News
Catch up on what’s happening in the world of global citizenship education.
245 results found
2021 World Press Freedom to promote Information as a Public Good in a severely challenged media landscape 2021-04-28 UNESCO and the Government of Namibia will host the World Press Freedom Day Global Conference in Windhoek from 29 April through 3 May, World Press Freedom Day. The laureate of the 2021 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano Press Freedom Prize will be honoured during the conference, on 2 May. Professional journalists and other media stakeholders at the Conference will call for urgent measures to counter the threats that are weakening independent and local news media around the world, a crisis worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic. They will put forward solutions to bolster media viability, push for greater transparency from social media companies, and measures to improve the safety of journalists and support independent media. Participants are also expected to urge governments to invest in media and information literacy training to help people recognize, value, and defend fact-based journalism as an essential part of information as a public good. Some 40 sessions will be held during the 5-day conference including three thematic discussions on issues currently affecting media viability, the transparency of online platforms, and ways to strengthen media and information literacy. Hage Geingob, the President of Namibia, and UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay will address the conference on 2 May, alongside senior African government officials and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (through a video message). Keynotes and interviews with over 250 world-renowned journalists, media and tech leaders, experts, policy makers, and activists will be held during the event which be an opportunity for registered participants to network, and interact with speakers, and access an offering of podcasts, films, and artistic contributions on a conference online platform. Notable speakers will include: Joseph Stiglitz (USA), Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences Irene Khan, UN Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression Agnès Callamard, Secretary General, Amnesty International Maria Ressa (Philippines), CEO of Rappler Swe Win, Editor in Chief of Myanmar Now, recognized media outlet for its collaborative and investigative reporting on human rights abuses. Julie Owono, Member of Facebook’s Oversight Board. Executive Director of Internet sans Frontiers Miranda Johnson, The Economist, Deputy Executive Editor Stephen Dunbar-Johnson (USA), President, International of The New York Times Sir Nicholas Clegg, Vice-President for Global Affairs and Communications at Facebook Notable programme highlights will include: Six Regional Forums on specific, regional aspects of press freedom and ways to tackle current trends and challenges. The Forums build on the regional seminars that followed the UNESCO’s first African press freedom seminar in Windhoek in 1991. A one-on-one dialogue about information as a public good with Joseph Stiglitz, Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences and Miranda Johnson, Deputy Executive Editor of The Economist. 30 April: Presentation of key findings from UNESCO’s global study on online violence against women journalists, a trailblazing research project that assesses the scope and impact of the new frontline of media safety through big data analyses and an in-depth literature review. Link for registration here The digital revolution has weakened business models of most independent media and damaged their viability. The loss in revenue in 2020 is estimated to total US$30 billion. Local news 'deserts' are becoming ever more common as media outlets close, merge, or downsize in many parts of the Global North and South, and political interest groups take control of struggling media outlets. Due to the COVID-19 disruption, two-thirds of staff and freelance journalists worldwide have also suffered pay cuts, lost revenue, job losses, cancelled commissions or worsening working conditions, according to a survey carried out by the International Federation of Journalists IFJ. A survey by the International Center for Journalists and the Tow Center at Columbia University found that over 40% of surveyed journalists reported losing more than half their income. The COVID-19 pandemic has seen a steep rise in the in attacks on journalists and a weakening in regulations protecting freedom of expression. UNESCO’s forthcoming study on online violence against women journalists shows that 73% of the women journalists surveyed had experienced online violence relating to their work. Online violence, often in the form of coordinated misogynistic attacks, goes from hateful language to threats of sexual or physical violence. According to the International Press Institute, countries have reported more than 400 media freedom violations linked to the COVID-19 crisis, including restrictions on access to information and excessive regulations against alleged fake news, ostensibly meant to address COVID-19 related disinformation. The role of journalists in producing and sharing factual information is essential to all members of society. Whether exposing corruption, alerting us to conflicts or debunking disinformation on COVID-19, the information they provide must be recognized as a public good. This year’s celebration of World Press Freedom also marks the 30th anniversary of the Windhoek Declaration, developed by African journalists pressing for a free, independent, and pluralistic African press at a seminar organized by the UN and UNESCO in Windhoek in 1991. The declaration which triggered the proclamation of the 3rd May as World Press Freedom Day by the UN General Assembly. The Award Ceremony of the UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize will take place on 2 May. The Prize, unique in the UN system, honours a person, organization or institution that has made an outstanding contribution to the defence and, or promotion of press freedom anywhere in the world, especially in the face of danger. Related links Programme Read our FAQs Read the concept note Visit World Press Freedom Day website UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize Register your World Press Freedom Day event URL:https://en.unesco.org/news/2021-world-press-freedom-promote-information-public-good-severely-challenged-media-landscape 
Inspirando a las niñas a aprender: Cuatro historias para celebrar a las niñas en las TIC 2021-04-24 Girls around the world are using innovation and technology to solve problems, to unite communities and as a force for good and equality. And yet, women and girls are still under-represented in STEM fields. In an increasingly digitized world economy, the gender digital divide has severe repercussion for girls’ and women’s rights. To bridge this gap, at least three things need to happen: facilitate equal access to digital technologies and the internet for girls and women; encourage and invest in girls and women to build their ICT skills; and enable women and girls to take up leadership roles in tech. On International Girls in ICT Day, 22 April, join us to celebrate girls in tech, support technology education and skills training, and encourage more girls and young women to pursue STEM careers. From creating open-source ventilators in Afghanistan to unifying and amplifying the voices of young activists in Chile, and working to end child marriage in Georgia, here are some girls and young women changemakers who inspire us. Building a low-cost ventilator prototype in Afghanistan Somaya Faruqi. Photo: Digital Citizen Fund When ventilators were becoming scarce due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Somaya Faruqi and Afghanistan’s Girl’s Robotics Team developed a prototype ventilator to support the country’s health care system. “The former Governor of Herat requested our team join the challenge to build up an open-source ventilator. We had limited access to the market didn’t have the right materials, there were travel restrictions and we didn’t even have a budget. Still, we participated with the help of our coaches, experts and mentors,” Somaya says. “We designed an open-source ventilator based on the MIT design. And, we proved that if there is opportunity for young women, they can change their lives and their community” For Somaya, supporting other girls in STEM and paving the way for equality in the industry is a top priority. And that means supporting and encouraging the dreams and ambitions of girls and young women like herself. “It’s important to have the input of the younger generation, as they are the future and they have a lot of creative ideas that can benefit everyone. It can change their lives if someone believes in their dreams,” she says. Standing up against online violence in Kenya Kathy Gitau, 22, was elected as Vice President of Maseno University, Kisumu Kenya, in 2019. Photo: UN Women/Luke Horswell Kathy Gitau, 22, witnessed violence in her home growing up, and was told only certain jobs and roles are right for women. When she wanted to become Vice-President of the Student Union at her University, she was discouraged by others who believed that to reach decision-making roles, women had to offer sexual favours. “It makes you lose focus. It makes you think ‘let’s call it quits,”, Kathy says. “I don’t want anyone to suffer the same things I have.” After learning about the global and growing problem of cyber-bullying and technology-based violence against women, she decided to speak up and make her university a safer space. “Technology based violence is violence and discrimination propagated through technology, such as cyber bullying and cyber-attacks. People can hide behind pseudo accounts and names,” she says. “This problem has become global because everyone is connected by technology and the audience is everywhere.” Now, Kathy and her university have created support groups for those who’ve experienced online abuse, and continue to raise awareness on their campus, and in high schools across Western Kenya. Uniting activists across Chile Julieta Martinez. Photo: UN Women/Lupita Valdés As a speaker for youth festivals and a member of UN Women’s Beijing+25 Youth Task Force, Julieta Martinez, 17, connected with girls from across Chile and the world to learn from their experiences. She heard from many that the lack of safe spaces for girls to network and work towards their dreams was holding them back. Julieta took action. She founded the Tremendas platform to create spaces and opportunities for girls and young women to connect and combine their talents and knowledge to support social causes. Julieta believes that the unity and togetherness of activist communities is an incredible force for good. “To facilitate equality and inclusion, we need above anything else patience, respect and tolerance,” she says. “We need to listen to each other, first of all, to understand that there are different opinions and perspectives and that everyone's scope of action is different.” Julieta and the many Chilean girls she collaborates with recognize that young people need to be the driving force of solutions to global problems. “Just as we are part of the problem, we are part of the solution and we are certain that the time to act is now,” she says. “We cannot continue wasting time because if the future is truly ours, the decisions are up to us. This has to be an intergenerational dialogue (...) We, the youth, are not only the future, we are also the present.” Using tech and data to combat child marriage in Georgia Mariam Lomtadze. Photo courtesy of Mariam Lomtadze At a young age, Mariam Lomtadze was told science and technology were inappropriate for a girl. Rather than dissuading her interest in STEM, the criticisms sparked Mariam’s activism for gender equality. Now, she uses her skills in science and technology to address gender inequalities. At 17, Mariam participated in a Hackathon hosted by UN Women to visualize gender data. She and her team focused on early and forced marriages, because it happens to so many girls in their country, Georgia. “Presenting gender data in an innovative, easily understood manner helps us raise people’s awareness of important issues like gender inequality,” Mariam says. “As more people are exposed to gender equality problems, it makes it easier to find lasting solutions.” Mariam’s team created an app to show how early marriage creates obstacles for girls’ career prospects. In the app, which featured characters who represented young girls from all different regions of Georgia, users played as fairy tale heroines and answered scenario questions to play out their futures, which in many cases were not “happily ever after”. Through the game, users could see different scenarios for girls lives, and how they would be better off without early and forced marriage. “Talking about early and forced marriage is the starting point for resolving it,” Mariam says. “It is also important to show the affected girls – those who either married early or are facing the threat of [forced marriage] – that they are not alone.” URL:https://www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2021/4/compilation-stories-to-celebrate-girls-in-ict 
The Open University of China awarded UNESCO Prize for its use of AI to empower rural learners 2021-04-13 The “One College Student Per Village” programme at the Open University of China (OUC) is one of the laureates of the 2020 UNESCO King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa Prize for the Use of ICT in Education. The innovative programme provides an example of how Artificial Intelligence (AI) and associated technologies can create quality education opportunities for learners from remote areas and improve social and economic development in rural communities. The programme was established in 2004 with the support of the Chinese Ministry of Education in response to the shortage of higher education resources and slow economic development in China’s rural and remote areas. Since then, it has not only improved local educational infrastructure and put in place distance learning programmes, but also integrated AI and Virtual Reality (VR) techniques, which significantly enhanced learners’ experiences and engagement. Mobile learning and smart classrooms In its efforts to provide quality learning experiences, the OUC set up over 500 cloud-based classrooms and smart classrooms in poorer areas in 31 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions. Online and offline learning environments have been created for local learners and the content adapted to their needs. “As local residents are mainly engaged in agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry and fishery, the University developed learning resources, which can be easily accessed via mobile applications from anywhere, including while working in the field or on the farm,” says Hou Songyan, associate researcher at the OUC. Huang Haiyang, a student from Tiandong County in the Guangxi Autonomous Region, shared his experience of how the tools are making a difference in his work. “Since I can look through the information and related knowledge from my smartphone, it makes it easier for me to know how to control insects before they do harm on my fruit trees,” he says. “And when I get confused with how to use the pesticide, I can go to the smart classrooms to ask for help from my online tutor.” Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, these classrooms have conducted over 2,000 live teaching sessions for more than 270,000 participants. 300 additional online courses and 100,000 “mini-lectures” were also opened to the general public. The series of lectures have generated nearly 100,000 views to date. Using AI to create adaptive learning environments The Smart Learning Platform enables teachers to create customized learning plans for students based on the profile of each learner and analyze their progress using big data. Using AI, the platform guides students along different learning paths. It can distinguish learners’ intentions using voice and semantic analysis and can text learners and give feedback to their questions to help with their study. It also lightens the workload of teachers by completing more routine tasks. Automatic assessments and automated essay scoring (AES) give students instant feedback and provide them with relevant learning resources. “This saves me a lot of time so that I can spend more time on preparing and reflecting the lectures and conducting academic research, etc.,” says Li Ganged, a teacher at the OUC. “Automated essay scoring is efficient in that I don’t have to mark these assignments myself but I can get a clear picture of where learners need help.” In addition, Virtual Reality (VR) is being integrated into the programmes. Not only does it enable to illustrate and visualize abstract course content, but it also increases learners’ engagement and motivation. “In the Forestry programme, the VR can supply vivid virtual experiment just like in the real world on how to prune fruit trees,” says Hou Songyan. “The VR experience makes learning easier and more fun.” Bridging the gap between rural and urban areas To date, 29 programmes have been implemented using AI, covering over 1,500 OUC study centers nationwide. A total of 825,827 learners have been enrolled, 529,321 of whom have graduated. For Hou Songyan, the impact of students who graduated from the OUC on the local economy of rural and remote areas is already visible. “More contributions are made to the local economic and social development by those who have graduated from the programmes and been using their knowledge and skills in the local rural poverty alleviation and rural revitalization effort.” Moving forward, the OUC will expand its potential target audience beyond the disadvantaged groups in rural and remote areas to include all members of society in the rural revitalization strategy. At the same time, the university plans to offer a wider range of programmes, degrees and diplomas, including short-term vocational training, and use AI techniques for knowledge mapping, automatic content generation, and smart answering chatbot technology to ensure round-the-clock online learner support. “We do believe that AI will become an integral part of the future of education,”, says Hou Songyan. “It is a great honor for the Open University of China to receive this Prize. With this encouragement, the Open University of China will pay more attention to the use of digital technologies, especially cutting-edge technologies like big data, cloud computing, blockchain, AI, 5G, etc., in our future educational delivery, continue providing quality education programmes to people in remote and rural areas, and strive for the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.” UNESCO’s ICT in Education Prize UNESCO’s work in ICT in education URL:https://en.unesco.org/news/open-university-china-awarded-unesco-prize-its-use-ai-empower-rural-learners 
Connectivity, gender and teachers: How the Global Education Coalition is supporting COVID-19 learning recovery 2021-04-05 The COVID-19 pandemic hit the education sector with full force, disrupting schools globally and threatening to strip off decades of progress made towards learning. A year into the crisis, the situation remains bleak: Half of the world’s student population is still affected by full or partial school closures; nearly one-third cannot access remote learning; more than 11 million girls may never return to the classroom; and over 100 million children will fall below the minimum proficiency level in reading due to the impact of school closures. Unless urgent action is taken today, over 24 million children and youth are at risk of dropping out of school. As the pandemic revealed and amplified inequalities in education, UNESCO quickly mobilized support to ensure the continuity of learning around the world by establishing the Global Education Coalition in March 2020. This multi-sector Coalition brings together 175 institutional partners from the UN family, civil society, academia and the private sector currently working in 112 countries around three central themes: Connectivity, gender and teachers. A new report, published ahead of a high-level ministerial meeting, is showcasing the innovative responses that have been achieved through this unique partnership in the past year. How is the Global Education Coalition operating and what are its achievements? The Global Education Coalition has become an essential platform to support Member States to respond to the unprecedented challenges facing the education sector. Coalition contributions do not replace national responses, but rather engage new actors that would not have been obvious partners, such as technology and media organizations, to complement and support national efforts to ensure the continuity of learning. Coalition members are currently engaged in 233 projects across 112 countries. At least 400 million learners and 12 million teachers are benefitting directly or indirectly from the actions of the Coalition. Here are a few global, regional and country-specific examples of actions that have been achieved so far. In West Africa, the Francophone African regional online learning platform Imaginécole was launched as a key component of a Global Partnership for Education project to improve the quality of distance education in 10 countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Chad and Togo. The platform offers a large-scale experience in distance education for 6.6 million students and 200,000 teachers with over 600 educational resources. More than 5 million girls in the 20 countries with the greatest gender disparities in education will be supported to fulfil their right to education, with a focus on bringing back to school the most marginalized girls through wide range of actions. This includes information and awareness raising, skills acquisition and providing evidence-based recommendations to decision-makers. The Global Skills Academy, established to help equip 1 million youth with digital skills to adapt to changes in the workplace, reaching to date 142,000 beneficiaries. Since its launch, the Academy has mobilized more than 150 TVET institutions across 56 countries and is actively working with 15 partners to enroll 75,000 additional students and teachers in the coming days. In response to the explosion that rocked Beirut, Lebanon in August 2020, Coalition members mobilized financial commitments, technical assistance and capacity building support to rehabilitate damaged schools, provide technical assistance to teachers, ensure access to distance learning with content and support higher education. UNESCO and partners are supporting the rehabilitation of 55 public schools, 20 public Technical and Vocational Education and Training institutions, and 3 universities. In South Africa, a phone app-based support service for teachers developed with a partner was launched to provide a real-time chat-based learning and mentorship platform, along with a wellness and safety feature. It currently has over 67,200 users and plans to reach 400,000 more teachers in the upcoming months. UNESCO is supporting an open source platform for home-based distance learning and a regional repository of curriculum aligned resources for learners and teachers in Kiribati, Marshall Islands (Republic of), Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Tuvalu. With GIZ’s support, UNESCO is launching a teachers’ training programme for 20 Caribbean countries and a digital and social emotional skills training for migrants and refugees in Peru. Read and explore the Global Education Coalition’s latest progress report.Access the first progress report from September 2020. UNESCO is convening a high-level ministerial event on 29 March to take stock of lessons learnt, the greatest risks facing education today and strategies to leave no learner behind. It will show how the Global Education Coalition has mobilized partners to support learners, teachers and policy-makers with new tools and knowledge. URL:https://en.unesco.org/news/connectivity-gender-and-teachers-how-global-education-coalition-supporting-covid-19-learning 
#كافحوا_العنصرية: اليونسكو تدعو إلى اتخاذ إجراءات حازمة لمكافحة العنصرية والتمييز 2021-04-04 "Fighting racism is part of UNESCO's DNA. It's history. We are working to erect effective bulwarks against racism in people’s minds." -- Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO With these words, Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, opened the first Global Forum against Racism and Discrimination, co-hosted with the Republic of Korea, mobilizing a powerful global effort to step up UNESCO’s actions to tackle the alarming increase in racism and discrimination in all regions of the world. Organized on 22 March 2021, in the context of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, the Forum was a direct response to the strong ‘Global Call against Racism’ adopted by UNESCO Members States. © UNESCO Bringing together Ministers from several countries – including France, Mexico, Republic of Korea, Slovakia, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates – experts, practitioners, and champions, the Forum built concrete insights and solid commitments through which UNESCO will construct an ambitious new Roadmap against racism and discrimination. The Roadmap aims to mobilize UNESCO’s crosscutting expertise, based on solid evidence-based social and human science research, to tackle the legal and institutional foundations which continue to perpetuate discrimination, and change mindsets to favour inclusion and mutual respect. It will position UNESCO to effectively combat racism and discrimination within the post-COVID context, building on its more than 70 years of moral and intellectual leadership on the issue, and leveraging its strong capacity to find intersectoral solutions through existing work on global citizenship education, the promotion of cultural diversity, the fight against hate speech, the combatting of mis and dis-information, and the mobilization of the social and human sciences to understand the problem. "We need to look deeper than just the individual racist attack. We need to focus on racism at the institutional level. We need to get the laws right" -- Denise Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, Mayor of Freetown, Sierra Leone The discussions at the Forum underscored that whilst racial discrimination remains prevalent and pervasive in contemporary societies, strong and independent national institutions can help to provide solid legal and regulatory protections to counter discrimination. The importance of practical approaches to support such efforts, such as UNESCO’s forthcoming scanning exercise and integrated anti-discrimination toolkit, was repeatedly underlined. "Racism and discrimination are a clear challenge, and it is a challenge that requires an immediate response. To this end, there is a need more than ever for international cooperation and the support of multilateral institutions, including UNESCO." -- H.E. Choi Jongmoon, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Korea "We need to develop an official mechanism and enact legislation for banning discrimination and realizing equality." -- H.E. Young-ae Choi, Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission of the Republic of Korea Panelists addressed the mutability of racism, and the need for policymakers to understand emerging forms of discrimination that require innovative responses to be effectively tackled. COVID-19 has exposed many of these new manifestations of racism, not least those related to inequities in the access to, and benefits from, digital technologies. Calls were made for a strong ethical foundation to ensure technological progress is inclusive and absent of bias, and the work UNESCO is advancing to prepare a new normative standard on the ethics of artificial intelligence was strongly welcomed in this regard. "It goes back to human decency and respect. We need to treat people as we want to be treated. If we start off with that notion "Treat my human fellow being as I want to be treated" we'll be halfway towards winning the battle." -- Martin Luther King III The importance of forging partnerships and coalitions across different sectors and levels of government was also highlighted. Broad recognition was made to the critical nature of such collaboration for tackling the compounding effects of racism with other forms of discrimination, particularly that leveled on the grounds of gender. Additionally, the importance of providing support to local decision makers as those who are on the frontline of tackling racism and discrimination was stressed, and the essential role that networks such as UNESCO’s International Coalition of Inclusive and Sustainable Cities provide in this regard was recognized. Martin Luther King III, emphasized the importance of strong collaboration in his intervention, saying ‘we must create a partnership. For it is when you bring all the stakeholders together that it becomes possible to develop strategic plans and effect change.’ "Racism does not only hurt those directly affected; it challenges the trust and cohesion that holds our societies together." -- Gabriela Ramos, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Social and Human Sciences Closing the Forum, Gabriela Ramos affirmed that the Forum had equipped UNESCO with the strong insights and ideas needed to take forward this critical agenda through the new UNESCO Roadmap against Racism and Discrimination. She committed to continue the process of inclusive partnership to ensure the Roadmap represents an ambitious, intersectoral vision and practical strategy, echoing the words of Stefania Giannini, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Education, and Firmin Edouard Matoko, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Priority Africa and External Relations, who also participated in the Forum. Accompanying the Forum, the Republic of Korea launched a social media campaign using the Forum’s hashtags #FulfillTheDream #FightRacism, bringing together a significant number of Ambassadors of the Group of Friends for Solidarity and Inclusion with Global Citizenship Education in UNESCO to reaffirm their commitment to this important issue. UNESCO intends to make the Global Forum against Racism and Discrimination an annual occurrence, providing an opportunity for the organization and its partners to take stock of progress at the same time next year. Watch the Forum on YouTube Programme Concept Note More on UNESCO’s work to foster inclusion and non-discrimination More on the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination URL:https://en.unesco.org/news/fightracism-fulfillthedream-unesco-calls-strong-action-against-racism-and-discrimination 
Latin American and Caribbean Countries Must Address Structural Discrimination to Create Educational Opportunities for All 2021-03-25 Latin America and the Caribbean is characterized by wide and persistent disparity by ethnicity. By most measures of well-being, including education, ethnic groups tend to fare worse than the rest of the population. The various forms of direct, indirect, and systemic discrimination have contributed to exacerbate inequalities and exclusion, especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. As we commemorate the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, which is celebrated on 21 March every year, we look at the exclusion of Afro-descendants and indigenous peoples in the region, and call for combating racism and ensuring educational opportunities for all. The region has the highest concentration of Afro-descendant populations in the world, with estimates ranging from 120 million to 170 million. Brazil is home to the majority of the Afro-descendant population in the continent, with 112 million, equivalent to 55% of its population. Despite the fact that one in four Latin Americans identifies as Afro-descendant, Afro-descendants continue to face a situation of structural inequality. They also suffer continued exclusion in education. The probability of Afro-descendants completing secondary education was 14% lower than that of non-Afro-descendants in Peru and 24% lower in Uruguay in 2015. A similar situation is experienced by indigenous peoples, who despite representing only 8.3% of the population in 2010, constituted 17% of the extremely poor in Latin America. In addition, their school attendance, educational attainment, and literacy rates are lower than those of the general population. The 2020 GEM Report Latin America and the Caribbean-Inclusion and education: All means all, published in association with SUMMA and the Regional Bureau for Education in Latin America and the Caribbean OREALC/UNESCO Santiago reminds us that attendance was lower in 7 of 11 countries with data among 12- to 17-year-old Afro-descendants than for their non-Afro-descendant peers. In Uruguay, Afro-descendants were 24% less likely to complete secondary education than their non-Afro-descendant peers. In Panama, 21% of indigenous males aged 20 to 24 had completed secondary school, compared with 61% of their non-indigenous peers in 2016, while in Paraguay and Honduras, 32% of indigenous people are illiterate. The region has made progress in recognising the rights of indigenous and Afro-descendant peoples in their legal frameworks, but there are still many challenges to overcome. Despite the fact that several countries in the region have approved educational inclusion policies that recognise different multicultural and intercultural processes, racial discrimination continues to be present inside and outside the classroom. School segregation emerges as one of the major challenges for inclusion in Latin America and the Caribbean. Segregation by ethnicity is even more widespread in the region than segregation by socio-economic status. Teacher bias is detrimental to student learning. In São Paulo, Brazil, grade 8 mathematics teachers were more likely to give white students a passing grade than their equally proficient and well-behaved black classmates Another challenge relates to the fact that the composition of the teaching force does not reflect the diversity of the classroom. The representation of indigenous peoples and Afro-descendants in the teaching profession remains exceptionally low in several countries in the region. In Argentina, the participation of people of African descent in higher education institutions is remarkably low, with the exception of non-teaching staff in junior positions. In Costa Rica, a 2013 Decree promoted the training of teachers from indigenous communities through scholarships and other support measures for studies and professional development, but sufficient teacher diversity has not yet been achieved. Community organisations play a key role in democratising education and promoting inclusion in education. One example highlighted in the Report is Ecuador, where people of African descent participate in the development of ethno-educational policies. But despite these efforts, racial discrimination is still present in all spheres in society. © UNICEF/ UNI96612 Tackling the causes of structural discrimination and inequality is essential to create educational opportunities for all. The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is an opportunity to call on the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean to strengthen their commitment to the fight against racism and racial discrimination. This commitment is particularly important as we commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the Durban Declaration and Program of Action where States recognized that people of African descent, indigenous peoples, Asians, migrants and refugees are victims of past and contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, reaffirmed the value of cultural diversity and agreed on measures of prevention, education and protection aimed at the eradication of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance at the national, regional and international levels. Eliminating the barriers that limit the full inclusion of indigenous peoples and Afro-descendants in Latin America and the Caribbean must be one of the priorities for the near future, especially once the pandemic is over. The GEM Report for Latin America and the Caribbean calls for greater inclusion in education and urges countries in the region not to forget the most disadvantaged in the context of the COVID-19 crisis. The Report reminds us that the pandemic will have three types of immediate and long-term consequences for inclusion in education: consequences from loss of learning, from current and future recession and from interruption of support services. All of these will have a bigger impact on disadvantaged learners. Before the pandemic, connectivity problems in rural areas disproportionately affected indigenous populations and people of African descent. In 2018, one in five indigenous Mexican children between the ages of 3 and 17 had no electricity, television or internet access at home. Even where internet connections are available, they are often not strong enough for data downloads or video calls. A report prepared by ECLAC on Afro-descendants and COVID-19 shows that the highest proportion of the population with Internet access at home in Colombia is among non-Afro-descendants (57%), a proportion that is about 1.5 times higher than that of their Afro-descendant peers (37%). Governments across the region have made efforts to target interventions to disadvantaged learners during the pandemic. They have prioritized affordable internet access and universal access to computing devices, and have provided support to teachers, parents, and students. But even though Latin America and the Caribbean countries have been proactive in their attempts to achieve learning continuity and to target efforts to the learners most likely to be adversely affected by the pandemic, the impact of the pandemic on education will be lasting. URL:https://gemreportunesco.wordpress.com/2021/03/23/latin-american-and-caribbean-countries-must-address-structural-discrimination-to-create-educational-opportunities-for-all/ 
Mathematics for a Better World, UNESCO marks International Day of Mathematics, 14 March 2021-03-15 14 March, proclaimed by UNESCO as International Day of Mathematics (IDM), will be held under the theme “Mathematics for a Better World". Celebrating the beauty and relevance of mathematics, the Day highlights the essential role played by this discipline in reaching the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Organized by the International Mathematics Union, IDM will feature a mixture of virtual and face-to-face celebrations, notably in classrooms. Celebrations are scheduled in more than 70 countries with over 410 individual events. Mathematics, with its many technical applications, now underpins all areas of our lives. Together with algorithms, mathematics plays a key role in artificial intelligence and technological disruptions – and, as we address global issues such as the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change, we are reminded of the importance of mathematics in responding to the challenges of our time. -- Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO Director-General The new feature of IDM 2021 is the Poster Challenge to which more than 2,100 schools and organizations responded, producing their own IDM poster to illustrate one facet of the theme of “Mathematics for a Better World”. The posters will be made available to all under an open licence. IDM 2021 is celebrated on all continents. From Madagascar to Gambia, from Panama to Chile, from Albania to Malaysia, from Bangladesh to Australia, people all over the world are organizing festivities. An international live celebration in English, French and Spanish will take place on 14 March, 2 to 6pm, UTC. Also, 48 hours of live coverage on the IDM website will start at 00:00 New Zealand time and end at 24:00 Pacific time. The international celebration is complemented by national and local competitions, conferences, exhibitions, and talks, organized by mathematical societies, research institutes, museums, schools, universities, etc. In Algeria, many events will take place all over the country to show how mathematics helps improve our world. They consist in the organization of webinars, national mathematics competitions, recreational mathematics, and classroom activities. A special event involving blind pupils shows that mathematics is a universal language. Celebrations are in partnership with the public television El Maarifa channel (TV7) which will report on the different events to promote them to the wider population. -- Djamel Eddine Cheriet, Vice-President of the Algerian Mathematical Society In a joint project with the Simons Foundation, the mathematical societies of Algeria, Senegal, and the Republic of Congo will organize online and on site activities on mathematics and artificial intelligence, as well as mathematical games, for a large audience in French, Arabic, and English. They will also offer special training programmes for teachers and educators in Africa and the Arab region. The IDM is an opportunity to share the knowledge that men and women have developed throughout history. It is also a space to create, share, motivate and inspire future generations with mathematics. It is a day to remember that mathematics empowers us, sets us free, and makes us better citizens. -- Laura Vanessa Gomez Bermeo (Colombia) Through the gloom of the pandemic, IDM is an opportunity for exciting and challenging activities in schools. Students can explore how mathematics helps to understand the spread of an epidemic and how the theory of fair division allows for more equitable policies. -- Christiane Rousseau, University of Montreal, initiator for the IMU of the IDM project The date of 14 March is already known as Pi Day and celebrated in many countries. It is named after the important number π, the ratio between the circumference and diameter of a circle, approximately equal to 3.14. The IDM celebration expands Pi Day to include the whole spectrum of mathematics. In view of the pandemic, the 2021 theme of “Mathematics for a Better World” reminds us that athematics and statistics are essential tools for decision-makers in that they enable us to predict the evolution of the disease and optimizemitigation strategies with limited resources. But the role of mathematics in building a better world goes well beyond the pandemic response, and schools are invited to explore the mathematics of fair division, which has so many applications in designing economic and social policies. The IDM website is the main hub for the International Day of Mathematics. It hosts information material to be used by press and organizers (including logos and flyers in different languages) as well as proposals for activities related to the theme for everyone interested in hosting an event. All the official material provided through the website is under an open license, which means it can be freely shared, translated, and adapted. Partners: The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), is headquartered in Paris. As the United Nations’ “House of Peace,” UNESCO serves to develop mutual understanding and the strengthening of bonds among nations through international cooperation in education, the sciences, culture and communication. More information At the 40th session of its General Conference, UNESCO proclaimed 14 March of every year International Day of Mathematics. More information The International Mathematical Union (IMU) is an international non-governmental and non-profit scientific organization, with the purpose of promoting international cooperation in mathematics. IDM is communicated and supported by the IDM website, which is hosted by IMAGINARY, a non-profit organization dedicated to communication about modern mathematics. Sponsors: The Klaus Tschira Foundation (which supports natural sciences, mathematics, and computer science in Germany) sponsor of the IDM website and communication. The Simons Foundation sponsor of the special IDM celebrations in Africa. The Canadian Commission for UNESCO sponsor of the 2021 IDM Poster Challenge. Contacts for further information: Helge Holden, Secretary General of the International Mathematical Union, secretary@mathunion.org Christiane Rousseau, Chair of the IDM Governing Board, idm@mathunion.org, +1 514 9156081 Andreas Matt, Managing Director of IMAGINARY and of the IDM website, andreas.matt@imaginary.org, +49 151 51836352 The International Mathematical Union, Hausvogteiplatz 11A, D-10117 Berlin, Germany, imu.info@mathunion.org Pictures: The logo and all pictures below can be used freely for articles about the International Day of Mathematics. Please find high-resolution versions via the “Download Link”. The pictures are from locally organized events (exhibitions, workshops, festivals) celebrating mathematics. Logo of the International Day of Mathematics Press Kit page with images and press releases URL:https://en.unesco.org/news/mathematics-better-world-unesco-marks-international-day-mathematics-14-march 
UNESCO Prize for Girls’ and Women’s Education 2021-03-09 The 2021 call for nominations is open until 26 May 2021 Gender equality in education is a basic right and a prerequisite to build inclusive societies. Although notable progress has been made over the last 20 years, 129 million girls remain out of school, and two-thirds of children of primary school age who may never set foot in school are girls (UNESCO Institute for Statistics). The UNESCO Prize for Girls’ and Women’s Education honours outstanding and innovative contributions made by individuals, institutions and organizations to advance girls’ and women’s education. It is the first UNESCO Prize of this nature and is unique in showcasing successful projects that improve and promote the educational prospects of girls and women and in turn, the quality of their lives. Funded by the Government of the People’s Republic of China, the Prize is conferred annually to two laureates and consists of an award of US $50,000 each to help further their work in the area of girls’ and women’s education. The Director-General of UNESCO awarded the Prize for the first time in 2016. Established by UNESCO’s Executive Board, the Prize directly contributes to the attainment of the 2030 Sustainable Development agenda, particularly SDG 4 on education and 5 on gender equality. It also supports UNESCO’s global priorities included in the Medium-term Strategy 2014-2021 and the Gender Equality Action Plan 2014-2021 (GEAP II), as well as the UNESCO Strategy for Gender Equality in and through Education (2019-2025). More information URL:https://en.unesco.org/news/unesco-prize-girls-and-womens-education 
Teachers, have your say about educating for sustainable development and global citizenship 2021-03-04 Text by: Education International EI and UNESCO launch a global survey of teachers on their readiness to teach education for sustainable development and global citizenship. EI and UNESCO have today launched a global survey on teachers’ readiness to teach education for sustainable development (ESD) and global citizenship (GCED). The study is being conducted as a part of the monitoring of UN’s Sustainable Development Goal target 4.7, which aims for all learners to acquire knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to promote sustainable development. The survey aims to understand teachers’ experience of teaching four topics in particular: climate change, sustainable consumption and production, human rights and gender equality, and cultural diversity and tolerance. It seeks to measure teachers’ perceptions of their individual capacities (motivation and competences) and the extent to which they are empowered and enabled (by schools and systems) to teach these topics which are so crucial for the realisation of all other sustainable development goals. It explores questions such as: To what extent and how are teachers currently teaching these issues? What are the obstacles encountered? How is the teaching of these subjects affected by the COVID-19 pandemic? And how could they be better supported? Currently there is limited data on the extent to which governments are meeting their commitments to ensure quality education for sustainable development and global citizenship for all. Therefore, this project was proposed by Education International to contribute to filling this gap, bearing in mind that teachers’ perspectives are crucial to accurately assess progress made towards SGD 4.7. The survey report will be launched at the UNESCO global forum on education for sustainable development and global citizenship in 2021. Education International will use the findings to advocate for improved policies and support for teachers to teach these subjects from systems across the world. David Edwards said: “Education for sustainable development and global citizenship education are central to the achievement of the SDG agenda. They are crucial to create a better a world. Systems need to urgently ensure that these important subjects are mainstreamed into national policies, curricula and teacher training. To ensure teachers are sufficiently prepared, we need to listen to them and meet their needs.” Are you a primary or secondary school teacher? Then please fill out the survey. It takes approximately 30 minutes to complete. Your feedback is valued and much appreciated. The survey is available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Kiswahili, Korean, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish. Click here to take the survey and share it with your networks: https://survey.alchemer.eu/s3/90310926/EI-UNESCO-teacher-survey Please note that it is open until 25 April. URL:https://www.ei-ie.org/en/detail/17143/teachers-have-your-say-about-educating-for-sustainable-development-and-global-citizenship 
UNESCO figures show two thirds of an academic year lost on average worldwide due to Covid-19 school closures 2021-03-02 Paris, 25 January — One year into the COVID-19 pandemic, over 800 million students, more than half the world’s student population, still face significant disruptions to their education, ranging from full school closures in 31 countries to reduced or part-time academic schedules in another 48 countries, according to new data released on UNESCO’s interactive monitoring map. The map shows that globally, schools were fully closed for an average of 3.5 months (14 weeks) since the onset of the pandemic. This figure rises to 5.5 months (22 weeks) – equivalent to two-thirds of an academic year – when localized school closures are taken into account. The duration of closures varies greatly by region, from as many as 5 months (20 weeks) of complete nation-wide closures on average in Latin America and the Caribbean countries, to 2.5 months (10 weeks) in Europe, and just one month in Oceania. Similar regional variations are observed when accounting for localized closures: The duration of complete and localized closures exceeded seven months (29 weeks) on average in Latin America and the Caribbean compared to the global average of 5.5 months (22 weeks). Governments have endeavoured to minimize country-wide closures – down from 190 countries at the peak in April 2020 to 30 countries now –in favour of partial and/or local closures. Schools are now fully open in 101 countries. Prolonged and repeated closures of education institutions are taking a rising psycho-social toll on students, increasing learning losses and the risk of dropping out, disproportionately impacting the most vulnerable. Full school closures must therefore be a last resort and reopening them safely a priority. -- Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO Data released today by UNESCO’s Global Education Monitoring Report shows that, even before the COVID-19 crisis, only 1 in 5 countries demonstrated a strong commitment to equity in education through their financing mechanisms, and there is little evidence of a strong equity angle in COVID-19 responses. We need an adequately financed recovery package to reopen schools safely, targeting those most in need and setting education back on track for the COVID-19 generation. Today, on International Day of Education, I call on countries and partners to prioritize education, a global common good, in the recovery.-- Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO UNESCO’s celebration of International Day of Education calls for increased and better financing of education, and draws attention to the low priority allocated to education in recovery efforts. UNESCO data shows that the sector only receives an estimated 0.78% of relief packages worldwide. Additionally, aid to education looks set to decline by 12% as a result of the pandemic. According to our findings, the pandemic also stands to increase the funding gap for education by one third to as much as $200 billion annually in low and middle-income countries, representing close to 40% of total cost. Upfront investment in catch-up and remedial programmes will save money down the line reducing by 75% the cost of repairing the damage caused by COVID-19. At the Global Education Meeting convened by UNESCO in October 2020, governments and partners committed to protect education budgets and to focus the recovery on the safe and inclusive re-opening of schools, and support for teachers, skills development and connectivity for all. To enable a safe return to school, UNESCO has called for the world’s 100 million teachers and educators to be given priority in vaccination campaigns. To mark the International Day of Education, UNESCO and the Global Partnership for Education, with UN Headquarters, are co-organizing an event to stress the necessity to protect and mobilize equitable funding for education, give voice to 'community heroes' who acted to leave no learner behind during school closures, and present innovations that pave the way towards more resilient and inclusive education systems. URL:https://en.unesco.org/news/unesco-figures-show-two-thirds-academic-year-lost-average-worldwide-due-covid-19-school