 See also this list of key events curated by SDSN here