The Democratising Education for Global Sustainability and Justice Programme at COP29.
In November 2024, members of the Democratising Education for Global Sustainability and Justice Programme team (DemEd Global, https://degsj.org/), travelled to Baku, Azerbaijan, to take part in the 29th United Nations Conference of the Parties (COP 29) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
The Democratising Education for Global Sustainability and Justice programme – a programme for climate law and policy education for future climate leaders from highly climate-affected countries worldwide – is co-hosted by Lucy Cavendish College. The programme is supported by Lucy Cavendish affiliates Professor Marie-Claire (DemEd Programme Director; Chair in Sustainable Development Law and Policy at Lucy Cavendish), Dr Howard Nelson (DemEd Programme Advisor; Lucy Cavendish Lecturer in Conservation Leadership), Professor Henriette Hendriks (DemEd Programme Advisor; Lucy Cavendish Professor in Language Acquisition and Cognition; Vice-President of Lucy Cavendish College), and Professor Dame Madeleine Atkins (DemEd Instructor; President of Lucy Cavendish College).
During COP 29, the DemEd Global team made great strides in building law and policy capacity to address climate change and bridge the sustainable development chasm, particularly in developing and highly climate vulnerable countries.
After months of preparation, they first joined other leading academics and practitioners from the Climate Law & Governance Initiative (CLGI), ADA University in Baku, the International Law Association, the International Bar Association, and the Centre for International Sustainable Development Law, to host Climate Law & Governance Day (CLGD). A record 3400 individuals from across the globe registered to attend CLGD this year, hailing from 154 different countries. Over 110 leading legal leaders and experts were convened to speak at the full-day online symposium, which featured a grand opening, three high-level plenaries, and thirteen substantive experts sessions addressing a wide range of pressing climate law and governance challenges and solutions. The day saw facilitators and participants discuss progress from the last year towards Paris Agreement implementation and new tools for global cooperation, including integrating indigenous law within governments, trade treaties, and public- and private-sector investment.
