UNESCO Empowers Caribbean Teachers and Officials to Drive Climate-Resilient and Sustainable Education

UNESCO, in collaboration with the University of the West Indies and with the support of the Grenada National Commission for UNESCO, brought together in Grenada educators and education officials from five Caribbean countries for a regional capacity-building workshop aimed at strengthening the integration of Education for Sustainable Development, Climate Change Education and Disaster Risk Reduction into education systems.

Held from 30 June to 2 July 2026 as part of the Climate Smart Education Systems Initiative, this learning program convened 34 participants from Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, to strengthen participants' understanding and capacity to integrate these interconnected areas at the school, classroom and education-system levels, with practical approaches that can be adapted to Caribbean contexts.

The workshop explored several strategies for embedding sustainability, climate change and disaster risk reduction into teaching and learning processes, teacher education and also professional development. This is particularly relevant to al Caribbean countries, which regularly face significant environmental and climate-related challenges and require education systems that can support both resilience and adaptation more effectively.

Participants were able to engagre with a series of stimulus materials, expert presentations and various practical activities that were designed especifically to encourage transformative and inclusive learning environments. Participants could identify challenges and opportunities for curriculum integration, and also developed strategies to accelerate progress, and began designing practical projects for implementation in their respective contexts and countries.

Notably, the workshops's comprehensive program combined theoretical foundations with hands-on learning, including creative group activities, reflection exercises, a field visit to the Mirabeau Agriculture Station -a key facility in Grenada-, and action research planning. These activities sought to empower educators to develop and implement locally relevant solutions and support the sustainability of initiatives well beyond the workshop itself.

As a follow-up to this initiative, UNESCO will consolidate the workshop outcomes into a regional guidance note and provide further technical support to participating ministries and institutions. The outcomes will also inform upcoming regional resilience programs, supporting continuity and scalability.An online convening will take place later this year to allow participating countries to collect data and review progress on their action plans.

Through this continued collaboration, UNESCO and its partners aim to strengthen the capacity of Caribbean education systems to turn climate and environmental challenges into opportunities for more resilient, sustainable and inclusive education.