The UN CC:Learn Open Online Course on Gender and Environment is currently accepting enrollments from learners around the world. This comprehensive self-paced course provides participants with an in-depth understanding of the relationship between gender equality and environmental sustainability, while equipping them with practical tools to integrate gender-responsive approaches into environmental policies, projects, and development initiatives.
Developed through a collaboration between leading international organizations, including the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and UNITAR’s UN CC:Learn, the course serves as an important learning resource for individuals seeking to strengthen their knowledge of climate action, biodiversity conservation, sustainable development, and environmental governance.
Unlike traditional classroom programs, this online course allows learners to study at their own pace from anywhere in the world. Participants can access learning materials whenever convenient, making it suitable for both students and working professionals.
Why This Course Matters
Environmental challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, land degradation, pollution, and waste management do not affect everyone equally. Women, men, girls, and boys often experience environmental issues differently because of varying social, economic, and cultural roles.
Understanding these differences is becoming increasingly important for governments, NGOs, development agencies, researchers, and businesses seeking to design inclusive environmental policies and sustainable development strategies.
This course helps participants understand:
- Why gender equality contributes to better environmental outcomes.
- How environmental degradation affects different populations differently.
- The importance of women’s leadership and empowerment in climate action.
- How gender-responsive policies improve conservation and sustainable development.
- International frameworks that support gender equality in environmental governance.
What You Will Learn
The course provides practical and theoretical knowledge covering several major environmental themes.
Participants will learn:
- The relationship between gender equality and environmental sustainability.
- Global environmental agreements that include gender considerations.
- How gender-responsive policies improve environmental outcomes.
- Practical approaches to integrating gender into environmental projects.
- Ways to promote women’s empowerment within biodiversity conservation.
- Gender considerations in climate change adaptation and mitigation.
- Gender issues relating to international waters.
- Sustainable land degradation management.
- Chemicals and waste management from a gender perspective.
Course Structure
The learning programme consists of six comprehensive modules, each designed to build practical knowledge step by step.
The modules include:
- Introduction
- Climate Change
- International Waters
- Biodiversity
- Land Degradation
- Chemicals and Waste
Each module takes approximately one hour to complete, resulting in a total learning time of around six hours. Since the course is self-paced, learners can complete it according to their own schedules without fixed deadlines.
Who Should Enroll?
The course has been designed for a wide variety of learners, including:
- Students studying environmental sciences or sustainable development.
- Climate change practitioners.
- Biodiversity specialists.
- Government officials working on environmental policies.
- NGO staff involved in environmental conservation.
- Development practitioners.
- Researchers.
- Community leaders.
- Sustainability consultants.
- Anyone interested in learning how gender equality contributes to environmental sustainability.
Certification
Participants who successfully complete all quizzes with a minimum score of 70% qualify for a UN Digital Certificate of Completion.
Important certification information:
- A minimum score of 70% is required on every quiz.
- Participants have three attempts for each quiz.
- The course itself is free.
- The official digital certificate becomes available upon payment of a USD 20 certification fee after successfully passing all quizzes.
Languages Available
The course is available in multiple languages, making it accessible to learners worldwide:
- English
- Spanish
- French
International Partners
The course has been developed through collaboration among several globally recognized organizations, including:
- Global Environment Facility (GEF)
- United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
- UN CC:Learn
- International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
- UN Women
- United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
- Convention on Biological Diversity
- United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
- United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)
- Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions, among others.
Benefits of Taking the Course
Participants will benefit from:
- Free access to high-quality UN learning materials.
- Flexible self-paced online learning.
- Practical knowledge applicable in environmental and development work.
- Improved understanding of global gender and environmental frameworks.
- Enhanced professional skills in sustainability and climate action.
- Opportunity to earn a recognized UN Digital Certificate.
- Better preparation for careers in environmental policy, NGOs, international organizations, research, and sustainable development.
Application Deadline
There is currently no application deadline.
Enrollment remains open, and interested learners may register and begin the course at any time.
How to Apply
Interested applicants can register online through the official UN CC:Learn course page:
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