Durham Declaration Launch at COP30 - Higher Education as a Climate Catalyst: From Regional Cooperation to Global Scale

Higher Education as a Climate Catalyst: From Regional Cooperation to Global Scale - hosted by the Coimbra Group at the Union for the Mediterranean at COP30, Belém Brazil, this in-person roundtable discussion was joined by universities and university alliances from across the globe to explore how regional initiatives can be aligned and connected into a global higher education climate ecosystem capable of delivering real impact and scale.

Professor Petra Minnerop, Professor of International Law from Durham University, represented the Coimbra Group of universities. The main highlight of the event was the launch and introduction of the Durham Declaration on Climate Change and Sustainability at COP30. The Durham Declaration was adopted during the Coimbra Group Climate Symposium and reflects the shared commitment of prestigious Coimbra Group universities across Europe to tackle climate change and embed sustainability in all areas of academic life. The discussions explored how universities act as drivers of climate resilience and societal transformation. The participants acknowledged the value of the Durham Declaration and its roadmap.

The discussions also included the new Euro-Mediterranean University Initiative for Climate Action, inspired by the Girona Manifesto, which mobilises universities throughout the Mediterranean to collaborate on climate education, research, innovation, student engagement and climate governance. The event also allowed showcasing progress on our ongoing research project ELEVATE ProClima - Enhance and Leverage the Architecture on Evidence for Proteção Climática (Climate Protection). 

Key discussions:

• Acknowledging that universities can act as drivers of climate resilience and societal transformation.
• Seeing the Durham Declaration as a leading example, and its Seven Principles as a guiding framework for universities.   
• Exploring regional coordination models (Euro-Med, AU, ASEAN, Latin America, etc.). 
• Envisioning a common roadmap or platform to scale climate action across higher education globally. 

Expected outcome:

A call to action for a global coalition of regional university initiatives on climate, paving the way for coordinated impact at SB64 COP31 and beyond.