Pakistani Dr Adil Najam Addresses Climate and Girls Education in London
Pakistan : Dr. Adil Najam, Dean Emeritus and Professor at the Pardee School of Global Studies and President of WWF-International, recently participated in a workshop and public panel on Climate Change, Education, and Gender Perspectives. The events were organized by the Malala Fund and the Centre for Global Development (CGD) and took place in London on October 4 and 5.
During the workshop, Dr. Najam presented his new research on the connections between climate change and girls’ education. He introduced a framework that explores how climate change acts as a threat multiplier for the existing crisis of girls’ education in many developing nations, while girls’ education can potentially contribute to solutions for the global climate crisis. Dr. Najam, along with his co-author Shaheera Syed, is collaborating with the Malala Fund on this research, with plans to publish it by COP28 in December.
Subsequently, he spoke at a public event on October 5 at London’s Garden Museum, co-hosted by the Malala Fund and CGD. The event aimed to emphasize the relationships between education and climate change. It highlighted the increased risks to education due to climate-related factors, such as internal displacement, food insecurity, damage to education infrastructure, and adverse effects on children’s health and well-being. These challenges are particularly significant for girls who are often the most affected by household measures to adapt to climate change. Dr. Najam was part of a panel that included Ziauddin Yousafzai (Co-founder, Malala Fund), Avinash Persaud (Special Envoy to the Prime Minister of Barbados), Laura Frigenti (CEO, Global Partnership for Education), and Tamilore Omojola (Girl Programme Fellow, Malala Fund). The event was moderated by Susannah Hares (Education Policy Co-Director and Senior Policy Fellow, CGD).
The workshop and panel discussions highlighted the critical intersections of climate change, education, and gender perspectives, shedding light on the challenges and opportunities in these areas.
Dr. Adil Najam is a renowned expert in global public policy, with a focus on issues related to global climate change, South Asia, Muslim countries, environment and development, and human development. He currently serves as the President of WWF-International and is a Professor at the Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University.
