8 May 2011: The UN CC:Learn Pilot Projects to Strengthen Human Resources, Learning and Skills Development to Address Climate Change have received expressions of interest from over 25 countries wanting to participate as pilot countries in the programme.

With support provided from the Swiss Development Cooperation, UN CC:Learn will be able to support three countries to take a strategic, long-term and results-oriented approach to climate change learning, taking account of national priorities and climate change objectives. Pilot countries will be selected by a Steering Group involving 23 UN agencies in early July and the pilot projects will be implemented through a multi-sectoral and multi-stakeholder process. The projects, scheduled to commence during the third quarter of 2011, emphasize opportunities to engage domestic institutions so that climate change learning can be delivered through national learning institutions and systems in the long term, whenever possible. Another important element of the CC:Learn pilot projects is the close collaboration with UN Country Teams and other development partners present at the country level, which will help ensure that project activities complement other national climate change capacity-building efforts.

Given the high number of countries interested in participating as a CC:Learn pilot country, funding to support additional pilot projects is being sought from interested donors.

The One UN Training Service Platform for Climate Change (CC:Learn) was initiated in 2009. It is a collaboration of 23 UN agencies, and seeks to offer a service platform to UN member States, UN agencies and other development parties interested in designing and delivering effective, results-oriented and sustainable learning on climate change. [UN CC:Learn Press Release]