The UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning and its partners are pleased to announce the launch of the Greening Communities Guidance: Lifelong Learning for Climate and Sustainability Action on 14 November 2025. Developed within the framework of the Greening Education Partnership (GEP), this new publication provides a practical framework to empower cities and communities to drive meaningful climate and sustainability action through inclusive lifelong learning.
The Greening Communities Guidance was developed through a collaborative and consultative process involving an international group of experts from the Greening Education Partnership. These contributors brought diverse regional, disciplinary and institutional perspectives to the development of the guidance, ensuring its relevance and adaptability across a wide range of local contexts—from megacities to small rural villages.
This publication complements other key resources under the Greening Education Partnership, including the Green School Quality Standard, which promotes a whole-institution approach to greening schools, and the Greening Curriculum Guidance, which supports integration of climate and sustainability topics into curricula. Together, these documents form a comprehensive suite of tools to support climate-resilient learning systems and communities.
The Greening Communities Guidance focuses on learning that takes place beyond formal education settings—through non-formal and informal learning—and emphasizes the importance of engaging individuals of all ages in climate action. It is primarily targeted at local governments, but is also highly relevant for NGOs, libraries, museums, youth organizations, indigenous groups, educational institutions, and private sector actors. The guidance encourages collaboration among diverse stakeholders and empowers change agents to lead learning-based climate initiatives in their communities.
Structured around five key chapters, the guidance explores:
Who can offer learning opportunities for greening communities?
Where learning can take place across community settings?
What content should be taught and how it can be delivered effectively?
How to develop a green learning strategy tailored to local needs?
How to create an actionable plan to implement and sustain climate learning initiatives?
Each chapter concludes with practical examples to illustrate practical implementation. The guidance is designed to be flexible and applicable across different geographic, cultural and environmental contexts, recognizing that climate and sustainability transitions will look different from one community to the next.
The publication contributes to the practical implementation of the Jubail Commitment to Climate Action in Learning Cities, adopted by participants of the Sixth International Conference on Learning Cities (ICLC 6). The guidance reflects the shared commitment of cities and communities around the world to advance climate education and action through lifelong learning.
Register now for the online launch event!
Learn more about the Greening Education Partnership
Learn more about UIL’s work on promoting climate action in learning cities: