British Council Pioneering Climate Initiatives through Arts, Culture, and Education at COP28 in Dubai

Aida Salamanca, Country Director (UAE) of the British Council, said, "In hosting COP28, the UAE provides a unique platform for global climate discussions. The British Council is proud to contribute to this dialogue, bringing together diverse voices from around the world. Our initiatives, particularly in empowering the youth through Arts, Culture, and Education, align with the vision for a sustainable future, highlighting the role of international cooperation in addressing global climate challenges."

As well, the British Council and Art Jameel co-hosted a culture and climate summit in Dubai in March 2023, uniting cultural leaders and policymakers from the MENA region and the UK. The summit focused on the cultural sector's role in climate crisis response, producing a post-summit report and toolkit. The collaboration continues with "Anhar: Culture and Climate Platform," launched in September 2023, to foster Creative Commissions in the MENA region.

List of activities the British Council is leading during COP28:

A crucial element of the British Council's COP28 engagement is the Cultural Protection Fund, which preserves heritage at risk from climate change and mitigates its effects on valued cultural heritage worldwide. Since 2016, the Council has awarded £50 million in funding to 149 projects in 16 countries. Notable projects include safeguarding the intangible heritage of pastoralist communities in Sudan, protecting medieval Islamic monuments in Egypt, and preserving endangered inland watercraft heritage in southern Iraq.

In addition to its programmatic efforts, the British Council is committed to environmental responsibility, aiming to achieve net zero emissions by 2040. This goal is part of the Council's broader strategy to integrate sustainable practices across its operations globally.

The British Council invites individuals and organisations to engage with its COP28 activities, either by participating in events or following updates online. For more details, visit https://www.britishcouncil.org/climate-connection-cop28. 

About the British Council

The British Council is the UK's international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. We support peace and prosperity by building connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and countries worldwide. We do this through our work in arts and culture, education and the English language. We work with people in over 200 countries and territories and are on the ground in more than 100 countries. In 2022–23 we reached 600 million people.

About Climate Connection

The Climate Connection programme brings people around the world together to meet the challenges of climate change. Through arts and culture, education and the English language, it is about ideas, innovation and real change.

For more information, please visit: www.britishcouncil.org. You can also keep in touch with the British Council through http://twitter.com/britishcouncil and http://blog.britishcouncil.org/.

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