On 6 December 2023, UNU-IAS organized an event at the UN Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC COP28) focused on developing capacity for the Paris Agreement. Held at the Japan Pavilion, it engaged experts and youth to discuss challenges and opportunities for accelerating implementation of the agreement through education and training.
Opening remarks by Shinobu Yume Yamaguchi (Director, UNU-IAS) stressed that capacity gaps were undermining the ability of developing countries to meet requirements under the Paris Agreement. She introduced the UNU-IAS postgraduate degree specialization on the Paris Agreement — a new initiative launched in September 2023 to develop knowledge and technical skills for implementation. Highlighting plans to expand access to the courses, Prof. Yamaguchi underlined their potential to build much-needed climate expertise across the globe.
Akio Takemoto (Head of Programme & Administration, UNU-IAS) detailed the components of the diploma programme, including practicum training. The topics to be covered will include measurement, verification and reporting (MRV) of greenhouse gas emissions; carbon markets; and climate adaptation, loss and damage. He added that the courses will also contribute to international partnerships such as the Paris Agreement Article 6 Implementation Partnership.
A panel discussion moderated by Dr. Takemoto considered the challenges facing institutional capacity development and identified effective tools and opportunities for collaboration. Huy Luong Quang (Head, Division of GHG Emission Reduction and Ozone Layer Protection, Department of Climate Change, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Viet Nam) observed that in Viet Nam there was a need for specialized courses on climate change to train the next generation of experts. He called for programmes to train instructors on integrating climate change into their courses.
Kitzia Irina Oribe Aguilar, a first-year master’s degree student at UNU-IAS who is pursuing the new specialization, emphasized the need for a critical mass of climate expertise in policymaking. She suggested that a key priority should be strengthening knowledge in line ministries on how to link their work to climate change.
Takahiro Morita (Director General, Global Environment Department, Japan International Cooperation Agency) explained how JICA was supporting partner countries to implement the Paris Agreement through short- and long-term training. He noted that multi-stakeholder partnerships were an important tool to co-create effective programmes, and that they could be enhanced by integrating UNU-IAS knowledge on climate–SDG synergies.
In closing remarks, Yutaka Matsuzawa (Vice-Minister for Global Environmental Affairs, Ministry of the Environment of Japan) welcomed the UNU-IAS initiative to develop technical and institutional capacity, which is supported by the Ministry of the Environment of Japan. He underlined that such efforts should be scaled up to accelerate climate action, integrating the SDGs and other priorities for developing countries.
