As climate change intensifies, Pakistan, one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable nations, is taking bold steps to integrate climate resilience into its education system. In a landmark two-day national workshop held in 2025, UNESCO, Save the Children, and the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) collaborated with Pakistan’s Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training and other stakeholders to advance the Climate Smart Education Systems Initiative (CSESI). This initiative aims to transform Pakistan’s education sector into a bulwark against climate-induced disasters while empowering students and communities with the knowledge and skills to thrive in a changing world.
Pakistan’s Climate Crisis:
Pakistan ranks among the top 10 countries most affected by climate change, according to the 2024 Global Climate Risk Index. Devastating floods in 2022 displaced 33 million people, damaged over 27,000 schools, and disrupted education for 2 million children. Heatwaves, droughts, and cyclones continue to threaten infrastructure and learning outcomes, particularly in vulnerable regions like Sindh and Balochistan. Against this backdrop, the CSESI workshop, convened by UNESCO and Save the Children under the GPE, marks a critical step toward building a climate-resilient education system.
The workshop, held in 2025, brought together senior officials from the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training, the Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, provincial education departments, disaster management authorities, development partners, and civil society organizations. The event focused on mainstreaming climate resilience across policy, infrastructure, curricula, and teacher training, aligning with global efforts like UNESCO’s Greening Education Partnership, launched in September 2022 at the UN Transforming Education Summit.
The Vision: A Climate-Smart Education System
In his opening remarks, Mr. Hassan Saqlain, Additional Secretary of Federal Education and Professional Training, underscored the urgency of integrating climate action into education. “Climate change is no longer a distant concern, it is a present challenge that affects our classrooms, infrastructure, and learning outcomes,” he said. He highlighted Pakistan’s progress in embedding climate education into its national curriculum but stressed the need for complementary measures, including resilient school infrastructure, enhanced teacher training, and robust policy reforms.
Mr. Fuad Pashayev, Representative and Head of UNESCO Pakistan, emphasized education’s dual role as both a victim of and a solution to the climate crisis. “Through CSESI, we aim to build climate-smart systems that are not only adaptive but transformative,” he stated. The initiative draws on UNESCO’s Greening Education Partnership, which unites over 80 Member States and 1,300 organizations to advance four pillars: greening schools, greening curricula, greening teacher training, and greening communities. These pillars aim to create sustainable, inclusive education systems that prepare learners to mitigate and adapt to climate change.
Mohmmad Khuram Gondal, Country Director of Save the Children, reinforced the need to equip children and communities with climate resilience skills. “Pakistan is increasingly prone to climate-induced disasters, making it imperative to build resilience through a climate-responsive education system,” he said. Save the Children’s pilot on anticipatory action for education, supported by Education Cannot Wait (ECW), complements CSESI by preparing schools and communities for climate shocks before they occur.
Charting a National Workplan
The workshop served as a platform to review findings from provincial scoping consultations and assess Pakistan’s institutional readiness for climate-smart education. Participants evaluated policies, planning frameworks, and education delivery systems to identify gaps and opportunities for integrating environmental sustainability. Key discussions included:
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Greening Schools: Retrofitting schools with climate-resilient infrastructure, such as flood-resistant buildings and solar-powered systems, to withstand disasters. In 2023, only 15% of Pakistan’s schools met basic resilience standards, highlighting the need for investment.
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Greening Curricula: Expanding climate education beyond science subjects to include practical skills like disaster preparedness and sustainable practices. Pakistan’s 2024 curriculum updates introduced climate modules in grades 5–10, but implementation remains uneven.
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Greening Teacher Training: Equipping educators with the tools to teach climate literacy and resilience. A 2024 UNESCO report found that only 20% of Pakistani teachers have received climate-focused training, underscoring the need for scaled-up programs.
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Greening Communities: Engaging parents, local leaders, and students in climate action projects, such as tree planting and waste reduction, to foster community resilience.
A major outcome of the workshop was the commitment to develop a national workplan for climate-responsive education reforms. This plan will outline timelines, funding needs, and priorities for integrating climate resilience across Pakistan’s education sector, with a focus on equitable access for marginalized communities.
UNESCO’s Greening Education Partnership
Pakistan’s efforts align with UNESCO’s global push for climate-smart education. Launched in 2022, the Greening Education Partnership aims to transform education systems worldwide by 2030. Its four pillars address the multifaceted challenges of climate change:
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Greening Schools: Promoting eco-friendly school designs, such as energy-efficient buildings and water conservation systems. Globally, only 30% of schools meet basic sustainability standards, per a 2024 UNESCO survey.
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Greening Curricula: Integrating climate education into all levels of schooling to foster environmental stewardship. Over 50% of national curricula worldwide now include climate topics, up from 45% in 2020.
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Greening Teacher Training: Providing educators with resources to teach climate literacy effectively. UNESCO’s 2025 target is to train 15 million teachers globally, with 200,000 in Pakistan alone.
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Greening Communities: Encouraging schools to serve as hubs for community climate action, such as disaster preparedness workshops and renewable energy projects.
Pakistan’s participation in this global initiative, supported by UNESCO’s International Institute of Education Planning (IIEP), positions it as a leader in the Global South for climate-smart education.
Why Pakistan’s Commitment Matters
Pakistan’s vulnerability to climate change makes its investment in climate-smart education critical. The 2022 floods alone cost the education sector $1.2 billion in damages, with 17,000 schools still under repair as of 2025. Climate-induced disruptions disproportionately affect girls and rural students, exacerbating educational inequities. By prioritizing climate resilience, Pakistan aims to:
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Protect Learning Continuity: Ensure schools remain operational during floods, heatwaves, and other disasters through resilient infrastructure and anticipatory action.
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Empower Future Generations: Equip students with the knowledge to address climate challenges, from sustainable agriculture to disaster risk reduction.
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Reduce Economic Losses: Minimize the financial impact of climate disasters on education, which accounted for 10% of Pakistan’s 2022 flood recovery budget.
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Promote Equity: Address disparities in access to education, particularly for girls and marginalized communities, who are most affected by climate shocks.
Save the Children’s anticipatory action pilot, set to launch in 2026, will test early-warning systems and preemptive school closures in flood-prone areas, complementing CSESI’s systemic reforms.
Challenges and Opportunities
Despite its progress, Pakistan faces significant hurdles in implementing climate-smart education:
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Funding Gaps: The education sector receives only 2.8% of GDP (2024 data), far below the 4–6% recommended by UNESCO. Scaling up CSESI will require increased domestic and international funding.
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Teacher Capacity: With 1.8 million teachers nationwide, training programs must be rapidly expanded to meet climate literacy goals.
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Infrastructure Deficits: Over 60% of schools lack basic facilities like clean water and electricity, complicating efforts to build climate-resilient campuses.
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Policy Coordination: Aligning federal and provincial policies remains a challenge, as education is a devolved responsibility under Pakistan’s constitution.
However, opportunities abound. Pakistan’s youthful population—60% under 30—offers a vast pool of potential climate advocates. Partnerships with UNESCO, Save the Children, and GPE provide technical expertise and global visibility. Posts on X highlight growing public support for climate education, with hashtags like #ClimateSmartPakistan trending in 2025.
The Path Forward
The CSESI workshop reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to a climate-resilient education system. The forthcoming national workplan will prioritize:
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Investment in Infrastructure: Retrofitting 10,000 schools by 2030 to meet resilience standards, with a focus on flood-prone regions.
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Teacher Training Programs: Training 500,000 teachers in climate literacy by 2028, supported by UNESCO-IIEP.
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Community Engagement: Launching 1,000 school-based climate action projects, such as solar installations and community gardens, by 2027.
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Policy Reforms: Integrating climate resilience into Pakistan’s National Education Policy 2025, with clear targets for reducing disaster-related school closures.
Pakistan’s Climate Smart Education Systems
Pakistan’s Climate Smart Education Systems Initiative represents a bold vision for an education system that not only withstands climate shocks but also empowers students to lead sustainable change. By aligning with UNESCO’s Greening Education Partnership and leveraging partnerships with Save the Children and GPE, Pakistan is setting a global example for climate-resilient education. While challenges like funding and infrastructure gaps remain, the nation’s commitment to greening schools, curricula, teachers, and communities offers hope for a resilient future. As climate impacts intensify, Pakistan’s efforts to educate and empower its youth could inspire other vulnerable nations to follow suit.
