28 June 2013: Uganda’s Minister of Water and Environment, Ephraim Kamuntu, launched a national climate change learning strategy in Kampala, Uganda, stressing human capacity as “the most important variable that determines whether Uganda is able to address the challenge of climate change and achieve sustainable development.”
The ‘National Strategy to Strengthen Human Resources and Skills to Advance Green Low Emission and Climate Resilient Development 2013-2022’ aims to strengthen Uganda’s learning system to ensure that Ugandans develop the knowledge and skills to build a climate-smart future. Stakeholders from multiple sectors, including economic development, energy, finance, fisheries, forests, housing, justice, planning and urban development, developed the strategy over 18 months.
The Strategy recommends: building capacity and strengthening the UNFCCC National Focal Point; strengthening human resources and skills to monitor climate change in the Department of Meteorology; strengthening skills to mainstream climate change in the agriculture, energy and water sectors; and assessing the impact of climate change learning. Efforts are underway to implement the Strategy’s recommendations.
The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the National Curriculum Development Center and the Climate Change Unit have begun pilot testing climate change curriculum in primary schools, based on a recommendation to integrate climate change learning in primary through tertiary curricula. The Climate Change Unit, the Least Developed Country Environment Center (LEC) and Makerere University initiated a training programme for climate change officers within Uganda ministries, based on a recommendation to harmonize climate change learning among institutions and levels.
The Swiss Government, UN CC:Learn and other UN organizations supported the strategy’s development. The UN Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) serves as the Secretariat for UN CC:Learn, a partnership of 33 organizations that supports member States in designing and implementing climate change learning. Uganda is the second UN CC:Learn pilot country to launch a national strategy. [UNITAR Press Release]