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 UN Climate Change and Universities Partnership Programme

  

 

Are you interested in addressing adaptation knowledge gaps at the sub-regional, national and local levels? Are you a graduate student enrolled in a master's level environmental, climate change, or natural resource management programme at an accredited university or a regional/local academic institution? Are you looking for a project to focus on for your master's thesis? 
The UN Climate Change and Universities Partnership Programme, coordinated by the Nairobi work programme (NWP), is an opportunity for graduate students to work closely with local, national, and regional partners to undertake a research project as a part of producing their master's thesis. Launched at the United Nations Climate Dialogues 2020, the UN Climate Change and Universities Partnership Programme, is designed to strengthen collaboration between the UNFCCC, UN and academic/research institutions, especially in the global South with the aim of addressing knowledge gaps that remain a critical barrier to countries implementing adaptation measures.
 
Objectives of the Programme
The UN Climate Change Secretariat is seeking to strengthen collaborations with universities, academic institutions, and relevant international, regional, national and local institutions to:
  • Address specific gaps with targeted knowledge users in mind:
    • Bridge the adaptation knowledge gaps in various sub-regions prioritized under the Lima Adaptation Knowledge Initiative;
    • Address knowledge gaps related to formulating and implementing national adaptation plans (NAPs) in developing countries, particularly least developed countries;
  • Produce relevant knowledge products that are context-specific and respond to demands by targeted knowledge users;
  • Ensure that the outcomes and knowledge products also feed into the UN Climate Change secretariat’s key thematic areas (e.g. biodiversity and climate change adaptation, and oceans, coastal areas and ecosystems) to address the knowledge needs of Parties;
  • Enhance the professional capacity of graduate students.

What sets the UN Climate C​hange and Universities Partnership Programme apart?​

  • The projects are concrete (pre-identified adaptation knowledge gaps and thematic/region focus);
  • The projects focus on producing tangible outputs for targeted knowledge users;
  • The projects provide opportunities for the students to apply their skills to practical adaptation work and collaborate with a local/regional partner;
  • The research outputs and outcomes will be shared with the UNFCCC and the intergovernmental process.​
 
 
model or partnership.png
Image: Description of  the partnership​​​​​​​​