SDG 4 – Quality Education

SDG 4 ‘Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all’ focuses on improving access to all levels of education whilst ensuring its quality and its role in teaching the next generation about sustainable development and climate change.

In the updated NDC submissions, 1% of activities addressed Goal 4 compared with 2% in the first NDC submissions. In the first NDCs, countries were prioritising targets '4.7 Enhance knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development' (41%) and '4.1 Ensure equal and universal quality education' (34%), linking these to 'Awareness raising on climate change' (41%), '(Vocational) training programs provision' (24%) and 'Strengthened climate science' (19%) as key strategies for climate action. In the updated NDCs, countries are prioritising targets '4.7 Enhance knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development' (59%) and '4.3 Equal access for all to higher education' (12%), linking these to '(Vocational) training programs provision' (29%) 'Awareness raising on climate change' (27%) and 'Integration of climate change into curricula' (26%) as key strategies for climate action.

Regarding first NDC submissions, activities related to this Goal are prioritising adaptation with 79% of the activities, while 12% focus on mitigation. Meanwhile, for updated NDC submissions 49% prioritise adaptation and 9% mitigation. The share of quantified activities has increased from 3% in the first NDCs to 12% in the updated NDC submissions.