In March 2026, chief statisticians and experts from United Nations member states will assemble for the 57th session of the United Nations Statistical Commission meeting. As the highest decision-making body for international statistical development, the Commission will use the meeting to review and endorse statistical methodologies, address emerging challenges, and foster international cooperation to improve the comparability of national statistics. The UN Statistical Commission also plays a crucial role in monitoring progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through the Global Indicator Framework for the SDGs. This year, the Commission’s annual meeting focuses on the theme “Better Data, Better Lives,” underscoring the vital role quality data can play in improving quality of life worldwide.

To contribute to the dialogue, the Monitoring and Evaluating Climate Communication and Education (MECCE) Project and UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) are co-hosting a side event on monitoring of SDG 4.7.

Studies consistently find that countries could be taking greater strides to integrate ‘green’ topics into their national curricula, particularly when it comes to climate change and biodiversity topics. For example, a 2025 study analyzing green content in the National Curriculum Frameworks (NCFs) of 131 countries found that 56% of countries had low inclusion of green content, 17% had moderate inclusion, and 0% had significant inclusion. Of the 131 countries, 86% had general content related to environment and/or sustainability in their NCFs, while only 34% had climate change content and 38% had biodiversity content. Studies of science and social science curricula for Grade 9 in 85 countries and Grades 3 and 6 in 88 countries (study forthcoming) found that secondary education curricula are most likely to include moderate levels of green content, and that green topics are most likely to be included in science curricula.

Policy making and advocacy efforts to green curricula have been hampered by a lack of rigorous, systematic data on the extent to which countries are greening national curricula. While SDG Global Indicator 4.7.1 does operationalize ways to track progress towards greening curriculum, the indicator data have been collected through a voluntary survey completed by national delegations to UNESCO which has shown to produce unreliable data. Since it was established in 2020, one of the MECCE Project’s overarching objectives has been to develop better quality global data to monitor the greening of education, including for SDG 4.7.

A MECCE Project partnership with the UNESCO Global Education Monitoring Report has produced a new official SDG Global Indicator. SDG Global Indicator 4.7.1b measures the extent to which countries are integrating sustainability, environment, climate change, and biodiversity into National Curriculum Frameworks and science and social science curricula for Grades 3, 6, and 9. Education policymakers and others can use the indicator to make targeted improvements to greening their national curricula by identifying gaps in greening themes, as well as gaps in the level of curriculum.

This side event at the 57th session of the United Nations Statistical Commission will elaborate on ways this new indicator and other forms of monitoring can be used to improve integration of green content in formal education. Specifically, a panel of expert speakers will

1. provide a technical overview of the indicator,

2. describe ways the indicator can be used to improve integration of greening in formal education curriculum, and

3. discuss application of the indicator to improve national curricula.

Register here.

Speakers:

• Dr. Amber Webb, UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (moderator)

• Prof. Marcia McKenzie, University of Melbourne and MECCE Project

• Mr. Manos Antoninis, Global Education Monitoring Report

• Dr. Aaron Redman, MECCE Project

• Additional speakers TBC.