Najam Speaks in London on Climate and Girls Education
Dr. Adil Najam, Dean Emeritus and Professor at the Pardee School of Global Studies and President of WWF-International, spoke in London on October 4 and 5 at a workshop and then a public panel on Climate Change, Education and Gender Perspectives organized by the Malala Fund and the Center for Global Development (CGD).
During the workshop (October 4 and 5) Najam reported on his new research on the links between climate change and girls education. He presented a framework for how climate change is a threat multiplier for the existing crisis of girls education in many developing countries, while girls education can possibly be a contributor of solutions to the global climate crisis. Najam, and his co-author Shaheera Syed, are undertaking this research in collaboration with the Malala Fund and expects to publish it by the forthcoming COP28 in Decemeber.
Later, he also spoke at a public event held on October 5 at London’s Garden Museum, also co-hosted by Malala Fund and the Center for Global Development (CGD), to highlight the links between education and climate change. The event highlighted the fact that climate risks mean greater risks to education, through increased likelihood of internal displacement, food insecurity, damage to education infrastructure, and negative impacts on children’s health and wellbeing. This is especially true for girls, who are often the most affected by household measures to adapt. Najam was joined on the panel by 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).
A report of the event and a video can be viewed here.
Adil Najam is Dean Emeritus and Professor at the Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University and since July 2023 also serves as the President of WWF-International. He served as the Inaugural Dean of the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies from 2014-2022. He is also a former Vice-Chancellor of the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS). His research focuses on issues of global public policy, especially those related to global climate change, South Asia, Muslim countries, environment and development, and human development. Read more about Najam on his Pardee School faculty profile.