Transformative Education and Climate Action: The Case for Green Jobs

TRANSFORMATIVE EDUCATION

AND CLIMATE ACTION:

The Case for

Green JobS

TRANSFORMATIVE EDUCATION

AND CLIMATE ACTION:

The Case for

Green JobS

Policy your Future recommendations in Green Jobs Paper

Policy recommendations Paper

3

Preface

Preface

The coming of age of the biggest young generation in

history will determine the course of our planet and its

people. More than ever, young people are looking for guidance

on how to contribute to a green future. The more we

empower them with knowledge and skills,

and encourage them to participate in

decision-making spaces, the more leaders

we will have whose aim is to safeguard

both people and planet.

H.E. Ban Ki-moon

8th Secretary-General of the United Nations

Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens Co-Chair

© BKMC / Martin Krachler –

BKMC Co-chair Ban Ki-moon, 2025

© BKMC / Martin Krachler – Co-chairs Ban Ki-moon and

4 Heinz Fischer with BKMC staff in Vienna, Austria, 2025

your Future in Green Jobs Policy recommendations Paper 1

Preface

Preface

H.E. Dr. Tariq Al Gurg

Chief Executive Officer & Vice-Chairman,

Dubai Cares; Board Member, Ban Ki-moon

Centre for Global Citizens

Monika Froehler

Chief Executive Officer

Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens

Today’s youth are coming of age in a world

shaped by overlapping and intensifying crises,

from climate change and resource scarcity to

deepening economic inequality. These challenges

are not only reshaping daily life but also

redefining the very purpose of education. In

this context, education systems must evolve

beyond their traditional role of credentialing.

They must become engines of agency, green

skills, and purposeful action – empowering young

people to lead the transition towards a more just,

resilient, and sustainable future.

At Dubai Cares, we believe that jobs have the

potential to become green jobs, especially

when learners are empowered with the right

mindset, skills, and pathways to embed sustainability

across all sectors. Guided by this vision,

we proudly support transformative initiatives like

the Ban Ki-moon Centre’s “Your Future in Green

Jobs” program, which equips young people with

climate literacy, mentorship, and SDG-aligned

Micro-Projects. Together, these elements provide

not only knowledge but also tangible pathways

to employability and entrepreneurship, enabling

youth to lead the transition towards a more sustainable

and inclusive future.

The experiences captured in this paper, from

the MENA region to Pakistan and beyond,

underscore the transformative impact of pairing

traditional education with mentorship and community-driven

action. They reveal that when

young people are equipped with the right tools,

inspired by role models, and given platforms to

engage, climate anxiety can be channeled into

purposeful action. In these spaces of opportunity,

youth leadership does not just emerge;

it flourishes.

To realize this transformation at scale, governments

must embed climate and sustainability

across curricula, support robust teacher training,

provide adequate resources, and reform assessment

frameworks. At the same time, the private

sector, as both a co-creator of curricula and a key

driver of skills demand, must take an active role

by investing in entry-level green jobs, apprenticeship

programs, and strategic partnerships that

open pathways for youth into a green economy.

Dubai Cares is proud to stand alongside the

Ban Ki-moon Centre in advancing this shared

vision. By mobilizing resources, convening

diverse stakeholders, and scaling proven

models, we aim to ensure that green learning

leads to green livelihoods.

This paper serves as a call to action for policymakers,

educators, and employers alike: to align

policy, pedagogy, curricula, and opportunity, so

that by 2030, millions of young people will be

equipped to lead economies that are prosperous,

inclusive, and sustainable – within the boundaries

of our planet.

In an era of escalating environmental challenges,

the transition towards a sustainable global

economy is not a choice but a necessity. Green

jobs offer one of the most powerful pathways

to address climate change and social inequity

while creating opportunities for prosperity and

inclusion. However, the next generation is not sufficiently

prepared to seize these opportunities:

research by Plan International shows that while

95 percent of young people are worried about

climate change, fewer than 30 percent feel competent

in the skills needed to address it.

Closing this gap is imperative. To respond, the

Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens, together

with Dubai Cares, Plan International, and

Unbounded Associates, developed the “Your

Future in Green Jobs” program. Through an

innovative combination – an online course, a

mentorship program, and a policy recommendation

study – young people are empowered to

choose a career that safeguards the planet and

its people.

Since the online course launched in 2023, more

than 4,000 young people worldwide have gained

knowledge on climate action and the myriad of

green career opportunities. Beyond the course,

45 changemakers were mentored to deepen

their expertise and put it into practice through

SDG Micro-Projects.

Their initiatives demonstrate how youth are

already shaping solutions: from developing

coral-safe fishing nets in India, to launching a

sustainable candle business in Switzerland and

the Philippines, to strengthening media literacy

among young people in Sri Lanka. These are

just a few examples of how young leaders are

turning ideas into action and shaping solutions

for their communities and our planet.

This policy paper builds on these experiences to

distill key findings: youth need early access to

green skills, stronger support for entrepreneurship

and innovation, and networks that link their

ideas with opportunities and partners. Most

importantly, this paper amplifies the voices of

young people themselves. It is written for you:

decision-makers, educators, employers, and

global citizens. You have the power to create

an enabling environment where youth can

truly lead the green transition.

At the Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens,

we believe that investing in young people’s

green skills is investing in our shared future. By

aligning education and employment with the

Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris

Climate Agreement, we can turn today’s challenges

into tomorrow’s opportunities. Let us

listen to youth, act on their recommendations,

and accelerate a transformation that leaves no

one behind.

2 your Future in Green Jobs Policy recommendations Paper

3

Table of Contents

abbreviations

Preface 1

Table of Contents 4

executive Summary 6

1. Introduction 8

2. Climate and Sustainability Challenges: 20

an Overview

3. Transformative education 26

Specific Policy Recommendations 30

4. Green Jobs mentorship 32


5. Intersection of Transformative education 38

and mentorship for Green Jobs


Final Policy Recommendations from Youth: BKMC Mentees 43

6. Implementation Strategies 44

Further Research 45

Mapping & Advocacy 46

Funding & Resources 46

Monitoring & Evaluation 47

7. Conclusion 48

8. Program Partners & Team Biographies 50

References 52

Appendix 1: BKMC “Your Future in Green Jobs” Program 54

Appendix 2: Comprehensive List of Policy Recommendations 58

AGF Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation

BKMC Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens

CAS Community Action Service

CCE Climate Change Education

COP Conference of the Parties

CUSP Centre for the Understanding of Sustainable Prosperity

ESD Education for Sustainable Development

GCED Global Citizenship Education

GEP Greening Education Partnership

IB International Baccalaureate

IBO International Baccalaureate Organization

ILO International Labor Organization

IPBES Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity

and Ecosystem Services

IsDB Islamic Development Bank

KII Key Informant Interview

PAA Priority Action Area

MENA Middle East and North Africa

MUN Model United Nations

NDCs Nationally Determined Contributions

NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NFE Non-Formal Education

OECD Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development

PPP Public-Private Partnership

SDG Sustainable Development Goal

SDSN Sustainable Development Solutions Network

ToT Training of Trainers

TSL Trust for Sustainable Living

UA Unbounded Associates

UN United Nations

UNDP United Nations Development Programme

UNEP United Nations Environment Programme

UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

UNICEF United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund

UNFCCC United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

UNGA United Nations General Assembly

WEF World Economic Forum

WED World Environment Day

WIA Whole Institution Approach

© BKMC / Dan Muniu – BKMC staff visiting a farm in Githunguri,

Kenya, specializing in agroecology, 2025

4 your Future in Green Jobs


5

executive Summary

This policy paper argues that equipping youth

with green skills and supporting them into

green jobs is essential to addressing the climate

crisis and building a sustainable and

inclusive future economy and society within

planetary boundaries. It presents the BKMC’s

“Your Future in Green Jobs” program, supported

by Dubai Cares and developed in partnership with

Plan International and Unbounded Associates,

Context and Problem

• Climate change, biodiversity loss, and widening social inequalities are

intensifying, demanding urgent systemic change. Currently, only 17

percent of SDG targets are on track for 2030, and 2024, for the first time,

exceeded the 1.5°C upper limit set in Paris in 2015.

• Green jobs (roles that contribute to preserving or restoring the environment,

either in traditional or emerging green sectors) are growing

globally. Nevertheless, youth are not adequately prepared: while 95 percent

worry about climate change, less than 30 percent feel they have the

skills to address it.

• At the same time, more guidance is required for education pratitioners,

with 70 percent of teachers feeling they have a lack of knowledge and

expertise to effectively prepare the next generation with climate knowledge

and sustainability overall.

• There is a major green skills gap:

LinkedIn’s Global Green Skills

Report (2024) notes green jobs

are growing faster than available

green talent, that is, those possessing

the knowledge, abilities,

values, and attitudes necessary

to build and support sustainable

development.

• The Green Jobs for Youth Pact

calls for doubling the green talent

pool by 2050.

as a methodology that combines an online

climate education course with a mentorship

program and youth-led SDG Micro-Projects. As

is evidenced, the outcome of this process is

already having a considerable positive impact

through the empowerment of youth and, in turn,

their participation and action towards the realization

of the Sustainable Development Goals

and the Paris Climate Agreement.

BkmC Program Insights

• Since 2023, over 4,000 youth have completed the

online course, and 45 changemakers (aged 14 – 20)

have received tailored mentorship to design and implement

local, community-focused, SDG Micro-Projects

ranging from regenerative agriculture in India to

gamified climate education in Pakistan and Zambia to

youth empowerment in the US and UAE towards sustainable

business ventures.

• These case studies help show that mentorship

bridges the gap between theoretical education and

real-world climate action, building young people’s

confidence, employability, and ambition in support of

safeguarding both people and planet.

Selected Policy recommendations

• Embed climate, sustainability, and green

jobs within education (UNESCO’s ESD for

2030 roadmap offers a blueprint)

• Engaging and interactive content across

K–12 and higher education curricula

• Teacher training and resources, including

Training of Trainer opportunities

• Green jobs tracks across multiple existing

and new academic course options

• Maximize the implementation and impact

of non-formal and informal education settings

• Establish national mentorship, internship,

and green career counselling programs,

incentivized through public-private partnerships

• Promote diversity and inclusive access to

opportunities (education, employment, and

entrepreneurship), ensuring participation

Principal Observations

by girls, low-income youth, and underrepresented

groups, and help amplify

their voices

• Award selected SDG Micro-Projects with

prizes to realize implementation

• Support “ecosystem approaches” combining

bottom-up (youth, community)

and top-down (government, industry)

action to align education systems with

labor market needs, as indicated by UNDP

Bangkok Regional Hub, as well as Austria’s

Federal Ministry for Climate Action, the

Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation

and Technology

• Mandate youth advisory councils, empowering

young people towards participation

and action

• Develop robust monitoring and evaluation

frameworks linked to SDG indicators

(4.7.1, 12.8.1, 13.3.1, 17.17.1) to track impact

• Transformative Education: Integrating climate change education, global citizenship,

and sustainable development across curricula is crucial for preparing youth for

green careers and sustainable action.

• Mentorship and career guidance

are critical for helping youth navigate

the transition from learning

to green employment or entrepreneurship,

especially for marginalized

groups and their empowerment.

• Systems change is required with

green jobs mainstreamed across all

sectors, and education must cultivate

both green technical skills as

well as cognitive, management,

teamwork, and other skills (such as

analytical thinking, resilience, collaboration,

and life-long learning, as

highlighted by the World Economic

Forum’s 2025 report).

Call to action

The paper calls on governments, educators, employers,

and civil society to align policy, pedagogy, and

opportunity to close the systemic learning-to-action

gap, thereby enabling millions of young people to

embark on green careers by 2030. It emphasizes that

every job has the potential to be a green job and

that youth must be empowered with knowledge,

skills, and networks. Through research, advocacy,

funding, and reporting, youth leadership towards

2030 and realizing the SDGs can continue to be harnessed.

In doing so, securing a just, prosperous, and

sustainable economy and society within planetary

boundaries for present and future generations is

within reach.


7

Introduction

1

Your Green Career contributes to the well-being of future generations,

upholds human rights, and supports the regeneration

of the natural world.

H.E. Ban Ki-moon,

8th Secretary-General of the United Nations and

Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens Co-Chair

Introduction

Supported by Dubai Cares and together with

Unbounded Associates and Plan International,

the Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens

(BKMC) designed the “Your Future in Green Jobs”

online course to empower young people to

connect their passion, interests, and skills with

meaningful green careers.

The accompanying mentorship program builds

on the knowledge gained in the online course

and offers 20 – 25 young people (14 – 20 year olds)

per cohort from the Global South and North the

opportunity to take impactful steps toward a

green career. The BKMC, in collaboration with

expert partners, developed the online course

and connected it to a mentorship program,

which provides the opportunity for mentees

worldwide to take the first steps in their green

career journeys. Selected mentees received oneon-one

mentorship from expert practitioners

in a wide variety of green disciplines and jobs,

participated in tailored workshops, and then

implemented their own SDG Micro-Projects that

tackle one or more SDGs in their communities.

Plan International’s 2022 Report, “Young People

and Green Skills – Preparing for a Sustainable

Future,” was pivotal in the immediate need to

conceptualize, prepare, and launch this program,

with the support of, and in collaboration with,

Dubai Cares. Plan International’s online survey

aimed to better understand how well-prepared

and equipped young people felt they were to

participate in emerging and changing sectors

and to drive the transformational changes required

in economies and societies to tackle the

climate crisis. Concerningly, fewer than 30 percent

reported feeling competent in green

skills, and young women felt less competent

than young men did. Many of the core

recommendations pointed to the need for a

program that strengthened inclusive education

for a just transition; provided opportunities for

youth to develop green skills; supported pathways

towards green jobs; and ensured policies

and financing to enable this transition towards

a green economy.

As part of the program, this policy recommendations

paper seeks to raise awareness of the

need to rethink green jobs, emphasize the role

of mentorship in supporting youth to pursue

meaningful green careers, and amplify young

voices in shaping a sustainable future.

SDG micro-Project

An SDG Micro-Project is a small-scale,

youth-led project that directly contributes

to advancing one or more of the United

Nations Sustainable Development Goals

(UNSDGs) at the local or community level.

They are designed, planned, and implemented

by participants of the BKMC

fellowship, leadership, or mentorship programs

to allow for youth agency and action

to advance the UN Agenda 2030.

The key objective of this paper is to provide

actionable policy recommendations for governments

worldwide to address gaps in green

jobs mentorship and transformative education.

In-depth qualitative and quantitative research

was undertaken, including key informant interviews

with program partners and education

specialists, baseline and endline surveys to



9

Introduction

Introduction

© BKMC / Christian Streili – SDG 4, Quality Education

assess the impact of the online course, and focus

groups with mentees to understand the success

of their overall experience and follow up on their

SDG Micro-Projects. Together, these elements

form the foundation of this paper, which presents

the program as a case study on innovative

(transformative) education and mentorship for

green careers, while also showcasing local

impact through youth-led projects.

Specifically, the program aims to incentivize

young learners to explore green careers and

achieve an understanding of green skills and

opportunities in this sector. Young people are

often struggling to fit into the job market; they

have difficulties finding a job that not

only supports them financially but

also contributes meaningfully to

society and plays an active role

in tackling the urgent climate

crisis. The online course enriches

knowledge on climate and

assists young people in

deciding on their career

path, thanks to information

on climate action

and green careers and an

in-built aptitude test that

inspires their thinking about

green job opportunities. This

course contributes to climate

action by making green jobs

14 - 20

age

range

45

mentees

more attractive, accessible, and achievable

for youth. The complementarity of the program

with other sector stakeholders’ efforts is evident,

such as the Sustainable Development Solutions

Network (SDSN) and its SDG Academy, with its

plethora of courses available grounded in the

SDGs. Indeed, SDSN and the network’s SDG

Academy, as well as its Global Schools Program,

founded Mission 4.7 in partnership with the

BKMC, UNESCO, and the Center for Sustainable

Development at Columbia University. Other

like-minded sector stakeholders include the

United Nations International Children’s Emergency

Fund’s (UNICEF) Education Cannot Wait,

with their call for quality education and youth

empowerment with green skills (2023), and even

the International Baccalaureate Organization’s

(IBO) action-oriented curriculum, particularly in

the Diploma Program, such as with the mandatory

component Creativity, Activity, Service

(CAS) inspiring positive social and environmental

action.

The overall Green Jobs program is realizing a

recommendation of Plan International from

their study, which found that the main barriers

identified to accessing green jobs or work for

young people were a lack of start-up capital

and skills. Increased training and education

on green skills and climate change, as well as

increased opportunities in the green economy,

were seen as priorities for future action. Through

the program and the BKMC’s expanded reach,

academia, governments, and even the Holy See

are all interested in green jobs and green skills

39

number of

projects

implemented

26

countries

represented by

mentees

1.7 m

people reached via

completed SDG

Micro-Projects

2%

LAC

5%

North America

24%

Sub-Saharan

Africa

3%

Europe &

Central Asia

Paper assumptions & limitations

• All education settings (formal, non-formal, and informal) are essential for effective, holistic

education on climate and sustainability overall

• Youth are defined as diverse young people globally, aged 14 to 20 years (NB: This reflects the

main target audience of the Your Future in Green Jobs program; however, the BKMC applies an

extended definition of youth, encompassing individuals aged 11 to 35 years across its initiatives)

• The objective of the paper was not to provide an in-depth, comprehensive review of education

systems globally

• The Austrian education system provides many of the paper’s examples, but multiple other

examples are shared from the Global South and Global North More specific national and

regional policy recommendations are to be addressed in a subsequent study; this paper

focuses on global policies to a large extent

• All jobs have the potential to be green jobs

development. On top of this, start-up capital to

support mentee projects is being considered in

a future iteration.

Located in Vienna, Austria, the BKMC was

founded in 2018 by H.E. Ban Ki-moon, the 8th

Secretary-General of the UN, and H.E. Heinz

Fischer, the 11th President of the Republic of

Austria. Among its diverse areas of expertise,

the BKMC has a strong focus on Global Citizenship

Education (GCED) and climate action.

Co-hosting the International Forum on Global

16%

MENA

27%

South Asia

23%

East Asia & Pacific

Citizenship Education, funded by the Republic of

Korea, the BKMC was also invited to contribute

to Austria’s Second Voluntary National Review

(VNR) in 2024, as well as to the main climate

conferences with a focus on actions by young

changemakers, including smallholder farmers.

The impact of the BKMC’s SDG Micro-Projects

with young changemakers to date, including

the regional distribution of the SDG Projects

globally, is highlighted in the images below.

As the last point in the box above states, this

paper advances the thesis that all jobs have the


11

Introduction

I’m convinced that we need a future where every job is a green

job… and Education for Sustainable Development and Global

Citizenship Education are the foundation for exactly that…

Sustainable Development Officer,

Federal Ministry for Climate Action, the Environment, Energy,

Mobility, Innovation and Technology, Austria

potential to be green jobs. Indeed, the growing

importance of green jobs in the context

of successfully addressing climate change and

other sustainability challenges, including biodiversity

and achieving net-zero goals, must not

be underestimated. LinkedIn’s Global Green

Jobs Report 2022 detailed, “while job postings

requiring green skills grew at 8 % annually over

the past five years, the share of green talent

has grown at roughly 6 % annually in the same

period.”

It seems apparent that under a Business as Usual

(BAU) scenario, current employment and entrepreneurship

are not alleviating environmental

and societal issues to the substantial levels

required for sustainable development. “Green

skills intensity needs to increase in every sector

and country to build the supply needed and

meet the demand required to achieve climate

goals” (LinkedIn, 2022). Indeed, with rising global

temperatures, widening inequality, and numerous

other pressing challenges (explored in detail

in Chapter III), it is clear that the system requires

urgent and dramatic reform immediately.

Yet, what exactly is meant by green jobs? 1 The

“traditional perspective” includes jobs in sectors

such as renewable energy, energy efficiency,

waste management, and environmental conservation.

Austria’s Just Transition Action Plan

suggests 100,000 green job opportunities will

be available by 2030 (Sustainable Development

Officer, Federal Ministry for Climate Action, the

Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and

Technology, Austria, 2024). For many in society,

this perspective is understandable, with work

and jobs falling in sectors that have a direct and

measurable impact on regular global climate

1 The International Labor Organization has defined green jobs as

“decent jobs that contribute to preserve or restore the environment,

be they in traditional sectors such as manufacturing and construction,

or in new, emerging green sectors such as renewable energy

and energy efficiency.”

and sustainability challenges, such as carbon

emissions.

It is becoming increasingly evident that all jobs

can, in fact, be green jobs and that the green

economy currently sits, to a large extent, outside

of the traditional economic system. Within this,

developing green skills, dramatically enlarging

the green talent pool (individuals who can be

recognized as having green skills), and spreading

more knowledge and general understanding

about how all jobs can be considered green, must

be recognized and supported comprehensively.

Otherwise, the full impact of green employment

and entrepreneurship in effectively addressing

pressing sustainable development areas and

humanitarian concerns, such as climate change,

gross inequalities, migration, and peace and justice,

will be undermined.

The content of a book holds the power

of education, and it is with this power

that we can shape our future and

change lives.

Malala Yousafzai, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate

andEducation Activist, 2013

Education provides the skills people need

to thrive in the new sustainable economy…

Perhaps most important, education

can bring about a fundamental shift in

how we think, act, and discharge

our responsibilities towards one another

and the planet.

ESDfor2030, UNESCO, 2020


1

PARIS AGREEMENT/COP21

Article 12 of the Paris Agreement,

the outcome document of

COP21, stresses that: “Parties shall

cooperate in taking measures… to

enhance climate change education,

training, public awareness, public

participation and public access to

information…”

ARTICLE 6

UN FRAMEWORK

Article 6 of the UN

Framework Convention on

Climate Change is dedicated

to education, training,

public awareness and access

to information related

to climate..

AICHI-NAGOYA

DECLARATION ON ESD


3

The Aichi-Nagoya Declaration

on ESD was adopted at the

UNESCO World Conference on

ESD (2014 in Japan) and

reaffirms ESD as a vital

means of implementation

for sustainable

development.

an enabling international

policy environment

The important role of education in addressing climate

change and sustainable development has been confirmed

by several international agreements:

5

2

LIMA

4

SUSTAINABLE

MINISTERIAL

DECLARATION ON EDUCATION

AND AWARENESS-RAISING

The Lima Ministerial

Declaration on Education and

Awareness-raising, adopted at

COP20, calls for including climate

change in school curricula and

development plans.

DEVELOPMENT

GOALS (SDGS)

Introduction

The Sustainable Development

Goals on education (Goal 4) and

climate change (Goal 13) recognize

the importance of ESD and education’s

role in climate change responses.

Target 4.7 urges that “by 2030 all learners

acquire knowledge and skills needed

to promote sustainable development…”

Target 13.3 calls to “improve education,

awareness raising and human and

institutional capacity on

climate change…”

13

Introduction

Introduction

Central to addressing these challenges, both

from a long-term perspective and in terms of

more immediate solutions, is education. The

BKMC’s program directly addresses this with

1.) a free informative online self-paced course

and aptitude test in English on what green jobs

are, and 2.) a selected mentorship program with

course subscribers to ideate and implement SDG

Micro-Projects globally at the grassroots level.

Part of effectively managing the increasing

demand for green skills and greening skills

long-term is the development of holistic green

curricula within education systems globally.

“Making the green economy as a part of their

system (education), building green curricula,”

and at the same time including “green heroes

and orienting pathways” directly from the new

green curriculum are vital for success (Christina

Kwauk, Co-Founder and Chief Technical Officer,

Unbounded Associates, 2024). In addition, curricula

that address all facets of GCED and Education

for Sustainable Development (ESD), including

Climate Change Education (CCE), are essential,

since all help prepare young learners

for employment and entrepreneurship in the

green economy, and the economy more broadly.

This paper combines these disciplines and utilizes

the common term of Transformative

Education, i.e., addressing Sustainable Development

Goal (SDG) targets 4.7, 12.8, and 13.3, and

acknowledging the importance of developing

green knowledge and skills that directly lead

© BKMC – Your Future in Green Jobs Mentee Ji-Ho Lee

visiting the BKMC office in Vienna, 2024

Transformative education empowers

learners of all ages with the knowledge,

skills, values, and attitudes to address

the interconnected global challenges

we are facing, including climate change,

environmental degradation, loss of

biodiversity, poverty, and inequality.

It builds a sense of belonging to a common

humanity and helps them become

responsible and active global citizens in

building inclusive, peaceful, and

sustainable societies.

UNESCO Beirut Multisectoral Regional Office,

Transformative Education, 2025

to green jobs. Examples of BKMC mentees who

implemented SDG Micro-Projects have been

incorporated into this paper.

National education systems are guided by overarching

global frameworks and best practices

towards successfully providing quality, transformative

education. The types of careers young

people can aspire to in order to satisfy their passions

and purpose while also positively impacting

the economy, environment, and society, whether

that be through green jobs or green entrepreneurship

and the future economy, is important. In

the exploration of green jobs for the betterment

of the environment and society, all opportunities,

both employment and entrepreneurial, must be

welcomed and indeed embraced to maximize

positive development and impacts. Globally,

LinkedIn’s 2024 Global Green Skills Report called

for a doubling of the green talent pool by 2050 to

keep pace with projected demand.

The Green Jobs for Youth Pact brought together

employers, governments, youth, and education

partners working towards these objectives by

2030 and recognizing the need for “promoting

green jobs with and for young people around

the world in high-impact sectors.” Led by the

International Labor Organization (ILO), United

Nations Environment Program (UNEP), United

Nations International Children’s Emergency

Fund (UNICEF), and Generation Unlimited, the

pact highlighted the “need to double the size of

the green talent pool by 2050 to keep pace with

projected demand.” Specific commitments and

© BKMC / Laura López – Illustration of Your Future in Green Jobs Mentee Emaan Danish Khan's SDG Micro-Project

"Earth Warriorz" from Pakistan, 2024

mentee SpotlighT

Emaan Danish Khan’s Earth Warriorz SDG

Micro-Project exemplifies the impact BKMC

mentees can have. Building on the comprehensive

online course, she developed an interactive,

gamified climate education portal alongside

in-person training sessions, with a special focus

on indigenous communities in her country. As

she explains, Pakistan is one of the top 10 countries

most affected by climate change, where an

estimated 10 million children are at risk. Her

project made climate knowledge, entrepreneurial

skills, and self-reliance both localized

and accessible, directly benefiting 500 students

and reaching 80,000 more through online

engagement. Emaan’s project covered multiple

SDGs, with a particular focus on SDG4 (Quality

Education) and SDG13 (Climate Action).

© BKMC / Emaan Danish Khan – Your Future in Green Jobs Mentee

Emaan Danish Khan with students of her SDG Micro-Project "Earth

Warriorz", which brings critical gaps in climate education in Pakistan's

vulnerable indigenous communities, 2024



15

Introduction

Introduction

The BKMC program directly addresses this aspect

through its expert mentors. Program mentors are

detailed comprehensively in a subsequent section.

Understanding what jobs will be most available

in 2030 and the core and fastest growing skills

is essential to successfully bridging the gap

between transformative education and green

jobs mentorship, and thereby ensuring young

people can be well-prepared for upcoming

employment and entrepreneurship opportunities.

The 2025 World Economic Forum’s “The

Future of Jobs Report” details extensively what

the largest (and fastest) growing jobs will be

by 2030, the core skills in 2025, and the fastest

growing sectors by 2030 (within the private sector

only). Gathering the perspectives of 1,000

leading employers, representing 14 million workers,

across 22 sectors in 55 economies worldwide,

it is immediately clear how green jobs can be

evident across a wide number of the top 15

largest growing jobs by 2030, ranging from

agricultural workers and teachers, to software

and applications developers and counselors. At

the same time, the core skills in 2025 of analytical

thinking, resilience, flexibility, and agility are

intrinsic to green jobs. Although dramatic technological

advancement will continue to 2030,

and AI, big data, networks and cybersecurity

will be the #1 and #2 fastest growing skills, other

more “traditional” skills for green jobs are evident,

and, interestingly, environmental stewardship is

featured at #10. As the 2025 report states, “technological

change, geoeconomic fragmentation,

economic uncertainty, demographic shifts, and

the green transition – individually and in combination

- are among the major drivers expected

to shape and transform the global labor market

by 2030.”

© BKMC / Eugénie Berger – Participants from the BKMC's Women’s Empowerment Program (GCC 2019) take part in a guided tour of the

UN organizations in Vienna, 2019

targets in place are to

• Create one million new green jobs for youth

with a particular focus on young women

• Accelerate the greening of one million existing

jobs

• Support 10,000 young entrepreneurs to establish

and/or grow sustainable green businesses,

while contributing to the creation of green

jobs for their peers

This type of development helps build towards

the ultimate ambition of an integrated green

economy within the world economy as a whole,

thereby addressing the extraordinary challenges

ahead. Similarly, the Al Ghurair Foundation’s Middle

East & North Africa (MENA) region research

calculated that green jobs grew by 9.2 percent

annually between 2018 and 2023, whereas green

talent only increased by 5.4 percent. The UAE is

the first country in this region to commit to a

net-zero goal by 2050, resulting in an estimated

83,000 new green jobs by 2030 (AGF, 2024).

Therefore, how youth are supported and guided

towards these green jobs is important, with

mentorship and internship opportunities crucial

to success.

The transition from academic environments

to real-world activism

remains challenging and uncertain for

many young leaders. Without proper

guidance, the ability of youth to deliver

on their full potential becomes threatened.

Mentors can be found in various

settings but may not provide the

necessary guidance for becoming agents

of change. Youth driving sustainable development

efforts face challenges

that can negatively impact their emotional

well-being, so it is crucial to connect

their individual concerns with collective

action through targeted guidance and

support. This is essential for ensuring their

continued contribution and preventing

burnout and eco-anxiety,

especially given the mental health crisis

among young people emerging from the

COVID-19 pandemic.

Center for Sustainable Development at

Columbia University and the University of Waterloo,

Canada, Sustainable Development

Solutions Network, 2024

© World Economic Forum, Future of Jobs Report 2025


17

Introduction

© BKMC / Martin Krachler – SDG 13, Climate Action

Policy recommendations should be tailored to different regions of

the world, with attention on how to best create policy changes

and implementation in different contexts. Green economies vary

across the world, and therefore differentiated policies for each

local/national area must be created.

Christina Kwauk,

Unbounded Associates


As the key objective of this paper is to provide

actionable policy recommendations for governments

worldwide to address gaps in transformative

education and green jobs mentorship,

the recommendations will be of a general global

nature. It is acknowledged that national / regional

policies are required, and this could be suitable

for a follow-up study (as stated in the paper’s

assumptions and limitations box earlier).

© BKMC / Emaan Danish Khan – Your Future in Green Jobs Mentee

Emaan Danish Khan with students of her SDG Micro-Project "Earth

Warriorz", which brings critical gaps in climate education in Pakistan's

vulnerable indigenous communities, 2024


19

kapitel

Climate and Sustainability Challenges: an Overview

2

Climate and

Sustainability

Challenges: an Overview

Planet Earth’s Nine Planetary Boundaries,

in-depth research utilized by many parties,

including the Intergovernmental Panel on

Climate Change and for the 2015 Paris Climate

Agreement (see below), from Professor Johan

Rockström, who leads a team of scientists at the

Stockholm Resilience Centre (2009, and updated

in 2015 and 2023), highlights the extremely precipitous

state of the planet. Imagery shows

global warming and other dramatic impacts

from human activities on the planet, including

climate change, ocean acidification, land-system

change, and freshwater use. By 2023, six of the

nine boundaries had passed the acceptable

threshold of these indicators that regulate the

stability and resilience of the Earth, and, just as

this paper was being published (October, 2025),

a seventh boundary was reported as breached,

that of ocean acidification (Planetary Boundaries

Science, 2025).

© Azote for Stockholm Resilience Centre, based on analysis in Richardson et al., 2023

Meeting the needs of the present without

compromising the ability of future generations

to meet their own needs.

Our Common Future, Brundtland Report (1987)

Taking a step back historically, this definition for

sustainable development was published by the

Brundtland Report, Our Common Future, in the

buildup to the United Nations Conference on

Environment and Development (UNCED), Earth

Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, and has been

widely accepted until the present day. Successfully

maintaining Earth’s structures that enable

all species to survive and thrive is imperative, and

other social, environmental, and economic goals

are critical. The SDGs, the globally agreed framework

for development targets and indicators,

developed over three years by the Open Working

Group from the Rio+20 2012 Conference, and

launched in January 2016, soon after 2015’s Paris

Climate Conference (COP21), are thus essential.

As governments worldwide continue to commit

to the SDGs, official communications are made

through their publications of VNRs and are

directly linked to the Paris Climate Agreement

and Nationally Determined Contributions

(NDCs). Worked on extensively through the

annual High-Level Political Forums in July in

New York, the SDGs remain the focal point.

Though there is some room for optimism, at

the midpoint of the journey towards 2030, only

17 percent of SDG targets are currently on track

to be achieved. Disappointingly, minimal progress

is being made on nearly 50 percent of the

targets, and, concerningly, progress towards

33 percent of the targets has either stalled or

even regressed. Halfway through the UN-led



21


© Sustainable Development Goals, 2015

The Paris Agreement is a landmark in

the multilateral climate change process

because, for the first time, a binding agreement

brings all nations together

to combat climate change and adapt

to its effects.

UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, 2016

Timeline

of key events

RewirEd Summit at COP28;

Dubai

2023

2023

2019


BKMC Your Future in Green Jobs

program; Vienna

Climate Stripes by Professor Ed Hawkins;

University of Reading, UK

Decade of Action to accelerate achievement of

the SDGs, the latest report (2025) incorporates

200,000+ data points to produce over 200 country

and regional SDG profiles.

At COP21, the Paris Climate Agreement on

climate change was officially agreed upon and

adopted by 195 UN Member States, as the first

universal, legally binding global climate agreement.

Among other important elements, the

primary goal and chief declaration was that

each of the 195 parties accepted their obligation

to limit the increase in global average temperature

to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels.

Indeed, the major rhetoric to emerge from COP21

was that the world must pursue efforts to limit

the increase to 1.5°C, and this became almost a

calling card, with slogans such as “1.5 to stay alive”

or “keep 1.5 within reach.” Nevertheless, this challenge

remains prevalent, and much-needed

action is still required, with current estimations

of 1.2°C of the Earth’s temperature warmer than

the global average temperature in the late 1880s,

with 2024 being the world’s warmest year since

records began in 1850 (National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration, 2025). As with all

agreements, the Paris Climate Agreement is

reliant on political will, which changes from election

to election, in country after country. Despite

this, the agreement has focused nations’ activities

and actions towards limiting temperature

increases through the reduction of greenhouse

gas emissions, and, more recently, other solutions,

such as carbon capture and sequestration.

Professor Edward Hawkins at the University of

Reading, UK, created the Climate Stripes, impactful

imagery detailing the dramatic warming of

the planet since 1850 (or, if data exists, even earlier

from 1775 in the case of the city of Vienna in

Image 2). Each colored vertical line indicates one

year, with blue representing cooler temperature

years and red the warmer years on record. The

darkest red colors, indicating the hottest years,

are evident in particular throughout the last

decade.

As is evident within the Planetary Boundaries,

more sustainability challenges are present. Biodiversity

loss is perhaps best exemplified by World

Wildlife Fund (WWF) research, stating the “average

change in observed population sizes of 5,495

vertebrate species. It shows a decline of 73 %

between 1970 and 2020,” in WWF’s 2024 Living

© Climate Stripes for the City of Vienna, Austria, 2025

Planet Report. Indeed, it is only six years since

the UN special report by the Intergovernmental

Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem

Services (IPBES) warned that “1,000,000

species (are) threatened with extinction.”

Professor Tim Jackson’s Centre for the Understanding

Sustainable Prosperity (CUSP) and his

publications, such as Prosperity Without Growth

and more recently The Care Economy, have

been central to the development of an understanding

of how economies could be structured

to enable this thriving, rather than surviving of

planetary systems along with prosperity for all.

CUSP works with people, policy, and business

to develop pragmatic steps towards shared and

UN Report (officially by Intergovernmental

Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and

Ecosystem Services) saying that nature’s

dangerous decline is ‘unprecedented’ and

one million species are at risk of extinction;

Paris

Sustainable Development Goals;

New York

Open Working Group for the SDGs;

New York

Prosperity Without Growth book by

Professor Tim Jackson; London

Earth Summit', officially The United

Nations Conference on Environment and

Development; Rio de Janeiro

2019

2017

2016

2015

2013

2012

2009

2009

1992

1987

Doughnut Economics book

by Kate Raworth; London

Paris Climate Agreement at COP21;

Paris

'Rio + 20', officially United Nations

Conference on Sustainable Development;

Rio de Janeiro

Planetary Boundaries;

Stockholm

Brundtland Report:

Our Common Future, including Definition of

Sustainable Development; New York


23



lasting prosperity within environmental, social,

and economic limits. How to best understand

successful human operations within planetary

boundaries is extremely challenging overall.

Another Member of the Club of Rome, alongside

Tim Jackson, is Kate Raworth and her Doughnut

Economics framework that attempts to highlight

just that challenge. The framework marks

out the nine boundaries and then, inside these,

twelve selected dimensions for the social foundation,

taken from global indicators and modeled

on the SDGs. This working framework indicates

that “between social and planetary boundaries

lies an environmentally safe and socially just

space in which humanity can thrive.”

sensitized towards sustainable development.

Thus, the work of Jackson, Raworth, and others

(including the BKMC program) has a positive

impact on planetary boundaries.

Climate change and environmental

degradation are gender, intergenerational,

social and economic justice

issues… Today’s young people will have to

live with the increasingly severe impacts

of the climate crisis for the longest and

are increasingly concerned about the

impacts on their lives and futures…

If well managed, this transition (from

fossil fuels to the green economy) can

tackle the climate crisis, protect the

environment, and advance gender

equality and inter-generational equity,

all while creating millions of jobs.

Plan International, 2022

© BKMC / Laura López – Illustration of Your Future in Green Jobs Mentee Ved Solanke's SDG Micro-Project “Ecological Agrifood Production and

Consumption” from India, 2024

© The Doughnut of Social and Planetary Boundaries,

Kate Raworth, 2017

mentee SpotlighT

Doughnut Economics’ principles were adopted

by several global cities, including London, Melbourne,

Geneva, and San Francisco. The city of

Amsterdam, the earliest adopter in 2019, has

been identifying social and ecological challenges,

which in turn inform policy and city planning,

such as becoming 100 % circular by 2050 (Ellen

Macarthur Foundation, 2024), through its

Doughnut Economics Action Lab (DEAL) and

specifically the City Portrait methodology. Local

partners for other cities have been similarly

supportive, such as the California Doughnut

Economics Coalition in San Francisco. These city

efforts testify that the demand for green skills

and green jobs overall will undoubtedly rise and

that economies benefit from a young population

© BKMC / ZoomAfrica – 2022 BKMC Youth AgriChampion Tabitha

Gichuru hosting a field trip for the BKMC team

during Africa Climate Week 2023 in Nairobi, Kenya

India’s Ved Solanke’s SDG Micro-Project implements

regenerative agricultural systems, whilst

addressing extreme social and well-being challenges

among the agriculture sector in his region of

Maharashtra, western India. By raising awareness

on crop diversity, positive outcomes included the

following: 275 farmers engaged, an increase from

five to 20 crops on average, increased revenues,

greater biodiversity, soil carbon sequestration,

and fewer chemical fertilizers and pesticides

used. Thus, Ved’s successful project with its sustainable

agriculture approach addressed several

SDGs, particularly SDG 2 (Zero Hunger).

© BKMC / Ved Solanke – Your Future in Green Jobs Mentee

Ved Solanke collecting data for his SDG Micro-Project “Ecological

Agrifood Production and Consumption” in India, 2024


25

kapitel

Transformative education

We do need to reform schooling so that students can tackle the problems

of the future. We’re operating in outdated educational systems

based on old-world cookie-cutter approaches. Unfortunately, students

often get out of their schooling systems not prepared for the

business world, for the climate world, for the rapidly advancing technological

world… Yes, we need major reforms in education.

3Transformative

Monika Froehler,

Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens CEO

education

70 % of UK teachers feel they have

not received adequate training on

any aspects of climate change to be able

to teach it effectively.

Teach The Future, 2021

Private school teachers feel

significantly more confident than

public school teachers in explaining

ESD and GCED themes across all

three dimensions

(Cognitive, Behavioral, Socioemotional).

Carnegie Mellon University - Qatar, 2023

Only one in three respondents to the Plan

International Study on Green skills reported

that their education had completely prepared

them to address the impacts of climate change.

In addition, an in-depth assessment of UK

teachers in the youth-led research conducted

at Teach the Future in 2021 highlighted how

nearly three-quarters of education practitioners

felt they lacked adequate knowledge and skills

to be able to effectively teach climate change.

Furthermore, “41 % of teachers say climate

change is rarely or never mentioned in their

schools” and “only 17 % say climate change is

mentioned in core subjects other than science

and geography” (SOS UK, 2021).

In the case of Austria, the education system “has

a lot of autonomy, but (is) lacking the resources

to support teachers to bring the material into

their lessons… (with) teachers struggling to gain

access to materials” (Sustainable Development



Technology, Austria).

As Carnegie Mellon Qatar’s study indicates, the

challenge is not only with teachers in general;

there is a significant difference between private

and public school teachers when it comes to confidence

in explaining transformative education.

The impact of NFE and informal education must

be better understood with Training of Trainer

workshops (ToTs) and many other activities and

systems. Thus, challenges range from adequate

teacher preparedness to having the resources

available for successful implementation.

A pioneering study initiated in the UAE, part of

the BIG GREEN Legacy Pulse initiative, saw Project

Everyone (World’s Largest Lesson) partner

with the country’s Ministry of Education and be

supported by AGF in 2025. The initiative digitally

surveyed 72,000 young people (12-22 year olds)

on their views about CCE in the country. One

of the core principles was to “seek to empower

young people and give them active say in

climate and sustainability-related education

pathways,” and for informed improvements to

curricula to take place based on key research

data.

In the case of Austria, “curricular reform for primary

and for secondary schools in terms of ESD

being a cross-cutting principle is advocated for

and implemented” (Sustainable Development



Technology, Austria, 2024). An alternative stance

on the education system is that a full system

overhaul is required.



27

kapitel


© GEMS Education – Co-chair Ban Ki-moon visits GEMS School in Dubai, 2020

Of course, there are also NFE and informal

education settings that could provide Transformative

Education. Activities referenced as part

of the reporting on United Nations Framework

Convention for Climate Change (UNFCCC) submissions

are training, public awareness, public

participation, public access to information, and

international cooperation on these issues.

Just one example of the clear, positive opportunity

within informal education for raising

knowledge on climate change is the traditional

knowledge held within indigenous societies

that can be passed on from generation to generation.

The Intergen Knowledge Exchange

(IKE) within SDSN’s paper, released at COP28 in

Dubai, highlighted how the ability to embed IKE

in educational approaches ensures that learning

passes from generation to generation informally,

as well as being embedded into more formal

structures.

Furthermore, climate scientists can provide

up-to-date research and findings, complementing

intergenerational conversations. Indeed,

public policy institutes (think tanks) can support

in ensuring climate and all sustainability

information is correct and up to date, through

knowledge production and conferences, as well

as by creating safe and inclusive spaces for communities

to access data (Sarine Karajerjian, Arab

Reform Initiative, 2025). In this way, a laser focus

KE is a central and well-proven component

of educational approaches in many

Indigenous communities. The Constitution

of the Haudenosaunee (or Iroquois)

Confederacy, for example, states that all

people must “Look and listen for the

welfare of the whole people and have

always in view not only the present but

also the coming generations…

Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia

University and the University of Waterloo, Canada, SDSN, 2024

on factual climate reporting is accessible and in

societal communications.

UNESCO’s ESDfor2030 program provides opportunities

for increasing education practitioners’

capacities, with multiple webinar series available

either worldwide or through targeted, regional

programs. The Greening Education Partnership

(GEP) and the ESD network (ESD-NET) community

are practical developments helping to

address the very concerning headline statistic

in the paper section. Importantly, practitioners

across all educational paradigms are engaged,

such as Ministries of Education and Environment,

schools, NFE and informal programs and centers,

civil society, INGOs and NGOs, academia, and UN

chairs. The ESDfor2030 roadmap highlights five

priority action areas (PAAs): 1. Advancing policy;

2. Transforming learning environments; 3. Building

capacities of educators; 4. Empowering and

mobilizing youth; and 5. Accelerating local-level

action.

All stakeholders, from Ministries of Education

to the private sector, and from UN agencies

and the international development infrastructure

to local, grassroots civil society actors,

are essential for the successful adoption of

transformative education. Within education

systems, this must be prevalent in both K-12

and Higher Education levels, across all formal,

non-formal, and informal education settings,

thereby ensuring that all learners have access

to transformative education.

There is certainly an appetite worldwide for

education practitioners developing knowledge

and skills in transformative education. In line

with this, the UNESCO and UNFCCC collaborative

event on World Environment Day (WED)

of 2025 welcomed 300 in-person participants

and another 300 online. Even more recently,

and highly relevant to this paper, the July 2025

webinar from both UN agencies supported a

focus on non-formal and informal education for

green skills applicable to work and life in local

communities, with global case study examples

from Vietnam, South Sudan, and Australia.

Similarly, WED saw global presentations in, for

example, Lebanon, South Korea, Zimbabwe, and

Peru. These learning sessions are vital to raising

capacities worldwide among education practitioners

on the latest transformative education

knowledge, skills, and best practices, as well as

providing opportunities for networking and collaborations

to prosper. Indeed, the Peru example

highlighted partnerships across the Americas,

including Canada and Costa Rica, showing collaborative

efforts in developing strategies and

harnessing impact. New material from UNESCO’s

GEP program, such as the Green School Quality

Standard and Greening Curriculum Guidance,

is valuable in supporting education systems

around the world, particularly as new translations

are constantly being generated.

Capacity development has been a major

focus of this Transformative Education section.

non-Formal education

Case Study

Aligned with the ESDfor2030 program

and GEP, the Trust for Sustainable Living’s

global student ESD competition provides

an interactive and accessible model for

young learners to participate in addressing

global challenges, launched at the Rio+20

Conference on Sustainable Development

in 2012 (20 years after Earth Summit in the

same location). The most recent focus,

“From Eco-Anxiety to Eco-Action,” called on

students worldwide to express their perspectives

on the topic and generate local

actions that can, in turn, have a positive

impact globally. The winner, a 14-year-old

from London, who crafted a rap song, has

received significant publicity highlighting

the general public’s ability to be engaged

with these critical issues in unique formats

(BBC, 2025). This is just one example of

NFE complementing more formal educational

practices through partnership and

collaboration. Indeed, the promotion of

this and other worthwhile ESD competitions

in support of student knowledge and

action is just one policy recommendation

of many, as listed below within this transformative

education section.

Nevertheless, it must be remembered that other

areas within the formal education system and

in NFE and informal settings are important. For

example, the Whole Institution Approach (WIA)

aims to support the whole child, school, and

community, through key areas as indicated in

the ESDfor2030 Roadmap and the five PAAs.

Transformative education is a new way of

asking an old question: the question concerning

the potential change

for individuals brought about by

learning and education and the

effectiveness of pedagogical action in

achieving social change.

Maria Blomenhofer, Austrian Youth Delegate,

UNECE, Item 3a May, 2024


29



Specific Policy

recommendations

As stated, this paper presents actionable policy

recommendations for governments to address

gaps in transformative education and green jobs

mentorship. The following insights are grounded

in comprehensive qualitative and quantitative

research, including expert interviews, surveys

evaluating the online course, and focus groups

with mentees reflecting on their mentorship

program experience and SDG Micro-Projects, as

well as an in-depth literature review. This body

of evidence forms the foundation for the recommendations

that follow.

Without the implementation of significant changes and laws that actually target the

responsible parties, not one single issue concerning climate change, biodiversity loss and

many more can be solved. It is crucial that transformative and quality education is

supported by all Member States and that also Youth is supported in the process. Only by

doing so can we hope to build a more sustainable and just world. The urgency of the

situation demands immediate action. We must all commit to making a significant

difference for our planet and future generations, starting now.

Maria Blomenhofer, Austrian Youth Delegate, UNECE, Item 3a May, 2024

TRANSFORMATIVE

EDUCATION (K-12)

JUSTIFICATION

TRANSFORMATIVE

EDUCATION (HIGHER ED.)

JUSTIFICATION

Integrate CCE across subjects (science,

economics, geography), i.e., the subject is transdisciplinary,

across formal education settings

(as well as NFE and informal)

“I would say a policy that I can imagine is to…

mandate having green curricula or… more

climate-related curricula within schools” (Ban

Almufleh, Senior Program Officer, Dubai Cares,

2024)

Introduce green job tracks within existing

degrees, particularly in fields like engineering,

business, or even policy

“The education gap is not closing: Green talent

is growing faster among members with a

Bachelor’s Degree or more, than among members

with a High School Diploma” (LinkedIn

Report, 2022).

Ensure students are encouraged to take practical

steps/actions towards climate mitigation

and adaptation as part of their learning journey

IB Teaching Pedagogy and Learners’ Inquiry

Cycle, such as in the IB Primary Years Programme

(IBPYP)

Establish new academic course options

For example, Vienna’s University of Economics

and Business launched a Master’s Program in

Socio-Ecological Economics and Policy

Support teacher training to ensure robust

climate knowledge

As evident from the section above

Support higher education projects through

sustainability awards

Multiple opportunities include the Zayed Prize,

the Earth Shot Prize, the Ashden Awards, the

Hult Prize, the Wege Prize, and UNICEF.

Ensure teachers consider integrating gamification

into learning

Examples include Minecraft’s Climate Futures

Education Edition, Microsoft (see UNDP program

below), BKMC online climate course, Earth Warriorz

(Emaan’s SDG Micro-Project)

Embed into more formal and non-formal education

systems

“We try to turn all of our materials into a ToT

funnel…” so all education practitioners and the

learners they serve can benefit (Dinh-Long

Pham, UNDP Bangkok, 2024).

Promote a WIA to ESD

Create new and support existing ESD national

and international competitions for young

learners


Examples include: TSL, Earth Prize, UNESCO-Japan

Prize on Education for Sustainable Development,

Model United Nations (MUN) competitions, such

as India’s Harvard MUN, which hosts 1,500 Indian

schools and 1,000 in-person attendees

Make connections between transformative education

and entrepreneurship education, and

integrate all topics into national curricula


Ensure transformative education is available for

all equally and/or equitably, serving all diverse

learners



31

kapitel

Green Jobs mentorship

Young people are not a monolithic group, so you need to really

break down different segments and work with relevant partners to

reach a specific youth community.

4Green Jobs

mentorship

Dinh-Long Pham,

Youth Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation Coordinator,

UNDP Bangkok Regional Hub

With the 2030 deadline right around the

corner, broadening mentorship opportunities

for young people to gain practical

know-how is critical so they develop the

confidence needed to drive sustainable

solutions at scale. When youth are given

the chance to apply their ideas, learn

by doing, and receive proper guidance,

they start to bridge their values with bold

actions that create real impact.

Nicholas Palaschuk, University of Waterloo,

Canada, 2024

Mentorship programs are invaluable for young

people, as they not only expand their knowledge

but, more importantly, provide hands-on guidance

and real-world feedback that help youth

develop practical skills, build confidence, and

navigate personal and professional challenges.

Grouped with mentorship can be opportunities

for internships, networking, and career guidance

(UA’s “Green Counsellor” for example, 2024).

Such additional support that complements the

traditional education system is essential to the

achievements and well-being of youth, and their

positive impact on planetary boundaries, operating

within the safe and just space detailed within

Doughnut Economics.

There are significant challenges for youth entering

the workplace without these additional

supportive activities. For example, a lack of experience,

skills gaps, mental health concerns, and

navigating workplace culture are some of the

major challenges that most young people are

concerned about, and no doubt experience on

their initial career journey.

Programs offered must be as diverse and inclusive

as possible. All too often, such opportunities

are only accessible for children and youth in

the Global North, and, even within those countries,

for those from certain socio-economic

backgrounds, or for youth in the Global South

who already have access to these opportunities

through family or education networks, with

the UN, politics, or the private sector, for example.

Those young learners who are marginalized

in society must be provided for in an equal way.

Women, ethnic groups, people with disabilities,

and young people coming from lower socio-economic

backgrounds should be able to more

successfully access employment (and entrepreneurship)

opportunities through inclusive and

expansive programming.

Perhaps best explained by a BKMC Mentee, and

continuing the ongoing thesis of this paper, all

jobs really can be green jobs when looked at

through the appropriate lens, a lens which is

fundamental to planetary and societal wellbeing

and prosperity.

Green jobs align profession with purpose, empowering us to make

choices that deliver lasting value for both people and the planet. And

when guided by sustainable values, these choices in return build resilience

for future generations.

Ji-Ho Lee,

Youth Environmental Advocate,

BKMC Green Jobs mentorship program Cohort 1, Austria and Korea


33



The BkmC

mentorship Program

A cornerstone of the program is its

mentorship component, designed to

empower young changemakers through

guidance, expertise, and practical support.

Each mentee, including Ji-Ho,

Emaan, and Ved, is paired with a mentor

whose skills and experience align

closely with the mentee’s career aspirations

and project focus. These pairings

are carefully considered by the Program

Manager, ensuring both complementary

expertise and strong interpersonal fit.

Mentorship sessions are held primarily

on a one-on-one basis, providing a

safe space for personal guidance and

growth. The format varies depending

on the needs and preferences of each

mentoring pair, and sessions are complemented

by cohort check-ins with the

Program Manager as well as bespoke

expert workshops. These workshops are

tailored to the cohort’s interests, identified

skill gaps, and SDG Micro-Projects,

covering topics such as proposal

writing, pitching for impact, communications,

and fundraising practice.

The mentors themselves represent a

diverse and highly skilled community.

They include BKMC alumni such as

EVWA Champion Njieforti Princewill

Gana, Youth Agrichampions and Global

Citizen Scholarship alumni, as well

as employees from partner organizations

(e.g., UNSDSN) and members of

partner networks (Plan International,

Unbounded Associates, Dubai Cares,

UNDP, and others). Together, they bring

expertise across a wide spectrum of

green jobs and related fields, ranging

from education, agriculture, and climate

to diplomacy, renewable energy,

social entrepreneurship, natural resource

management, chemistry and

innovation, peace and security, and just

transition.

The matching process is led by mentees,

who indicate their top three preferences

for potential mentors. These preferences

are then reviewed and finalized by the

Program Manager to ensure strong

alignment. Open and timely communication

is encouraged from both sides,

and matches are regularly revisited to

maximize impact. Mentees are expected

to proactively reach out to their mentor,

schedule meetings, and update the

Program Manager on progress.

Through this carefully structured yet

flexible approach, the mentorship program

not only deepens technical and

strategic knowledge but also builds

confidence, strengthens networks, and

fosters leadership, thereby equipping

young participants to drive the green

transition in their communities and

beyond.

© Dubai Cares – Your Future in Green Jobs Mentee Lateefa Alnoaimi with BKMC CEO Monika Froehler speaking at the panel discussion

“Green Jobs: Pacing the Way to a Sustainable Future” at the RewirEd Summit during COP28 in Dubai, UAE, 2023

Our mentees and mentors

Mentees

Mentors

© BKMC – Your Future in Green Jobs Mentorship Closing

Ceremony, 2024



35



Specific Policy

recommendations

GREEN JOBS MENTORSHIP

POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS

JUSTIFICATION

Establish mentorship programs within climate /

sustainability government initiatives


Potentially incentivize mentorship through

corporate tax breaks or funding for businesses

offering green job internships/apprenticeships/

full employment


© BKMC / Laura López – Illustration of Your Future in Green Jobs Mentee Lateefa Alnoaimi's SDG Micro-Project "Mshroo3i"

(My Startup) from Bahrain, 2024

mentee SpotlighT

Mshroo3i (My Startup in Arabic), led by Lateefa

Alnoaimi, based in the UAE, empowers youth to

create sustainable ventures by providing practical

knowledge, learning modules, real-life

success stories, and interactive tools that integrate

economic, social, and environmental considerations.

The platform fosters skills in business

planning, sustainability integration, and critical

thinking, inspiring a shift toward sustainabilitydriven

ventures and building networks for collaboration.

By equipping young innovators with

tools and resources, Mshroo3i aims to support

SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) and

SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production),

helping youth tackle pressing challenges

like climate change, resource scarcity, and social

inequality.

© Dubai Cares – Your Future in Green Jobs Mentee Lateefa Alnoaimi

speaking at the panel discussion “Green Jobs: Pacing the Way to a

Sustainable Future” at the RewirEd Summit during COP28 in Dubai,

UAE, 2023

Mandate Youth advisory councils

Invest in both green entrepreneurship and

green jobs

Grants for entrepreneurship that are matched

by Governments

Examples include Iceland’s children involved in

planning (Sustainable Development Officer,

Federal Ministry for Climate Action, the Environment,

Energy, Mobility, Innovation and

Technology, Austria, 2024) and Mongolia with

representative infrastructure that includes a

teen parliament and children’s council (Duurenbileg

Lkhanaa, BKMC Mentee, Mongolia)

Concept of an “eco-side hustle” in many cases

is required for youth to continue their passion

for positive social entrepreneurship through a

small “ecopreneurial” enterprise yet requiring

more traditional full-time employment and

income (Daniel Persky, BKMC Mentee, US)

Austrian MoE’s “Sustainability Award” for Higher

Education received applications from over 180

projects since 2008 (Sustainable Development



Technology, Austria, 2024)

36

your Future in Green Jobs


37

kapitel

Intersection of Transformative education and mentorship for Green Jobs

5

Intersection of Transformative

education

and mentorship for

Green Jobs

Now that both transformative education and

mentorships have been detailed independently,

an additional area of focus within this policy

recommendations paper is the intersection of

both green jobs and transformative education,

and what specific policies are recommended for

implementation.

The role of educational institutions in both

preparing students for green jobs and fostering

leadership in climate change solutions is

essential. Indeed, the role is similar for other

governmental or civic entities as well. Young

people can seek employment as well as entrepreneurship

opportunities, and, at the same

time, ideate, design, implement, and lead solutions

for climate change. Within the BKMC NFE

mentorship program, young mentees were required

to create SDG Micro-Projects, many of

which were focused on climate, whilst others

non-Formal education

Case Study

The Shifting the Rhetoric program engages

young people in the Global South in conversations

about transformative economic

thinking, aiming to promote societal and

environmental well-being. This CUSP partnership

sees Professor Tim Jackson’s center

collaborating with the King Hussein

Foundation in Jordan, supported by the

Asfari Foundation, with the aim of sharing

learnings and strategies on sustainable

prosperity between the UK and Jordan /

the wider Middle East region. The program

was announced at COP28 in Dubai and

formally launched in Amman in October

2024. Focusing initially on Amman, the

program utilizes CUSP’s Children & Youth

in Cities: Lifestyle Evaluations & Sustainability

(CYCLES), which has been successful

in seven global cities, from Dhaka to São

Paulo, and from Christchurch to London. A

diverse group of remarkable young participants

across the region is engaged with a

research team of climate, sustainability, and

enterprise facilitators as they are mentored

towards SDG projects, similar to the BKMC’s

Your Future in Green Jobs program.

focused on varied social, economic, or environmental

challenges. The capacity and capability of

youth are remarkable, and that must be encouraged

at all times, as another PAA UNESCO’s

ESDfor2030 Roadmap.

Another important element is the ecosystem

approach, with the opportunity to “try to have

a mix of top-down and bottom-up approaches”

(Dinh-Long Pham, UNDP Bangkok, 2024) Indeed,

their Skill Our Future program, focusing on

“Youth Digitalization for Employability and Entrepreneurship,”

supported by Microsoft and the

Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), acknowledges

the requirement for downstream, midstream,

and upstream activities, in this case for skills

development, which would then lead to impact

on the ecosystem approach.

Downstream

Enhancing learning pathways & skills development:

• Curriculum development

• ToT Workshops

• Digital learning platform

• Job-readiness

• Entrepreneurs support programs

midstream

Strengthening the ecosystem & achieving scale:

• Youth Empowerment Alliance

• Capacity building of national ecosystems

• Inclusive employment

upstream

Driving collective action and creating enabling

environments:

• Ecosystem diagnostic

• Policy support

• Research

© UNDP in Asia and the Pacific, Skill Our Future Program, 2025


39



Responding to what the private sector states

as required, WEF’s Future of Jobs Report 2025

included this infographic detailing what business

wants governments worldwide to enact in

terms of public policy practices. Of course, not

all jobs are found in the private sector, yet it is

telling that the business employers focus on

reskilling, upskilling, and public education systems

as their first three policy requests.

© UNDP in Asia and the Pacific, Skill Our Future Program, 2025

The images reiterate the ecosystem focus,

including offering multiple ways for partners to

enter and collaborate, ranging from outreach

and content development to engaging with the

private sector and/or philanthropic institutions.

We must ensure that green jobs are good

quality, that they can be accessed by

people of all backgrounds and in all parts

of the country, and that workers in sectors

and industries undergoing change can

re-apply their skills and expertise towards

this new challenge.

UK Green Jobs Taskforce, 2021

© BKMC / Laura López – Illustration of Your Future in Green Jobs Mentee Jessie Faith Thewo's SDG Micro-Project "Eco-Friendly Futures"

from Zambia, 2024

mentee SpotlighT

Jessie’s SDG Impact-Project supported girl

empowerment towards participation and leadership

within green jobs in Zambia. She followed

both a top-down and a bottom-up approach,

engaging the Ministry of Education and the

private sector, as well as initiating a ToT for

community members to raise awareness and

advocacy. Two schools in the country’s North-

West province and two in Lusaka province were

included, through donating literature, facilitating

the BKMC online course, and communicating

on social media. Girls were made aware of both

STEM and non-STEM opportunities within green

jobs, continuing the thesis that every job has the

potential to be a green job.

© BKMC / Jessie Faith Thewo – 2024 Your Future in Green Jobs

Mentee Jessie Faith Thewo, implementing her SDG Micro-Project

"Eco-Friendly Futures" in Zambia, 2024




41



Specific Policy

recommendations

GREEN JOBS &

TRANSFORMATIVE

EDUCATION INTERSECTED

JUSTIFICATION

GREEN JOBS &

TRANSFORMATIVE

EDUCATION INTERSECTED

JUSTIFICATION

Involve youth in national policy dialogues and

activities, including in the preparation and submission

of NDCs


Encourage partnership initiatives between

education, industry, and government to address

transformative education and mentorships

(students’ journeys / pipeline to green jobs)

UNDP Bangkok’s Skill Our Future program, in

partnership with Microsoft, IsDB, academic

institutions, government, youth groups, and UN

agencies

Work towards a just transition and a green

economy

“Ensure that climate and environmental policies

and strategies include actions at all levels

that support a just transition… to a green

economy” (Tendai Mayozo, Global Programmes

Lead-SOYEE - Skills and Opportunities for Youth

Employment and Entrepreneurship - Plan

International Global Hub, 2024)

Expand the role of counsellor to “green career

guidance center,” with databases and pathways

available to support climate course

participants on their journey, but that are

holistic enough to be adopted worldwide

Must be “universal enough” given the differing

stages of this development across countries.

(Christina Kwauk, Unbounded Associates),

with an emphasis on enabling youth towards

“identifying available (green) jobs”

(Ban Almufleh, Dubai Cares)

Support the redistribution of care work, to be

less gender-specific and to provide sustainable

livelihoods

“Disproportionate burden of unpaid care and

domestic work” (Plan International, 2022)

Activate the roles of certain government

departments that can act as connectors or facilitators

between other departments / ministries

Encourage willingness to be adaptable to

grassroots / popular movements (bottom-up

rather than / as well as top-down approaches)

Ensure diversity of youth is respected and

appropriate policies and activities take this into

account: “one size does not fit all”

Specific department within the Austrian

government that plays this facilitation role,

engaging and encouraging other individual

stakeholders, departments, and ministries of

Agriculture and Forestry, Climate and Environmental

Protection, Regions and Water

Management (Sustainable Development Officer,

Federal Ministry for Climate Action, the Environment,

Energy, Mobility, Innovation and

Technology, Austria, 2024)


“Young people are not a monolithic group, so

you need to really break down different segments

and work with relevant partners to

reach a specific youth community”

(Dinh-Long Pham, UNDP Bangkok, 2024)

Final Policy recommendations from youth:

BkmC mentees

The following policy recommendations were

recorded directly from BKMC youth mentees

during the qualitative focus group sessions that

formed part of the data research as the base of

this paper:

• Facilitate policies for more hands-on experience,

e.g., mentorships, internships

• Incorporate Global Citizenship Education policies

• Make Climate Change Education part of the

curriculum all the way through from Kindergarten

to High School

• Ensure a safe environment for people to speak

up, including the marginalized

• Invite (or even mandate) policy makers to take

the course, as well as to follow young changemakers

on social media, and be much better

informed

• Policies that support international investment,

particularly North-South and towards green

jobs in the Global South especially (glocalization)

• Adopt the Mongolian infrastructure for youth

participation, including the teen parliament

and children’s council

• Mandate project environmental week, with all

citizens to take positive actions, e.g., planting

trees and other practical activities

Consistently support ToT opportunities wherever

possible, capacity building, and raising

opportunities for maximizing awareness raising


Decision makers from all public and private spheres can be informed about

climate education and green jobs from young changemakers… on social media

platforms like TikTok, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, and through websites that they

have designed in order to showcase what they are doing in their communities

and around the world.

Fardeen Blaq,

Youth Environmental Advocate, BKMC Green Jobs mentorship program Cohort 1, Kenya



43

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Implementation Strategies

6Implementation

Strategies

Further research

This paper has provided significant details of

education systems with specific reference to

transformative education and green jobs mentorship

in a range of countries globally. Yet a more

in-depth study, with extra resources available,

of several countries or regions could be worthwhile.

Present developments within specific

education systems in Singapore, the Gulf Region

(UAE and Qatar principally), and the Scandinavian

Region (Sweden and Norway principally) are

all recommended for review. These locations

possess a strong commitment to further developing

this space and, with the available financial

resources, can continue to support and, indeed,

lead transformative education and mentorship

progress. Certainly, that leadership would be

beneficial for other systems in countries worldwide.

As has already been stated, extra resources

can support more knowledge for specific national

and regional policies (the box to the right highlights

areas for further global expansion). Green

economies vary worldwide, particularly with

respect to the Global South and North; therefore,

the creation of differentiated policies for each

local / national area is essential (Unbounded

Associates, 2024). At the same time, alignment

with global transformative education and mentorship

practices will be essential to maintaining

a structured approach. UNESCO’s ESDfor2030

national & regional Policies

& activities Box

For national level alignment with UNESCO’s

approach, numerous examples exist, such

as Cabo Verde’s focus on Teacher Training,

including the implementation of an ESD

Master’s program at the national university,

or, on a regional basis, UNECE’s continued

commitment to ESD, emphasizing four

thematic strands:

a. Quality education and ESD

b. Whole institution approach to ESD

c. Digital education, information and communications

technology, and ESD

d. Entrepreneurship, employment, innovation,

and ESD

Roadmap, including GEP, is the standard framework

for raising awareness on and implementing

effective ESD activities worldwide.

Remaining open to any further policy recommendations

that may be generated from this

leadership or research from other countries and

cultures will be important. New solutions must

be sought inclusively and collaboratively, with

multi-stakeholder partnerships wherever possible.

© BKMC / Eugénie Berger – BKMC CEO Monika Froehler with participants of the


BKMC's Women's Empowerment Program (GCC 2019) at the BKMC office in Vienna, 2019


45



mapping & advocacy

When progressing transformative education

and green jobs mentorship, comprehensive

stakeholder mapping will not only be visually

helpful but (realistically) essential. A tool such

as Kumu.io can be used to map out countries,

regions, or global actors within this space.

Government, private sector, green industry, academia,

civil society, youth organizations, diverse

communities, and, of course, formal, non-formal,

and informal education settings will all be

important to recognize.

Including youth structures within this mapping

will be essential. At the same time, it will

be important to share supportive materials with

these structures. For example, courses such as

the BKMC case study “can now be shared with

youth structures in countries” to help further

promote course adoption. Recognizing “cost

implications” of additional promotion and perhaps

involving “alumni of the program” will be

beneficial in future years (Tendai Mayozo, Global

Programmes Lead-SOYEE - Skills and Opportunities

for Youth Employment and Entrepreneurship,

Plan International Global Hub, 2024).

When it comes to advocacy, high-level political

opportunities are important to grasp. Again, as

referenced above with the BKMC program, the

unique opportunity afforded to the organization

through its Co-Chair (and namesake), H.E.

Ban Ki-moon, holds the key to an extraordinary

possible impact (Tendai Mayozo, Plan, 2024).

Being able to position this work on the global

stage, at education conferences and events, and

within political dialogues will undoubtedly be

extremely helpful and useful. At the same time,

NGOs must continue to play an active role in

raising awareness. While their scope of responsibility

and opportunity varies widely depending

on location and region, they can be the catalysts

in certain countries. The development of advocacy

requirements and strategies that can be

publicized for the variety of stakeholders to align

with would be beneficial.

Funding & resources

There must be dedicated funding and

resources for youth-led sustainability projects,

empowering young people to drive

local and innovative solutions.

Maria Blomenhofer, Austrian Youth Delegate,

UNECE, Item 3a May 2024

As is typically the case in education and development,

ensuring there are sufficient financial

resources available will be essential. The allocation

of government funding or tax incentives

to support initiatives will demonstrate a topdown,

political commitment to this critical area

of Transformative Education and Green Jobs

Mentorship. Nonetheless, additional funding

(and technical resources) will be required, and

private sector investment alongside corporate

and individual philanthropy will be necessary

to envisage effective programming and further

adoption. Indeed, it has been expressed

during this study that the “private sector stepping

up massively…” is a major development

required, both from a financial and from a technical

perspective (Sustainable Development



Technology, Austria, 2024). The model of UNDP’s

Skill Our Future program in Asia-Pacific is a clear

example of multiple funding stakeholders partnering

in support of the program, with Microsoft

and IsDB working alongside National Ministries,

such as Education, Youth, Labour, and ICT, all

actively involved. Programs will need to ensure

they effectively communicate their funding

requirements with potential financial supporters.

Governments may have strong policies but

lack the appropriate methods for implementation

(Tendai Mayozo, Plan, 2024), so continuing

to work through the SDGs, engaging in public-private

partnerships (PPPs), and involving

other stakeholder partnerships to ensure maximum

benefit for development will be necessary.

SDG 17.17 (target):

Encourage and promote effective public,

public-private, and civil society partnerships,

building on the experience and resourcing

strategies of partnerships.

monitoring

& evaluation

Clear Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) with

effective methods for monitoring and evaluation

will again be essential to achieving substantial

impact. KPIs need to be collaborated upon and

confirmed. Utilizing the SDGs and, in particular,

SDG targets 4.7, 12.8, and 13.3 (all with matching

indicators) will be important. The work of

UNESCO, as the custodians for SDG 4, will be

crucial in this regard, and work reported in the

Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report since

2017, particularly the efforts to define an internationally

agreed measurement for SDG 4.7,

is essential. At the same time, SDG target 17.17,

which calls for multi-stakeholder partnerships

in support of sustainable development, must

be documented, with PPPs and other partnership

structures essential. Note: the SDG indicator

metadata has been included as a reference.

SDG Indicators 4.7.1, 12.8.1 & 13.3.1:

Extent to which (i) global citizenship education

and (ii) education for sustainable development,

including gender equality and human rights,

are mainstreamed at all levels in: (a) national

education policies, (b) curricula, (c) teacher education,

and (d) student assessment.

SDG Indicator 17.17.2:

For the Youth Portfolio in Asia-Pacific, I think we’ve been strong on

the skills development M&E and we are still learning when it comes

to the employment, employability part because that part is quite new.

Number and/or increase in number, and diversity

of local, national, and regional multi-stakeholder

(public, public-private, and civil society) partnerships

that address the SDGs, drawing on

collections, or that otherwise involve collections-based

organizations and institutions.

In addition, and complementary to the SDG

indicators, a range of specific KPIs for such an

undertaking could include, but not be limited to

(on a national, regional, and global basis):

• # of transformative education online courses

• # of students started/completed courses

• # of teachers trained in ways that increase

their knowledge and skills on climate and

sustainability overall

• # of mentees progressing with green entrepreneurship

• # of mentees progressing with green jobs

employment

• # of families impacted through their children’s

education

• # of advocacy activities

• # of new transformative education and green

jobs’ mentorship policies

• # of new policy papers produced

• # of individuals reached through communications

platforms

© BKMC / Eugénie Berger – Participants of the BKMC's Women's Empowerment

Program (GCC 2019) at the BKMC office

in Vienna, 2019

Dinh-Long Pham,

Youth Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation Coordinator,

UNDP Bangkok Regional Office


47

kapitel

Conclusion

It is education for sustainable development, education

for living together, education for human rights,

education for caring about the planet that should be

at the heart of our discussions.

7Conclusion

H.E. Irina Bokova,

Former Director-General of UNESCO,

Board Member of the Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens

This paper has provided a comprehensive report

on the BKMC’s in-depth study on transformative

education and mentorship towards green jobs

and climate action, utilizing the BKMC’s Your

Future in Green Jobs program as the central

tenet. The quantitative and qualitative data provided

an opportunity for significant analysis

and understanding of how climate education

and mentorship programs can substantially

support the pathway to green jobs and action

on climate and many other sustainability goals.

This is especially harnessed through the learning

from designing and implementing SDG

Micro-Projects, for positive social, environmental

and economic impact. The core output of

this work is the documentation of a range of

clear policy recommendations for governments

worldwide to consider for implementation (if

they have not done so already).

It is with special thanks to the team at the BKMC

and Program Partners, as well as all those individuals

involved in the quantitative and qualitative

research, that this paper has reached fruition.

It is now important to continue this paper’s

journey, and this movement as a whole, to

continue to raise awareness, galvanize activity,

and bring about real positive change for direct

impact on planetary boundaries and a purposeful,

prosperous global society. With aspirations for

disseminating this paper at national, regional,

and global forums and conferences in the coming

months and years, the BKMC and the entire

program partnership are excited to witness the

proverbial snowball effect, with meaningful and

sustainable change to come in the short,

medium, and long-term for the fulfillment of

present and future generations.

Finally, the last words naturally must be reserved

for youth, and who better than Daniel Persky to

do so? Daniel speaks at international conferences

and forums worldwide, and he is bridging

the gap from climate education to empowering

young people towards social entrepreneurship

and green jobs in the United States and the Philippines.

I learned that many more people can consider their jobs

“green,” and many more people can incorporate “green”

elements into their jobs, contributing to social causes

and climate change throughout their career… all jobs

can be green jobs.

Daniel Persky,

Youth Environmental Advocate, BKMC Green Jobs mentorship

program Cohort 1, United States

© Gabriella C. Marino / PASS – BKMC CEO Monika Froehler with participants of the Vatican Youth

Symposium 2025, organized by SDSN Youth and the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences (PASS),

Vatican City, 2025.


49

Program Partners & Team Biographies

Program Partners & Team Biographies

Program Partners &

Team Biographies

Dubai Cares

Dubai Cares, founded in 2007, is a UAE-based philanthropic organization

dedicated to improving children’s access to quality education in

developing countries. With programs in over 60 countries and a network

of more than 140 partners, it focuses on scalable, sustainable education

initiatives, including early childhood development, workforce readiness,

and education in emergencies. The organization also drives global advocacy

through platforms such as the RewirEd Summit and the Dubai

Declaration on Early Childhood Education. The BKMC has maintained a

long-standing partnership with Dubai Cares, enhancing youth empowerment

and sustainable development initiatives.

Plan International

Plan International, a core partner of the Your Future in Green

Jobs Program, is a global NGO dedicated to advancing children’s

rights and promoting equality for girls. Operating in more than

75 countries, the organization works across education, health,

protection, and youth empowerment programs, with a strong focus on marginalized and vulnerable

communities. Plan International supports initiatives that equip young people with the skills, knowledge,

and confidence to become active participants in their communities, including in areas related

to climate action, sustainable development, and global citizenship.

unbounded associates

Unbounded Associates is a small, women-owned

consulting firm specializing in technical support,

research, reporting, instructional design, and

strategic stakeholder engagement tailored to

culturally specific contexts. Their expertise bridges

climate and education, supporting donors, multilateral agencies, NGOs, governments, and researchers

to increase impact, promote inclusivity, and advance global education initiatives.

In partnership with the BKMC, Unbounded Associates co-developed the Green Jobs online course,

leveraging their climate-focused instructional design and research expertise. The firm’s vision emphasizes

a just transition to greener economies, advocating for youth, and they aim to empower young

people as global citizens, agents of change, and architects of meaningful careers, promoting green

skills and jobs in an equitable and inclusive manner.

BkmC Chief executive Officer

Monika Froehler is CEO of the Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens and is a

passionate change maker, advocate, founder, and speaker. She was entrusted

to create the BKMC after working at the UN in Geneva, New York, and Vienna,

the EU, the Austrian Foreign Ministry, and in field missions around the globe.

She is passionate about the implementation of the SDGs and the Paris Climate

Agreement. Throughout her career, she has managed to support hundreds

of women, young people, and communities all over the globe, e.g., working in

Africa and Latin America to ban landmines; working to improve hospital care in

rural Central Asia and Africa; assisting in eco-friendly city planning in Asia; and

bettering the living conditions of women in the Middle East and West-Africa.

BkmC Program Officer

Anna Tykhonenko is a Program Officer at the BKMC, where she works on the

Women and Youth Portfolio. With an academic background in International

Business, Translation, and Global Studies, she is dedicated to advancing gender

equality, global justice, and environmental sustainability. Over the past two

and a half years at the BKMC, Anna has led or contributed to several youthfocused

programs, such as Learners to Leaders, Online Executive Training - Young

Women Leadership on Climate Adaptation, Elevating the Voices of Women in

Agriculture, Your Future in Green Jobs, and the Global Citizen Scholarship. She

is passionate about applying her diverse academic training and professional

experience across sectors to empower young changemakers and contribute to

a more just and sustainable world.

author

Richard Bampfylde is an ESD expert who has worked for the majority of his career

across the MENA region. He holds expertise in both formal and non-formal education

environments, both K-12 and Higher Education. He has consulted with

a long list of UN and other international and local development and humanitarian

organizations, including UNESCO Arab Region, UN Habitat Syria, UNDP

Tunisia, and GIZ. Alongside his consulting work with the BKMC and the preparation

of this paper, he leads the Shifting the Rhetoric program for CUSP in Jordan

and the Levant region, engaging young people with research on sustainable

lifestyles and entrepreneurship, which he launched at COP28 in Dubai. He

facilitates UNESCO’s ESD Network for capacity development and coordination

between MENA Member States. In the UK, on top of his environmental sustainability

work with schools and universities, he has expertise in engaging leading

multinational corporations on ESD, such as Jaguar Land Rover, Vodafone, and

Pierre Fabre.

Graphic design

was produced by Stella Rollny Kucher and coordinated by BKMC Communications

Officer Maja Markus.


51

references

references

references

1. AGF. Future Fit: The Green Advantage-

Education, Employment, Empowerment. 2024.

2. Bampfylde, R., “Education for Sustainable

Development Stakeholder Mapping: The Case

of Lebanon.” Available at: https://kumu.io/

RichardB/education-for-sustainable-development-stakeholder-mapping-the-case-of-lebanon.

Accessed on 01 January 2025.

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53

appendix 1

appendix 1

Your climate change knowledge increased

appendix 1:

BkmC “your Future in Green Jobs” Program

Strongly Disagree

Disagree

Agree

Case Study Box for Climate Change Online

Course & Mentorship Program

“Let’s pretend we are 14-16 year olds, and we are

looking for something that we can access at any

point in time in English, and that is for free and

is enticing. Dubai Cares desired an educational

component in the COP climate discussions…

They’re all about making a real system change

and the big impact. We launched it at the educational

forum (RewirEd Summit) that Tariq (Dr.

Al Gurg, CEO Dubai Cares) hosted outside of the

COP28 campus.”

Monika Froehler,

CEO, Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens (2024)

Program Aims and Modules

Overall Program Aims for Youth

• Become aware of climate change and the

diverse range of jobs that can contribute to

solutions.

• Gain a deep understanding of their own skills

and talents, recognizing the unique value

they bring to the table.

• Achieve a profound sense of empowerment,

knowing that they have the agency to choose

a career path that tackles climate change.

• Reflect on themselves and their aspirations,

nurturing a strong sense of purpose and

direction.

• Understand the broad definition of a green

job and explore the diverse career paths

within the industry.

• Develop a clear sense of what next steps are

necessary for them to pursue their passion,

be that further studies, vocational training,

internships, or founding their own start-up.

Six Modules of the Online Climate Course:

1. Spot The Challenge

2. Listen To Yourself

3. Find Your Path

4. Consider The Bigger Picture

5. Unlock Your Inner Entrepreneur

6. Build Your Green Career

Qualitative & Quantitative Feedback from

Youth Mentees

Two focus group sessions with mentees in Cohort

1 were planned. The details below are based on

discussions with the mentees during two qualitative

focus groups held on 23 December 2024

and 28 March 2025, conducted respectively at

the end of their cohort cycle and three months

later, to assess continued knowledge retention,

understanding, and the implementation and

success of their SDG Micro-Projects.

Top three program outcomes focus group

mentees identified:

• Knowledge of career opportunities within

green jobs

• Identification as global citizens

• Creating and implementing SDG Micro-Projects

The focus group quantitative surveys produced

the following results:

In the first survey, the vast majority, i.e., all but

one response, was placed in the Strongly Agree

and Agree levels. The only exception was a curious

anomaly of one response suggesting their

climate change knowledge had not increased.

Scoring 80 % or more as Strongly Agree were the

following questions:

• You understand the career opportunities

within green jobs

• You feel empowered to take action

• You reflected on your aspirations, nurturing a

sense of purpose

• You identify as a global citizen (100 %)

• You benefited from the mentorship process

• You were able to implement your SDG

Micro-Project (100 %)

Scoring 60 % as Agree were the questions below.

Arguably, in future program iterations, the BKMC

could focus more on ensuring that, by the end

of the program, mentees believe they Strongly

Agree with these areas (network, changemaker

skills, and understanding next steps).

• Your network expanded

• You improved your changemaker skills

• You understand what steps are next to pursue

your passion and purpose

Strongly Agree

You feel empowered to take action

Strongly Disagree

Disagree

Agree

Strongly Agree

You benefitted from the mentorship process

Strongly Disagree

Disagree

Agree

Strongly Agree

You understand what steps are next to pursue your passion and purpose

Strongly Disagree

Disagree

Agree

Strongly Agree

In the second survey, three months after completing

the program, all of the responses were

placed in Strongly Agree and Agree levels. Scoring

80 % or more as Strongly Agree were the

following questions:

• You feel empowered to take action

• You reflected on your aspirations, nurturing a

sense of purpose

• You identify as a global citizen (100 %)

• You feel more empathetic and more connected

(100 %)

• You were able to implement your SDG

Micro-Project

Four questions received the same response

levels (although only 80 % of responses in the

second survey said they implemented the SDG

Micro-Project), and one new question on empathy


55

appendix 1

appendix 1

and connection was introduced to this upper category

of responses (at 100 %). Two questions on

understanding career opportunities within green

jobs, as well as benefitting from the mentorship

process, received 60 % of responses as Agree this

time, three months after program completion.

The question on network expansion received

80 % responses at the Agree level, further emphasizing

perhaps that this is an area for the BKMC

You identify as a global citizen

Strongly Disagree

to focus on with future cohorts. Again, a selection

of results displayed as bar graphs is included. It is

worth noting that the climate change knowledge

question produced results as Strongly Agree and

Agree this time. Interestingly, responses were

60% as Agree to benefitting from the mentorship

process, yet in the first survey, they scored as 80 %

Strongly Agree.

Positive key elements of the course:

• Collaboration - working with and being inspired

by peers, “meeting people is always a learning

curve”

• Networks - expanding individual networks

truly worldwide

• Small number of mentees helped (rather than

being lost in 100s)

• Importance of having an excellent Program

Manager, with open and responsive communication

channels

• SDG Micro-Project were a concrete way of

implementing learning for positive social and

environmental impact, with the BKMC name

adding credibility and supporting success

• Course design is creative, engaging, and information-rich

• Acknowledgement of consumerist societies

not supporting staying within planetary

boundaries, yet there is a significant split

between the Global North and South

• Mentees who have a significant following can

also influence, e.g., one Pakistani mentee with

12,000+ LinkedIn followers

• Barriers to entering green jobs market: Government

policies, education, economic

• Recognition of importance of M&E for impact

and program development

Disagree

Agree

Key items mentioned by youth mentees across both focus groups:

Strongly Agree

Your network expanded

Strongly Disagree

Disagree

Agree

Strongly Agree

You feel more empathetic an more connected

Strongly Disagree

Disagree

Types of skills developed as shared by mentees:

• Cognitive skills - Analysis, creativity, reflection

• Self-efficacy - Curiosity, flexibility, self-awareness,

dependability, overcoming self-doubt - the program

“really did shape me as a person”

• Working with others - Empathy, leadership,

collaboration

• Management - Time management

• Technology skills - Remote work

• Public speaking and interview skills (course

boosting CV too)

• Innovation and entrepreneurship

Agree

Strongly Agree

You were able to implement your SDG Micro-Project

Strongly Disagree

Disagree

Agree

Strongly Agree

Future recommendations for the program by mentees:

• Mentees becoming mentors in the next cohort

alongside the majority of high-quality current

mentors

• Keep the small number of mentees (not

500 / 600)

• Can remain online / remote (this cohort was

100 % - no reason to meet in-person)

• Enable mentees to check how beneficiaries of

their SDG Micro-Project benefited, i.e., measure

impact

• How to build a systems-thinking mindset

• Highlight connections between the program

and the academic & career journey of alumni,

e.g., Mongolian mentee now joining South

Dakota University for engineering

• Support mentees on future skills, such as how

to build and coordinate programs

• Investigate future international education

pathways available for Global South mentees

in particular

• Promote more collaboration opportunities

amongst the cohort mentees, sharing different

skill sets and partnership opportunities

overall


57

appendix 2

appendix 2

appendix 2:

Comprehensive list of Policy recommendations

TRANSFORMATIVE

EDUCATION (K-12)

TRANSFORMATIVE

EDUCATION (HIGHER ED.)

GREEN JOBS MENTORSHIP

POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS

GREEN JOBS & TRANSFORMA-

TIVE EDUCATION INTERSECTED

Encourage partnership initiatives between

education, industry, and government to

address transformative education and

mentorships (students’ journeys/pipeline to

green jobs)

Integrate CCE across subjects (science,

economics, geography), i.e., the subject is

transdisciplinary, across formal education

settings (as well as NFE and informal)

Ensure students are encouraged to take

practical steps/actions towards climate

mitigation and adaptation as part of their

learning journey

Support teacher training to ensure robust

climate knowledge

Ensure teachers consider integrating

gamification into learning

Promote a WIA to ESD

Create new and support existing ESD

national and international competitions

for young learners

Ensure transformative education is available

for all equally and/or equitably, serving

all diverse learners

Introduce green job tracks within existing

degrees, particularly in fields like engineering,

business, or even policy

Establish new academic course options

Support higher education projects

through sustainability awards

Embed into more formal and non-formal

education systems

Make connections between transformative

education and entrepreneurship

education, and integrate all topics into

national curricula

Establish mentorship programs within

climate/sustainability government initiatives

Potentially incentivize mentorship through

corporate tax breaks or funding for businesses

offering green job internships/

apprenticeships/full employment

Mandate Youth advisory councils

Invest in both green entrepreneurship and

green jobs

Grants for entrepreneurship that are

matched by Governments

Expand the role of counsellor to “green

career guidance center,” with databases

and pathways available to support climate

course participants on their journey, but

that are holistic enough to be adopted

worldwide

Activate the roles of certain government

departments that can act as connectors

or facilitators between other departments /

ministries

Encourage willingness to be adaptable

to grassroots / popular movements (bottom-up

rather than / as well as top-down

approaches)

Ensure diversity of youth is respected and

appropriate policies and activities take this

into account: “one size does not fit all”

Consistently support ToT opportunities

wherever possible, capacity building, and

raising opportunities for maximizing

awareness raising

Involve youth in national policy dialogues

and activities, including in the preparation

and submission of NDCs

Work towards a just transition and a green

economy

Support the redistribution of care work, to

be less gender-specific and to provide sustainable

livelihoods


59

Graphic Design

BKMC / Stella Rollny Kucher

2025 by Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens

Cover photo: © BKMC / Dan Muniu – BKMC Team at a farm

visit in Githunguri, Kenya, specializing in agroecology, 2025


P.O.B. 0018 1037 Vienna, Austria

www.bankimooncentre.org/greenjobs

www.bankimooncentre.org

bankimooncentre


company/bkmcentre

Transformative Education and Climate Action: The Case for Green Jobs

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