The seminar, which will be opened by UNESCO’s Director-General Irina Bokova and which takes place while the Paris Climate Conference 2015 (COP21) is underway, will bring together National Coordinators, teachers and students from 11 countries along with 55 schools in eleven countries from UNESCO’s Associated Schools Project Network (ASPnet).

In line with UNESCO’s Global Action Programme, participants  will discuss with Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and climate change experts how to transform learning environments through a “whole-school approach” and integrate sustainability principles into educational settings.

To help ASPnet schools to implement such an approach, UNESCO has commissioned guidelines for teachers on ESD and climate action, which will be reviewed during the seminar.

The seminar aims to serves as a stepping-stone for the integration of climate change issues into ASPnet schools, starting with the participating schools and countries - Brazil, Denmark, Dominican Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Indonesia, Japan, Lebanon, Namibia and  Senegal - and extending to others.

The event also includes a public forum (7 December) to encourage ASPnet schools to intensify their actions and offering them guidance and support. On 8 December the ASPnet schools will take part in project presentations, debates and workshops, to share good practices and develop strategies for scaling up action.