Minister Cortes today attended the Together for Tomorrow event at COP26. A joint initiative by the UK Department for Education, Italy, UNESCO, Mock COP and Youth4Climate, the event constitutes a unique gathering of Education Ministers and Ministers responsible for Climate Change, and young people, to discuss the crucial role of education in enabling positive climate action.

A statement continued: “Education and learning are increasingly seen as key means for addressing climate change. All participating countries were encouraged to pledge commitments to education for climate change and sustainability and to closer collaboration and alignment of policies between Education and Environment ministries.”

As Minister with responsibility for both Education and Environment, Prof. Cortes made the following pledge on Gibraltar’s behalf:

“Her Majesty's Government of Gibraltar recognise fully that climate education is a crucial component in the fulfilment of a pupil's rights to quality education. Transformative learning for people and planet are now a priority. We recognise that teachers need training, support and resources, and we commit to providing all of these so that they're able to effectively and inclusively integrate sustainability and climate education into their areas of responsibility. Her Majesty's Government of Gibraltar believes that learning about the climate emergency and climate justice have to be fundamental principles of education policy, and so will enshrine this in legislation in the coming months. At the same time, we recognise the professional expertise of educators and commit to relying on them in the development of climate education. We pledge to connect information technology, digital literacy, critical thinking, teamwork and real world engagement so that our young people can be empowered and enabled to make a difference in the fight against climate change.”