The Global Alliance of Universities on Climate (GAUC), in partnership with UNESCO and UNITAR, is proud to announce the launch of the ‘Climate x Leadership’ Programme 2022 this June, providing an exceptional interdisciplinary platform for emerging leaders in climate and sustainable development goals. Initiated by Sciences Po (France) and Tsinghua University (China), with the support from member universities of GAUC (including Stellenbosch University, Imperial College London and more), this initiative provides participants with a diversified global curriculum with prominent faculty resources, professional networks and a glowing future leader community.

Learning Objectives: 

The Climate x Leadership Programme aims to provide students with frontier systematic practical training, and regional/global supporting communities to grow their knowledge to tackle climate issues. Through a combination of training, speaker series and group exercises, the program will focus on helping participants understand the importance of the climate governance agenda and the synergy between climate change and other SDGs, leading the future leaders to investigate innovative strategies for a net-zero future.

Outcomes: 

  • Participants will be able to understand the urgency and importance of putting mechanisms into place to combat climate change on a local and global level and receive the knowledge, skills and values needed to act as leaders of change.
  • Students who are accepted to the Climate X Leadership Programme will be appointed as GAUC Youth Ambassadors 2022.
  • Group exercise will allow ambassadors to gain a major role in leading a panel in GAUC’s Global Youth Summit on Net-zero Future from Oct 30 – Nov 4, 2022, week prior to COP27.
  • Outstanding ambassadors will have the opportunity to attend UNFCCC COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.

Topics covered:

Climate Governance: Sciences Po

Climate x Adaptation & Resilience: University of Tokyo, Stellenbosch University

Climate x Food, Nature & Biodiversity: Columbia University, Tsinghua University

Climate x Finance: Imperial College, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro

Climate x Secure and Sustainable Energy: London School of Economics, India institute of Science

Method of Delivery: Online

Launch Date: June 18, 2022

Main courses: June-July (meet every Saturday for 2hrs)

Group exercise: August

Closing ceremony: 5 September

Participants: 5-10 students recommended by each GAUC member university (open to all majors)

To apply: Send short CV (2 pages max.) and motivation of why this programme would be beneficial to you (500 words max.) to Kerry-Anne Grey (kerrygrey@sun.ac.za) by 10 June, 2022. Applications only open to post-graduate students at Stellenbosch University.