UN Climate Change and Universities Partnership Programme

The UN Climate Change and Universities Partnership Programme, coordinated by the Nairobi Work Programme, connects master’s students with local, national, and regional partners to address critical climate adaptation knowledge gaps. Launched at the UN Climate Dialogues 2020, the initiative strengthens collaboration between the UNFCCC, academic institutions, and research organizations—particularly in the Global South.

Graduate students can contribute their thesis research to real-world adaptation challenges, from national adaptation planning to biodiversity and ecosystem resilience. The programme not only produces context-specific knowledge for policymakers and communities but also enhances students’ professional capacity while generating tangible outputs that feed into global climate processes. 

Specific objectives of the partnership programme are:

• 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

Find out more about this opportunity here.