Land Action Labs Brings Together Global Experts and Educators to Inspire the Next Generation to Protect and Restore Land
Land Action Labs Brings Together Global Experts and Educators to Inspire the Next Generation to Protect and Restore Land
A new global education initiative developed by the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) and the G20 Global Land Initiative at the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) has convened its inaugural Global Advisory Committee, bringing together educators, researchers and land restoration experts from across the world.
Our lives are rooted in land. It sustains food systems, water, biodiversity, livelihoods and communities, yet around 40% of the world's land is degraded, affecting people and ecosystems worldwide.
Land Action Labs aims to help young people discover, understand and care for the land and living systems around them. Developed by SDSN's Global Schools Program and the G20 Global Land Initiative at the UNCCD, the initiative supports educators in connecting learning to students' everyday experiences, local environments and communities, while creating opportunities for meaningful action to protect and restore land.
Its first global pilot in 2027 aims to engage 200 schools across 20 countries, reaching approximately 500 educators and 20,000 students through practical learning resources, educator training, international exchanges and locally relevant activities and projects.
“We cannot do it alone, and that's the reason that we work with different stakeholders,” said Fabiola Nava of the G20 Global Land Initiative at UNCCD, emphasizing the importance of partnerships and education in advancing global land restoration goals.
GLOBAL EXPERTISE TO SHAPE LOCAL LEARNING
In September 2026, Land Action Labs convened its inaugural Global Advisory Committee meeting, bringing together experts and educators from Africa, the Arab States, Asia and the Pacific, Europe, Latin America and North America.
The committee draws on expertise spanning land restoration, ecology, curriculum development, education for sustainable development, Indigenous and local knowledge, and international school networks. Members will contribute through quarterly meetings, reviews of learning resources, advice on pilot implementation and connections to relevant initiatives and partners.
Professor Charles Hopkins, UNESCO Chair in Reorienting Education towards Sustainability at York University, highlighted the opportunity to connect education across the three Rio Conventions on climate change, biodiversity and desertification: “I'm hoping that we'll be able to find a few key messages that apply to all the conventions [...] making it much more efficient, effective, and easier to deliver for teachers,” he shared.
This interdisciplinary ambition is reflected in the Land Action Labs learning approach, which encourages students to explore connections between land, climate, biodiversity and human systems through places and questions relevant to their own lives.
For Nouredine Abdoulaye, CEO of Teach for Niger, the committee also offers an opportunity to bring regional perspectives into an international exchange: “I work closely with teachers, young leaders, community and education stakeholders to expand access to quality education. And I hope to bring this perspective from Niger and [the] Sahel region to Land Action Labs, while learning from the experiences of educators and experts around the world.”
BUILDING ON EDUCATORS’ EXPERIENCES
An important focus of the first meeting’s discussion was ensuring that Land Action Labs can work across diverse educational contexts.
Members emphasized the need for flexible resources that connect with existing curricula, accommodate different languages and support teachers with varying experience and opportunities. Ece Hamret, National Head of English Language Teaching at Uğur Schools in Türkiye, emphasized the importance of helping teachers see the relevance and practical value of new resources: “We need to help teachers see how these resources can fit into their existing practice and why they are useful, while making them adaptable to different educational contexts.”
The discussion also addressed how schools can build longer term engagement with land, beyond individual activities or projects. Nicole Swedlow, Director of Compass Education, encouraged the programme to consider how schools can take ownership of local stewardship initiatives over time: “Land requires participation over time. We should think about how schools can adopt a place or project as an ongoing practice, with opportunities for different students and the wider school community to contribute.”
These insights will help inform the development of an educator Mini MOOC, an Educator Handbook and Activity Guides for primary and secondary schools, alongside the training, expert support and global community of practice planned for the pilot.
MOVING TOWARDS THE FIRST GLOBAL PILOT COHORT
With the Advisory Committee established and learning resources in development, Land Action Labs is now preparing for its first global cohort in 2027.
Educators will begin training and connecting with peers in January, followed by school implementation from February onwards. Participating schools will be encouraged to start with their own contexts, whether through a classroom investigation, a schoolyard activity or a longer term project developed with local partners. A small number of mini-grants will also support land-based projects in schools and communities.
This connection between education and action is central to the experience of Nomfundo Ndlovu, Senior Programme Manager at the Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa (WESSA). Drawing on her work with schools and communities, she explained: “We work with schools, young people, communities [...] to turn environmental learning into practical action.” Her perspective reflects a central ambition of Land Action Labs: to help schools translate learning about land into meaningful experiences and opportunities for local stewardship.
Feedback and evidence gathered throughout the pilot will help strengthen the resources and inform future expansion.
Applications are now open for primary and secondary educators and schools worldwide to join the first Land Action Labs global pilot in 2027. Submit an Expression of Interest by 30 November 2026, or join an online information session on 17 November to learn more about the opportunity and ask questions.
—---------------
Meet the Global Advisory Committee
Land Action Labs is grateful to the international group of educators, researchers, practitioners and education leaders contributing their expertise, perspectives and networks to the initiative.
