The programme stands out for its remarkable effectiveness in reaching current and future law and policy leaders across the globe, particularly in highly climate-vulnerable countries.
The Democratising Education for Global Sustainability and Justice programme co-hosted by Lucy Cavendish College and developed to address pressing global challenges while bridging the sustainable development law and policy capacity gap celebrates the end of its successful second year.
Professor Dr. Marie-Claire Cordonier Segger, Chair in Sustainable Development Law and Policy at the University of Cambridge, where she also serves as a Law Fellow, Director of Studies, and Programme Director at Lucy Cavendish College, leads the programme. She celebrated its success and expressed gratitude to Dr. Gabrielle Bacon, the donor of the programme, stating:
“Our programme stands out for its remarkable effectiveness in reaching current and future law and policy leaders across the globe, particularly in highly climate-vulnerable countries. Receiving over 10,000 expressions of interest in just its second year is incredibly inspiring. It highlights the urgent need to address this critical subject and bridge the capacity gap. It also underscores how well-received our pilot courses were and how successfully our team has built on this initial interest.”
At the end of its second year, the programme has developed six online short courses on sustainable development and key international treaties, which have been taken by over 5,000 learners from more than 130 countries. The courses are taught by world-renowned experts from several University of Cambridge and international partner organisations, such as the Centre for International Sustainable Development Law. The programme is supported by a generous donation from Dr. Gabrielle Bacon, a Hughes Hall alumna.
The programme prioritises learners from least developed countries and highly climate-vulnerable ones, engaging in partnerships with the ministries of these countries to effectively target these learners. It celebrates its partnership with Sierra Leone and provides 100 scholarships to Sierra Leonese learners selected by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Climate.
The mission of the programme is to widen participation by making these online courses available worldwide, ensuring that participation is not determined by location or financial resources. Each course provides access to leading materials, two live classroom engagement sessions on Zoom, and several hours of independent, self-paced work in the form of assessments. Successful completion of the six online courses also gives learners access to potential further scholarship opportunities for more intensive professional development courses provided through Cambridge Advance Online.
The programme's growth, especially throughout its second year, has enabled it to award two visiting fellowships to undergraduate students from Brown University and Yale University. These fellows have been instrumental in supporting the launch of a new website and establishing a visual identity across social media. The programme is now represented on four platforms—X, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram—where the account has gained over 1,100 followers. The team is eagerly preparing for and looking forward to the third year of online courses.