Plenary Keynote 7 – The Impact of the UN Global Innovation Hub
Peter Kent (Live) Massamba Thioye (video)
Collaboration with the UN:
Kent shared that, around ten months ago, as he was transitioning out of his role as ICP president, ICP was approached by Massamba Tthioye, head of the UN Global Climate Innovation Hub.
The UN was interested in collaborating with ICP and school leaders globally to harness their creative energy in finding positive solutions to the challenges posed by climate change.
A workshop was quickly organized at the COP28 Summit in Dubai, where representatives from various regions, including Africa, New Zealand, and Latin America, shared insights on climate education and working with young people.
Message from the UN:
Kent introduced a video message from Massamba Tthioye, who expressed the UN’s appreciation for the work of school leaders and their desire to collaborate on future initiatives.
Toil’s message focused on the importance of addressing climate and sustainability challenges through innovative solutions that are practical, inclusive, and sustainable.
Key Points from Massamba Tthioye’s Message:
The world faces a dual challenge: satisfying societal and planetary needs while keeping human activities within planetary boundaries.
A systemic innovation framework that is human-centric, vision-driven, and collaborative is necessary to reinvent the world.
To achieve this, education systems must promote core values of caring, sharing, and daring, which are essential for fostering innovation and collaboration.
Massamba Tthioye emphasized the need for a radical collaboration among various stakeholders, including policymakers, tech companies, and cultural industries, to drive systemic change.
He called for the adoption of a demand-driven approach to innovation, focusing on the future needs of the world and working backward to develop the necessary innovations.
Toil also highlighted the importance of upskilling and reskilling the labor force to adapt to new demands, and the need for open sharing of knowledge and best practices to promote inclusive innovation.
Call to Action for School Leaders:
Kent reflected on the core message of caring, sharing, and daring, which he believed resonated with the daily work of school leaders.
He urged the global school leadership community to join the UN in the radical collaboration Masamba spoke about, emphasizing the crucial role that school leaders can play in shaping the future.
Kent acknowledged this as his final contribution as a member of the ICP executive, marking it as a significant moment in his career, focused on the future of children and the impact school leaders can have.
Final Thoughts:
He recapped the importance of small steps, like planting trees, in contributing to larger global efforts.
Kent cited Andreas Schleicher from the OECD, who highlighted that true innovation often comes from those on the front lines, like school leaders, rather than high-level policymakers.
He invited participants to share their innovative ideas and approaches to climate education as part of the ongoing collaboration with the UN.
Kent concluded by reinforcing the call to continue working together to make a meaningful difference through radical collaboration.
