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The Global Partnership for Education (GPE), UNICEF, and Education International have launched Educators at the Heart of Greening Education: A Climate Resilience Toolkit for Policymakers, a new resource to help countries build climate-resilient education systems by putting educators at the center of policy, planning, and implementation.

Climate change is already disrupting learning through extreme heat, floods, storms, displacement, and school closures. Teachers, school leaders and education support personnel are key players in climate action. Yet, policies too often overlook the workforce’s capacity, safety, and voice.

Developed under Pillar 3 of the Greening Education Partnership, hosted by UNESCO, the new toolkit addresses this gap by positioning educators as essential to both climate education and system‑wide resilience.

“Educators are the beating heart of every education system,” said Pia Rebello Britto, Global Director of Education at UNICEF. “When we support and protect them, we strengthen the relationships at the core of teaching, learning and skills development. This is what ultimately drives better learning outcomes for children and young people, even in the face of climate disruption”

A practical, educator-centered policy tool

The toolkit is designed as a policy reflection and dialogue tool for ministries of education and partners. It draws on input from ministries, teacher unions, and stakeholders worldwide to focus on what educators and policy makers identify as most urgent. Rather than offering prescriptive solutions, it supports governments to reflect on how climate change is affecting educators and learning continuity, identify policy strengths and gaps, and prioritize feasible, context specific actions across education planning, workforce policies, and crisis preparedness.

The toolkit is built around five interconnected objectives that help governments support educators before, during, and after climate-related disruptions:

1. Enabling educators to deliver quality climate change education.
2. Strengthening educators’ capacity to maintain inclusive, equitable, and quality education during climate-related disruptions.
3. Ensuring educator and student safety and well-being during climate emergencies.
4. Ensuring quality working conditions for educators before, during, and after climate-related crises.
5. Strengthening educator participation in climate-related social and policy dialogue.

“Climate-resilient education isn’t built only with stronger buildings or better lesson plans—it’s built with educators,” said Laura Frigenti, CEO of GPE. “When we put teachers and education workers at the heart of climate action in education, we keep learning going, protect equity, and help students turn climate learning into climate action—so they can become the green innovators of tomorrow.”

Part of a global effort to green education

By complementing other Greening Education Partnership resources on greening schools, curricula, and communities, the toolkit strengthens the system-level approach needed to ensure that education systems can withstand climate shocks while continuing to deliver quality, equitable learning.

“Teachers and education workers are essential partners in building climate-resilient societies,” said David Edwards, General Secretary of Education International. “This toolkit recognizes their professional expertise and lived experience and calls for meaningful social dialogue to ensure climate policies in education are effective, inclusive, and sustainable.”

The launch of Educators at the Heart of Greening Education marks an important milestone in global efforts to link education, climate adaptation, and workforce sustainability. In the coming months, partners under the Greening Education Partnership will build on the toolkit to support dialogue, learning, and collaboration, including discussions on how education systems can be better reflected within climate finance and adaptation frameworks.

For more information:

Tamara Kummer, GPE Head of Communications [email protected] Tel: +1 202 948 5395

Rebeca Logan, Education International Director of Campaigns and Communications, [email protected]