NGO UNESCO Liaison Committee Looks at Climate Change

By Larry Kilman
Associate Director, AGS
Assistant Professor, NGO Management

Friday, 8 December 2017

UNESCO and its partners in the NGO-UNESCO Liaison Committee have dedicated their 8th International Forum in Paris this week to how non-governmental organizations are responding to climate change. If you don’t know about the committee, you should.

The committee, which serves as a forum for NGO advocacy at UNESCO and among its member states, ensures that civil society is represented in all intergovernmental discussions.

The Paris conference brought dozens of NGO representatives to UNESCO’s Paris headquarters Thursday and Friday for discussions on the non-governmental response to climate change.

It’s an ideal subject for the committee, as it concerns not only scientists but all aspects of society. “Education, culture, women, business. All very important in the context of climate change,” said Nick Nuttall, spokesperson for the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, who addressed the conference. 

The 8th International Forum, which was entitled “Changing Minds, not the Climate: The Contribution of NGOs,” recognized the NGO role in combating climate change and aimed to bring NGO expertise and experience into intergovernmental discussions. 

The NGO UNESCO Liaison Committee continues to look for new civil society organizations to integrate into the NGO-UNESCO partnership, particularly those that are isolated and vulnerable due to historic, cultural or geographic reasons. The committee leads and coordinates the collective work of NGOs by supporting project implementation, organizing regular forums and participating in commemoration of international UN days. 

The Liaison Committee can be contacted at comite.liaison.ong@unesco.org

Photo courtesy of Douglas Yates