UNEP backing 22 universities in 8 African countries to become green

23 / 01 / 2022

By Marwa Nassar - -

The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) is backing 22 universities from eight African countries to become green and enhance environmental practices within the framework of the Africa Green University and Youth Education Network – which was launched by the UNEP.

The UNEP has launched several initiatives to support universities worldwide to become greener in order to save the planet. “Our approach is to see how universities can be petri-dishes to shift habits of students,” said Sam Barratt, Head of the UNEP Youth, Education and Advocacy Unit.

In 2021, the UNEP also launched UNEP’s Sustainable University Framework, which seeks to define what it means to be a sustainable university and lays out a pathway to becoming one, and the Global Guidance for Education on Green Jobs. These initiatives are designed to give the higher education community, employers and youth organizations the tools to prepare students to participate in a green transition.

And in October 2021, UNEP worked with Times Higher Education to organize the inaugural Climate Impact Forum at which Times Higher Education launched its new data-led report, The Race to Net Zero. It presented how well higher education institutions across the globe are performing when it comes to reducing their own greenhouse gas emissions and transitioning to net zero. So far 1,086 universities from 68 countries, representing over 10 million students, made commitments to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.

With the support of the TERI School of Advanced Studies, the UNEP talked to stakeholders who agreed that there is a need to establish an India Green University Network. The plan is for this network to be built up and officially launched in 2022.

In September 2020, UNEP launched The Little Book of Green Nudges in 136 campuses around the world. It’s a quick guide composed of 40 nudges to spark sustainable behavior among students and staff.

Moreover, the UNEP and partners launched “Earth School” in April 2020 in response to school closures in the wake of the pandemic. Earth School was built with educators and over 40 partners and shows what can happen when a big idea is run by many. It’s the biggest online learning initiative in UNEP’s history and is available for free on TED-Ed’s website.