News
Catch up on what’s happening in the world of global citizenship education.
1,657 results found
Cities of inclusion: The winners of the UNESCO Learning City Award 2019 2019-10-07 Ten cities from around the world received the 2019 UNESCO Learning Cities Award on 30 September in Medellín, Colombia on the eve of the opening of the Fourth International Conference on Learning Cities. "The Award is a recognition of exemplary progress made by cities in promoting inclusive education and lifelong learning in local communities," said David Atchoarena, Director of the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning. "It is a means to honour our network member cities as they have demonstrated remarkable progress by implementing the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities (GNLC) guidelines." Coordinated by the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning, the UNESCO GNLC is an international policy-oriented network providing inspiration, know-how and best practice. "Only with education do we close the social gaps and overcome the vicious circle of violence and poverty," said Federico Gutiérrez, Mayor of Medellín, as he accepted the Award on behalf of his city. A number of innovative programmes in the city were recently implemented, including one that has helped to successfully reintegrate over 7,000 school drop-outs by engaging with them on a one-to-one basis. "Medellín is a city that is known for rising from its darkest hours. Its people have found in education a possibility of resilience and transformation," stated the Mayor of the host city. The city of Ibadan in Nigeria was honoured for its festival of learning, offering interactive and varied activities and workshops for different target audiences that are reinforcing the concept of lifelong learning in the community. "Ibadan is continually striving to turn the ideal of ‘inclusive education’ into reality," said Oluseyi Abiodun Makinde, the Governor of Oyo State. Chengdu, China, combined learning with walks around the city, each route focusing on a different subject area such as regional features, traditional cultures and modern industry, demonstrating a smart use of public and non-public resources. Xianyi Zhou, the Secretary-General of the Municipal Government of Chengdu, stated that his city "firmly believes that learning makes life more wonderful and a city far stronger." The Egyptian city of Aswan has developed a strategy that integrates a variety of projects, including gardening and water-conservation programmes in schools, as well as diverse entrepreneurial training opportunities for all groups of society. Ahmed Ibrahim Mohamed, Governor of Aswan said: "We will continue to build a learning city that supports the UN Sustainable Development Goals by linking education to the needs of society." The Greek city of Heraklion implemented the ‘Fit for All’ programme to bring citizens and refugees residing in the city closer together by promoting equity and inclusion through sports and educational activities based on subjects such as local culture and tradition. «We fully believe that such an important social good ought to be protected, enhanced, and that it should remain a driving force in our city," said Vasileios Lamprinos, the Deputy Mayor. The Mexican city of Santiago, provided citizens with access to a great range of free classes, including robotic courses for children and anti-bullying training. "Our mission and vision is to promote learning as the guiding principle of municipal action," said the Mayor, Javier Caballero Gaona. Petaling Jaya in Malaysia, provided free bus services across four city routes as an improvement to access public learning spaces. The Mayor, Sayuthi Bakar, said: "Our city continues to seek partnerships with corporations, organizations and individuals for community projects that enhance the city’s sustainable social, environmental and economic development." The Ukrainian city Melitopol retrained displaced people. "Lifelong learning can address some of the problems facing Internally Displaced Persons and can change perspectives, so that Melitopol’s citizens see them as an opportunity, and not as a problem," said Serhii Pryima, the city’s Vice-Mayor. Seodaemun-gu, in the Republic of Korea, took advantage of its many high-rise apartments by creating small learning communities in which each year 50 courses are taught in citizens’ living rooms. "We will continue to provide learning programmes that meet global standards to improve the quality of life of our citizens," announced Seok-Jin Mun, the Mayor of the city. "Fostering lifelong learning is a core endeavour, which we achieve through strong political commitment, partnerships and quality education," said Erik Lauritzen, Mayor of Sønderborg, Denmark. The city implemented a so called ‘4–17–42’ strategy, where ‘4’ stands for the city’s four political commitments (environmental, economic, social and cultural), ‘17’ represents the city’s commitment to the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals and ‘42’ represents the 42 features included in the UNESCO GNLC’s Key Features of Learning Cities. From 1 to 3 October, government officials, city representatives and education experts from around the world are gathering in Medellín to identify, exchange and discuss effective lifelong learning policies and practices that lead to inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable cities. URL:https://en.unesco.org/news/cities-inclusion-winners-unesco-learning-city-award-2019 
Towards a more gender equal world (Women Deliver 2019 Conference) 2019-10-07 The Women Deliver 2019 Conference was one step on the march towards a more gender equal world. With more than 8,000 people – including heads of states, ministers, parliamentarians, academics, advocates, activists and journalists - from over 165 countries on site and more than 100,000 people joining around the world through satellite events and the virtual conference - WD2019 connected advocates and decision makers, fuelled global and country-level action, and shone a global spotlight on the importance of gender equality. The new ideas, inspiration, and solutions shared at the conference will continue to inspire the world to harness power for good, demonstrate the power of gender equality, and catalyse investment in women-focused organisations and in sexual and reproductive health and rights. WD2019 catalysed investment - financial, political, and programmatic - in genderequality, including women-focused organisations and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR). Prime Minister if Canada, Justin Trudeau announced that the Government of Canada will raise its funding to CAD$1.4 billion annually to support women and girls’ health around the world. That includes an additional CAD$300 million a year dedicated to sexual and reproductive health rights, including access to safe abortion. President of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta, committed to ending female genital mutilation by 2022, pushing for more women in parliament and power in general, ending child marriage, acting on climate change, and making primary and secondary education compulsory for all children, regardless of gender. The Humanitarian Pre-Conference provided a unique forum for women-focused civil society organisations (CSOs) to directly advocate with donors and international organisations about the concrete actions needed to drive a more feminist and localised approach to humanitarian aid. Partners unveiled new research and data that demonstrates the power of gender equality. McKinsey Global Institute released a report, The Future of Women at Work, which explores the impact of automation on the global workforce through a gender lens. The research found that navigating transitions will put women on a path to more productive, better-paid work and greater gender equality, but failing to do so could worsen existing challenges and widen gender disparities. A new study was announced, conducted by the Population Council and with Women Deliver, found a strong and consistent lifelong negative association between giving birth before age 18 and a woman’s economic empowerment. This important research adds to the vital evidence base that investing in SRHR could have a positive economic impact. Equal Measures 2030 launched The SDG Gender Index, the most comprehensive tool available to measure the state of gender equality aligned to the SDGs. Results from 129 countries measured by the Index show that the world is far from achieving gender equality, with 1.4 billion girls and women living in countries that get a “very poor” failing grade on gender equality. Plan International released a new report that revealed that a vast majority of girls worldwide want to take leadership positions in the workplace, politics and wider society, yet more than 9 out of 10 believe as women leaders they will suffer widespread discrimination and sexual harassment. WD2019 focused on ‘Power’, and addressed individual power, structural power, and the power of movements, and how power can drive – or hinder – progress and change. The conference challenged the power dynamics behind gender inequality, and demonstrated how we can all harness power for good. The Women Deliver 2019 Conference acknowledged the barriers that are more entrenched for some girls and women than others – including indigenous populations, people with disabilities, the LGBTQIA+ community, refugees, and women of colour – and addressed those unique challenges. Women Deliver laid out a vision for the powerful future of meaningful youth engagement in a new and ground-breaking policy paper. Founders and leaders of some of the most influential movements of our time - Me Too, Times Up, Ni Una Menos, climate, labor unions, citizen journalism and others – shared a stage for the first time in history and found commonalities for the way ahead. The Women Deliver Conference reinforced the global call to galvanize efforts to achieve gender equality as underscored in the Declaration on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment issued at the G7 Leaders’ Summit in Biarritz, France. The G7 leaders underlined commitment to “increase opportunities for at least 12 years of safe and quality education for all, particularly in emergencies and in conflict-affected and fragile states” and “to support eliminating gender inequality and discrimination, and countering gender biases and stereotypes and endeavour to work together with developing countries to promote inclusion, equity and access of girls and women to quality education, including access to Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)”. They also recognised the importance of gender-responsive education and quality technical and vocational education and training (TVET). More than 280 reporters, bloggers, and photographers from 63 countries attended the conference. The conference reached over 6.8 million people on social media. URL:http://aspbae.org/userfiles/sep19/others/ASPBAE_Bulletin_June_2019.pdf 
UNESCO learning cities boost inclusion 2019-10-07 New strategy and fund to support lifelong learning programmes in cities around the world With the adoption today of the Medellín Manifesto during the fourth International Conference on Learning Cities (ICLC), members of the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities (GNLC) pledged to boost inclusion in their communities in the coming years. The conference, whose theme, ‘Inclusion – A principle for lifelong learning and sustainable cities’, has set the path for a renewed focus on the so far under-researched challenges confronting vulnerable groups, showcased how lifelong learning policies and practices can support the development of inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable cities. The President of Colombia joined around 650 conference participants, including 50 mayors, as well as government representatives and experts from all UNESCO world regions, to discover how learning cities are investing in education that benefits everyone, including those often marginalized such as youth-at-risk, migrants, older people, digitally excluded populations and persons with disabilities. Conference participants also adopted the future strategy for the UNESCO Learning Cities network and launched a fund to support lifelong learning programmes in cities around the world. Colombia President Iván Duque Márquez underlined at the conference: ‘During the last decades Colombia has left behind times of pain and built hope. The education system of the country has developed substantially. We are making monumental efforts to change for the good of our country. I am proud that UNESCO is present here in Colombia with mayors and governors. I am proud to show participants a country that does not stop dreaming, that does not stop progressing, that does not stop growing.” The fourth International Conference on Learning Cities was jointly organized by the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) and the City of Medellín. Future strategy and fund launched for UNESCO learning cities The future strategy of the UNESCO GNLC will run from 2019 to 2021. In order to strengthen the network and improve knowledge production and sharing, tools development, policy learning and capacity-development, seven thematic groups have been devised based on the issues and concerns deemed by members of the network to be of highest priority. A multi-donor funding modality will support this work. David Atchoarena, Director of the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning, emphasized during his closing comments at the conference: ‘UNESCO learning cities have tremendous power as drivers of inclusive education and sustainable development. They enable the change we need to provide each and every one of us with quality lifelong learning opportunities, and make sustainable development a reality at city level. Over the next two years, we will work with over 170 learning cities around the globe to develop solutions to issues such as sustainable development, inclusion, educational planning, health and well-being, and literacy. I invite all partners and donors to support this work by contributing to our newly launched fund.’ UNESCO learning cities success stories In the run-up to the conference, 10 learning cities received the Learning City Award 2019 in recognition of their good practice in promoting quality education and lifelong learning opportunities for all: Aswan (Egypt), Chengdu (People’s Republic of China), Heraklion (Greece), Ibadan (Nigeria), Medellín (Colombia), Melitopol (Ukraine), Petaling Jaya (Malaysia), Santiago (Mexico), Seodaemun-gu (Republic of Korea), and Sønderborg (Denmark). Federico Gutierrez, mayor of Medellín and co-host of the fourth ICLC, explained the key to his city’s success: ‘Only with education do we close the social gaps. Only with education do we overcome the vicious circle of violence and poverty. In Medellín, we invest in opportunities endorsed by its citizens. Medellín is a city that is known for rising from its darkest hours. Its people have found in education a possibility of resilience and transformation.’ URL:http://uil.unesco.org/lifelong-learning/learning-cities/unesco-learning-cities-boost-inclusion 
World Teachers Day 2019 2019-10-07 To mark World Teachers Day, the UIS has released a new edition of its eAtlas of Teachers, which presents a wide range of data and indicators based on results of the Institute’s annual education survey involving more than 200 countries and territories. Available in English, French and Spanish, the eAtlas lets readers explore the working conditions and training of teachers at the global, regional and country levels. The UIS, together with the Global Education Monitoring Report and the International Task Force on Teachers for Education 2030, has also produced a fact sheet in English and French presenting data about teachers from a wide range of sources. The theme of World Teachers’ Day 2019 focuses on the need to attract young teachers to the profession. With the adoption of SDG 4, and the dedicated Target 4.c recognising teachers as key to the achievement of the 2030 Education Agenda, it has become the occasion to mark achievements and reflect on ways to counter the remaining challenges for the promotion of the teaching profession. URL:http://uis.unesco.org/en/news/world-teachers-day-2019 
MOOC on planning for early childhood education 2019-10-02 Professionals from ministries of education and their partners can register for a new Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on mainstreaming early childhood education (ECE) into education sector planning. The MOOC, offered in English, will run over five weeks from 28 October to 29 November 2019, preceded by an introduction starting on 23 October. Register here Co-organized by UNESCO, UNICEF, and the Global Partnership for Education and hosted on the IIEP-UNESCO Virtual Campus, the MOOC is for professionals from countries that want to improve early learning and achieve better education outcomes. The course will demonstrate how to strengthen ECE by ensuring that it is a core component of education sector planning. “Around the world, at least 175 million children do not have access to pre-primary education. In low-income countries, this means only 1 in 5 children is enrolled.” The benefits of early childhood development are widely acknowledged and are key to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Yet, at least 175 million children are not enrolled in pre-primary education. In low-income countries, this means only 1 in 5 children is enrolled. Top experts will introduce participants to fundamental concepts and key planning tools and processes needed to integrate pre-primary policies in national education sector plans. Participants will also learn how to analyse the current state of ECE in their country, how to develop ECE policies and programmes, how to cost and finance them, and how to support their implementation with support of an education sector plan. URL:http://www.iiep.unesco.org/en/join-our-mooc-planning-early-childhood-education-5055 
Learning cities: Drivers of inclusion and sustainability 2019-10-01 Today, more than half of humanity - 3.5 billion people - live in cities, and 5 billion people are projected to live in urban areas by 2030. Many cities around the world are facing acute challenges in managing rapid urbanization, which has a severe impact ensuring quality education for all. Learning cities enable people of all ages, and socio-economic and cultural backgrounds to benefit from inclusive quality education and lifelong learning opportunities. What is a learning city? Learning cities provide good policies and practices fostering sustainable development at various levels, notably through lifelong learning. They are more equitable, cohesive, and peaceful and eventually become more sustainable. Cities can be hubs of public policies where local governments empower communities and social actors to engage in lifelong learning strategies and programmes. A learning city: effectively mobilizes resources in every sector to promote inclusive learning from basic to higher education, revitalizes learning in families and communities, facilitates learning for and in the workplace, extends the use of modern learning technologies, enhances quality and excellence in learning, and fosters a culture of learning throughout life, thereby enhances individual empowerment and social inclusion, economic development and cultural prosperity, and sustainable development. What do learning cities do to achieve equity and inclusion? To achieve equity and inclusion, learning cities: provide alternative educational opportunities for all citizens, in particular for vulnerable groups who are not in formal schooling or training, enabling them to acquire literacy and other basic/vocational skills as well as to participate in continuous adult education, offer online learning classes that allow people to attend free lectures on a range of topics relevant to their local community, establish migrant colleges enabling migrant workers to obtain professional qualifications, thereby helping them to integrate into society, promote intergenerational learning initiatives bringing schoolchildren and adults together, provide career guidance, particularly for women, to encourage them to pursue higher qualifications that will allow them to assume leadership positions, set up mobile libraries providing reading opportunities for all, especially people with disabilities, senior citizens and children below school age, make use of cultural centres that serve as learning sites, bringing together culture, art and learning, and hosting projects run jointly by local educational and cultural institutions as a means of enabling local people to access their cultural heritage and promoting intercultural tolerance, establish schemes that mobilize trained volunteers to encourage residents at risk of isolation (e.g. senior citizens, people with disabilities) to participate in cultural activities, art workshops, physical activities, etc. Create ‘civic participation networks’ that encourage citizens to take part in the city’s decision-making processes, supported by the use of social media and modern technologies. What is the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities? The UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities is an international policy-oriented network of currently 170 active member cities from 53 countries providing inspiration, know-how and best practice. It is coordinated by the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning. The network supports member cities by: promoting policy dialogue and peer learning among member cities documenting effective strategies and good practices fostering partnerships providing capacity development and developing tools and instruments to design, implement, and monitor learning cities strategies. What are good examples of learning cities? 170 cities from 53 countries worldwide are currently active members of the learning cities network. They all provide outstanding lifelong learning policies and practices. Ten of them will be honoured on 30 September 2019 before the opening of the Medellín Conference with the 2019 Learning Cities Award. Learn more about the winners of the 2019 Learning City Award. What will happen at the fourth International Conference on Learning Cities in Medellín? From 1 to 3 October 2019, 350 government officials, city representatives and education experts from around the world will gather in Medellín, Colombia to identify, exchange and discuss effective lifelong learning policies and practices that lead to inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable cities. At the end of the Conference, participants will adopt the Medellín Manifesto, outlining milestones for the future work of learning cities to enhance inclusion through lifelong learning. On 3 October 2019, site visits under the guidance of the Mayor of Medellín will showcase lifelong learning programmes implemented in the city of Medellín. Participants will learn how Medellín has managed to transform from a city with one of the highest crime rates worldwide to an innovative city providing learning opportunities also to the marginalized. Learn more about the Conference. Find out more about UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) URL:https://en.unesco.org/news/learning-cities-drivers-inclusion-and-sustainability 
ASPBAE participates in UNESCO meetings on the SDG 4 indicator system 2019-10-01 6th meeting of the Technical Cooperation Group on the Indicators for SDG4-Education 2030 (TCG) The UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), in partnership with the Republic of Armenia Ministry of Education and Science, organised the 6th Meeting of the Technical Cooperation Group on the Indicators for SDG4-Education 2030 (TCG6). The meeting brought together key stakeholders in the field of education statistics to continue the development and implementation of the SDG 4 Monitoring Framework. ASPBAE’s Rene Raya participated in the meeting, filling in for the Latin American Campaign for the Right to Education (CLADE) who is the full CSO member of the committee representing the Collective Consultation of NGOs on Education 2030 (CCNGO/ED 2030). Also, in attendance from the Asia Pacific region were representatives from Bangladesh, Indonesia, People’s Republic of China, the Korean Educational Development Institute (KEDI), and the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO). Silvia Montoya, Director of UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), formally opened the Sixth TCG meeting with an update on the global progress of SDG 4. The meeting comes at a crucial time when the SDG indicator system is in the process of a comprehensive review that will culminate in the adoption of an updated SDG global indicator framework by the UN Statistical Commission during its 51st session in March 2020. The discussions at TCG6 meeting focused on additional indicators; indicator development, reporting and benchmarking processes; and challenges and obstacles countries face in producing and reporting on SDG 4 indicators. The aim of the meeting was to review and endorse the methodological developments including on potential new indicators; review and finalise the list of indicators to be published in 2020; discuss and update, if necessary, the SDG data validation process; agree on the process to develop benchmarking for at least three selected indicators; and identify areas for improvement in data production and funding. It was noted, however, that additional indicators will be considered only in a few selected cases, particularly when there is a need to cover a critical aspect of the target that is not adequately captured by other indicators. ASPBAE’s Rene Raya raised the absence of a specific indicator to measure a critical target under SDG Target 4.1 on free and compulsory basic education, noting that poverty, exclusion and the rising cost of education are the main reasons for dropping out or being pushed out of school. This was acknowledged, although coming up with an additional indicator for SDG 4.1 may be difficult at this late stage of the review process. Manos Antoninis of the Global Education Monitoring Report mentioned that this may be captured by the indicators under Target 4.5, particularly on parity indices and on extend to which explicit formula-based policies reallocate education resources to disadvantaged populations. The TCG was formed in early 2016 to lead the development and implementation of the global and thematic indicator frameworks to monitor the education targets in SDG 4. It is currently composed of 27 Member States and 8 organisations including representatives of all regions as well as from civil society and international organisations, such as CCNGO/ED 2030, Education International, OECD, UNICEF, the World Bank, and UNESCO itself. 6th meeting of the Global Alliance to Monitor Learning (GAML) An earlier meeting that focused on learning outcomes was also organised by the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) in Yerevan. This meeting was attended by additional participants including representatives from other countries such as Afghanistan and other CSOs. ASPBAE member, Campaign for Popular Education (CAMPE), also attended the meeting and was represented by its Deputy Director, K.M. Enamul Hoque. The meeting looked specifically on the methodology and progress for the following indicators: Indicator 4.1.1 – on minimum proficiency level in reading and mathematicsIndicator 4.4.2 – on minimum level of proficiency in digital literacy skillsIndicator 4.6.1 – on level of proficiency in functional literacy and numeracy skillsIndicator 4.7.4 – on understanding of issues relating to global citizenship and sustainability On the methodology for measuring learning outcomes, Rene raised the question whether the learning assessment modules that have been developed were also applicable to out-of-school learners taking up alternative learning courses, and to persons with disabilities. Rene noted that the assessment modules were focused only on the learning achievements of students in a formal school setting. The panelist from UIS and USAID, among others, responded that the assessment modules also considered learners outside the school system and that the same modules can be applied. On proficiency in digital skills, CAMPE’s Enamul Hoque raised the issue that developing countries such as Bangladesh are struggling to provide ICT systems and facilities given limited resources and the persisting low investment in education. Enamul stressed the need to strengthen global partnership to address the widening digital divide and ensure that all equally benefit from innovations and advances in digital technology. The meeting was a good learning event for the participants. The UIS, development agencies and regional organisations shared learning assessment frameworks, modules, data generation systems, evidenced-based policy making and capacity development initiatives. It is significant to note the progress made in developing the framework and methodologies for assessing literacy and numeracy. It is also worth mentioning that a number of assessment tools are now looking at the broader concept of learning that includes global citizenship, sustainability, and social relations in an increasingly diverse world. In the Asian region, for example, the Southeast Asia Primary Learning Metrics (SEA-PLM) was jointly developed by SEAMEO, the UNICEF Regional Office for East Asia and the Pacific (EAPRO) and countries from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The assessment metrics measures student performance on four domains: reading, writing, mathematics, and global citizenship. The UIS is also proposing a new indicator on “Breadth of skills” which will assess the extent to which national education policies and education sector plans recognize a breadth of skills that needs to be enhanced in national education systems. URL:http://www.aspbae.org/userfiles/sep19/others/ASPBAE_Bulletin_July-August_2019.pdf 
UNESCO Conference on Learning Cities to focus on inclusion 2019-09-28 More than half the world’s population lives in cities today. The UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities has 170 active members from 53 countries in every region of the world. Each city in the network has implemented effective lifelong learning policies and practices that support the development of inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable cities and contribute to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. These ground-breaking cities will come together in Medellín, Colombia, from 1 to 3 October 2019, for the fourth International Conference on Learning Cities. The theme of the conference, jointly organized by the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) and the city of Medellín, is ‘Inclusion – A Principle for Lifelong Learning and Sustainable Cities’. The President of Colombia, Iván Duque Márquez, will open the conference on 1 October together with Firmin Edouard Matoko (UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Priority Africa and External Relations), David Atchoarena (UIL Director), Federico Gutiérrez (Mayor of Medellín, Colombia), and John Sheehan (Mayor of Cork, Ireland). In the following plenary and workshop sessions, 650 representatives, including mayors and experts, from all world regions will discuss strategies to reinforce inclusion and equity in education and help advance the right to education for all vulnerable and marginalized groups. They will share their experiences concerning the promotion of lifelong learning policies and practices for all. Conference participants will adopt a two-year strategy to enhance further the work of the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities. Moreover, a fund to support the work of the network will be launched.Conference agenda UNESCO Learning Cities Award Ceremony30 September 2019, 17:00 - 20:00On 30 September 2019, 10 learning cities will be honoured in an award ceremony for their good practice in promoting quality education and lifelong learning opportunities for all. The awardees are Aswan (Egypt), Chengdu (People’s Republic of China), Heraklion (Greece), Ibadan (Nigeria), Medellín (Colombia), Melitopol (Ukraine), Petaling Jaya (Malaysia), Santiago (Mexico), Seodaemun-gu (Republic of Korea) and Sønderborg (Denmark).Venue: Biblioteca Pública Piloto, Carrera 64 No. 50 - 32 | Barrio Carlos E. Restrepo, MedellínAward ceremony Press Conferences1 October 2019, 10:00 - 10:30Statements from the President of Colombia, Iván Duque Márquez, Firmin Edouard Matoko (UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Priority Africa and External Relations), David Atchoarena (Director of the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning), and Federico Gutiérrez (Mayor of Medellín, Colombia) Questions & Answers2 October 2019, 17:15 - 17:45Statements on conference outcomes from David Atchoarena (Director of the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning), and Federico Gutiérrez (Mayor of Medellín, Colombia) Questions & AnswersVenue: Plaza Mayor Medellín Conventions and Exhibitions centre, Calle 41, No. 55–80. Plaza Mayor, Medellín LanguagesSimultaneous interpretation will be provided for the award ceremony and the conference in English, French and Spanish. BackgroundLearning cities are key drivers to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. They provide good policies and practices, fostering sustainable development at various levels, notably through lifelong learning. The UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities, coordinated by UIL, supports and improves the practice of lifelong learning in member cities by promoting policy dialogue and peer learning, documenting effective strategies and good practice, fostering partnerships, providing capacity development, and developing tools and instruments to design, implement and monitor learning cities strategies. URL:http://uil.unesco.org/lifelong-learning/learning-cities/unesco-conference-learning-cities-focus-inclusion 
UNESCO to promote new vision of education and measures to fight climate change at UN General Assembly in New York 2019-09-21 The Director-General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, will promote, and mobilize support for the Organization’s leadership in areas of global concern with a special focus on education, environmental science and press freedom at this year’s United Nations General Assembly which she will attend from 21 to 25 September. Ms Azoulay will officially launch UNESCO’s global initiative on the Futures of Education, with the participation of several Heads of State and Government including the co-sponsors of the event President Sahle-Work Zewde of Ethiopia, and President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa of Portugal. This will mark the beginning of a global debate on how education needs to be re-imagined to meet the challenges of today’s increasingly complex world. Attending Heads of State and Government will share their perspectives on the future of education. UNESCO will announce the establishment of an International Commission on the Futures of Education and the appointment of President Sahle-Work Zewde as its chair. (25 September, 1.15pm – 2.45pm, Conference Room 1) UNESCO will also take an active part in the Climate Summit, including the Youth Climate Summit, with the participation of climate activist Greta Thunberg and some 60 young members of the Youth Network of UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere (MAB) programme, representing 50 countries. Many other young activists will attend the summit alongside innovators, entrepreneurs, and change-makers committed to tackling the climate crisis. (21 September, 10am – 1pm, UN General Assembly) Also, UNESCO and the Government of Greece will co-organize a side-event, Cultural Heritage Partnership to Enable Ambitious Climate Action, on ways to draw on cultural and natural heritage to address the challenges of climate change. On behalf of Director-General, Shamila Nair-Bedouelle, Assistant Director-General for Natural Sciences, will focus on UNESCO’s scientific, educational and cultural expertise to fight climate change, and embed new development models into UNESCO’s cultural and natural sites (21 September, 11.30am-1pm, Conference Room 5) The Director-General will also speak at a high-level event on Media Freedom and Safety of Journalists alongside UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland and UK Special Envoy for Media Freedom Amal Clooney. The event is organized by the United Kingdom of Great Britain, which, along with Canada, initiated a global campaign on media freedom in early 2019. During the London Global Conference for Media Freedom last July, they established a new Global Media Defence Fund, to be administered by UNESCO, which will take forward the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity. (25 September, 8am – 9.30am, Conference Room 5) The Director General will take part in a high-level event, Christchurch Call, to promote UNESCO’s efforts to counter hate speech and violent extremist content online. The event will focus on multilateral efforts in this area and progress in mobilizing support for the Christchurch Call for Action, launched by France’s President Emmanuel Macron, and New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in May this year following the live-streamed murder of 51 Muslims in an attack on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, on March 15. (23 September, 4.30pm – 6pm, Conference Room 1) URL:https://en.unesco.org/news/unesco-promote-new-vision-education-and-measures-fight-climate-change-general-assembly-new-york 
Education events at UNGA 2019 2019-09-20 Many education-related events will take place during the 74th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York City next week. Here is a short list of the key ones. As has been the case in previous UN General Assembly meetings, the urgent need to meet SDG 4 on education will be a focus at several events in New York next week. GPE is hosting two high-level events and will participate in many more through our Chief Executive Officer Alice Albright, our Chief Technical Officer Jo Bourne, and others. The list below is not exhaustive, so please check on the UNGA guide for more details. Monday, September 23Ending learning poverty: What will it take to end the learning crisis and achieve SDG 4?11:00 am - 12:00 pm - Grand Hyatt Hotel - Hosted by the World BankAccording to the latest research by the World Bank, only half of children in low- and middle-income countries can read and understand a short story by late primary age. Accelerating SDG 4 is as important as accelerating other development objectives. This event will explore actions needed to end the learning poverty. Global launch of the Education Workforce Report5:15 - 6:30 pm - Cornell Club - Hosted by the Education CommissionRegister to attendThe Education Commission will launch its new Education Workforce Report. The report introduces new approaches to rethink how we design, train and develop the education workforce in order to deliver quality education. A networking reception will follow the launch. Tuesday, September 24Education as the Great Equalizer12:00 - 4:00 pm - Scandinavia House - Hosted by Oxfam and the Global Campaign for Education-USRegister to attendOxfam teams up with the Global Campaign for Education-US to organize a high-level conference that will touch on education as a key to fighting inequality in individuals’ income and wealth. Speakers will break down all elements of inequality, particularly gender, and emphasize how education can serve as an equalizer within society. During the event, Oxfam will launch a new report called “the Power of Education to Fight Inequality.” GPE event: Education Data Solutions Roundtable technical meeting3:00 - 5:30 pmLaunched at the GPE Financing Conference in February 2018, the Education Data Solutions Roundtable is a public-private effort that aims to leverage local, private, and development partners’ expertise to improve the availability and use of education data in developing countries. The members of the roundtable will meet to review the final outcomes report with recommendations that aim to address the key data challenges in education. GPE Reception - Innovating for education: Accelerating progress towards SDG 46:00 - 8:30 pm - UNICEF HouseThe reception will gather high-level speakers, including GPE leadership, in order to highlight the importance and impact of fostering innovation in the education sector to deliver results for SDG 4. GPE will showcase its efforts in harnessing innovation to improve education for millions of children through its latest initiatives: the Knowledge and Innovation Exchange (KIX), Education Out Loud and the Education Data Solutions Roundtable. Wednesday, September 25Leave no one behind: Accelerating the SDGs through quality education10:00 am - 12:00 pm - UNICEF House - Hosted by Education Cannot Wait and the Education CommissionRegister to attendTo emphasize the power of quality education, Education Cannot Wait and the Education Commission partner with Global Citizen in convening youth advocates, celebrity champions, world leaders, policy makers, and stakeholders from the private sector for a discussion. The goal is to accumulate support for education in conflict settings as well as innovative financing solutions for lower- and middle-income countries. The futures of education: Learning to become1:15 - 2:45 pm - UN Headquarters - Hosted by UNESCO and PortugalRegister to attendUNESCO will launch its new “Futures of Education” project and establish a high-level International Commission. The commission will be responsible for a 2021 report, which consists of an agenda for policy debate and action. Additionally, Portugal will co-organize a side event that provides an opportunity for Heads of State and Government to share perspectives on education and learning. URL:https://www.globalpartnership.org/blog/education-events-unga-2019