‘Everyone has the right to education’(Article 26, Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948)

educationUNESCO and

ED/KMS/2009/PI/1

Original: English

Education: a human right

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More people than ever

before are benefiting from an

education. Worldwide, over

1.5 billion children and youth

are enrolled in kindergartens,

primary and secondary schools

and universities. Over the past

decades, access to education

has been steadily expanding

across developing countries.

Innovative literacy programmes

are transforming the lives of

disadvantaged adults.

But an unacceptable number of

children still remain excluded

from learning and millions more

sit in overcrowded classrooms,

without textbooks and qualified

teachers. Illiteracy traps close

to one adult in six in a cycle of

poverty.

This is why Education for All

(EFA) is the cornerstone of

UNESCO’s work in education.

When UNESCO was founded in 1945, its Constitution already expressed the belief in ‘full and equal opportunities for education for all’ and ‘the education of humanity for justice and liberty and peace.’ There have been dramatic political, economic and social changes since then, but these ideals remain as relevant as ever.

UNESCO is committed to the realization of everyone’s right to education without discrimination or exclusion. Education is fundamental for human, social and economic development and a key to achieving lasting peace and sustainable development.

UNESCO’s educational priorities are: l Supporting the achievement of Education for All l Providing global and regional leadership in education l Building effective education systems worldwide at all levels, from early

childhood to the adult years

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The guiding principles Signed in 1948 in the

aftermath of the Second

World War, Article 26 of

the Universal Declaration

of Human Rights proclaims

that ‘Everyone has the

right to education’.

Since then, a number of international normative instruments have affirmed the right to education. In 1960, the Convention against Discrimination in Education, adopted by the General Conference of UNESCO, stated that the Organization, ‘while respecting the diversity of national educational systems, has the duty not only to proscribe any form of discrimination in education but also to promote equality of opportunity and treatment for all in education’.

In 1989, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, in Articles 28 and 29, stipulated that primary education should be ‘compulsory and available free to all’, and that it should allow children to reach their fullest potential.

UNESCO’s work in education is also rooted in the outcomes of two key events sponsored by four UN agencies and the World Bank: the World Conference on Education for All held in Jomtien, Thailand in March 1990 and the World Education Forum held in Dakar, Senegal in April 2000. In Dakar, representatives from 164 countries and some 150 organizations adopted the Dakar Framework for Action which contains the six internationally agreed Education for All goals (see pages 4 and 5) that reflect a broad vision of education to be realised by 2015. UNESCO is responsible for coordinating the Education for All movement.

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The Millennium Development Goals, adopted by all countries and leading development institutions in 2000, aim to halve poverty by 2015. Goals 2 and 3 focus specifically on achieving universal primary schooling, empowering women and eliminating gender disparities in primary and secondary education. Education, however, is essential to achieve all the goals as it provides the knowledge and skills necessary to combat HIV and AIDS, improve livelihoods, child and maternal health, and to promote environmental sustainability.

UNESCO leads three major initiatives within the UN family: The UN Literacy Decade (2003–2012) aims to raise awareness and create new impetus for literacy, catalyze stronger political commitment, improve the quality and scale of programmes for youth and adults, and mobilize additional funding so that a significant decrease in the numbers of illiterate people is reached. The UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014) aims to encourage governments

to incorporate the principles, values and practices of sustainable development into all aspects of teaching and learning, in order to better address today’s social, economic, cultural and environmental challenges. Launched in 2004, the EDUCAIDS Global Initiative on Education and HIV/AIDS recognizes the vital role education plays in response to AIDS and seeks to promote, develop and support comprehensive educational responses to HIV and AIDS.

Aid for education

At the World Education Forum in Dakar governments and agencies

committed themselves to ‘enhance significantly investment in basic

education’ and underlined the need for increased development

assistance and debt relief for education by bilateral and multilateral

donors. Donors pledged that all credible national plans for basic

education would be adequately supported by external aid. In the period

just after the Forum, aid for education rose rapidly with an increase of

42 per cent between 1999-2000 and 2003-2004. However, since then total

aid commitments to education have stagnated and are well below what

is required to reach a limited set of EFA goals.

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Three key UN initiatives

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Goal 1 Expand early childhood care and educationGlobally malnutrition affects one in three children under the age of 5 and has severe long-term consequences for their education prospects and for global efforts to reach universal primary education. Inequalities in access to early childhood care persist, particularly those based on income and parental education. Enrolment in pre-primary education remains very low in developing countries (average of 36 per cent).

Goal 2Provide free and compulsory primary education for allEnrolment in primary education continues to rise in developing regions, with impressive progress in sub-Saharan Africa and South and West Asia. The abolition of school fees has had dramatic effects in countries like Ethiopia, Kenya and the United Republic of Tanzania. However, universal free primary education is still far from being a reality. There are still at least 75 million children out of primary school, 55 per cent of them are girls and almost half are in sub-Saharan Africa. Children from poor households, rural areas, slums and other disadvantaged groups face major obstacles.

Goal 3Promote learning and life skills programmes for young people and adultsGovernments are not giving sufficient priority to the basic skills and learning needs of youth and adults. The scope and quality of secondary education is inadequate. With the majority of secondary school graduates joining the workforce directly, governments, employers and trade unions need to develop relevant and quality technical and vocational education programmes which bridge the gap between school and work.

Education worldwide – where we stand Six goals to achieve Education for All by 2015

Since the 2000 Dakar World Education Forum considerable progress in education has been

made worldwide. In 2006 there were 40 million more children in primary school than in 1999.

Yet poverty still keeps 75 million children out of primary school, with girls still at a disadvantage

and, once in school, too many children lack qualified teachers and basic equipment.

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Goal 4Increase levels of adult literacy by 50 per centAdult literacy is the most neglected EFA goal. An estimated 776 million adults lack basic literacy skills. If current trends continue, there will still be over 700 million adults lacking literacy skills in 2015. Just 20 countries account for around 80 per cent of global illiterates with Bangladesh, China, India and Pakistan accounting for more than half. Women still make up two-thirds of the world’s illiterate people.

Goal 5 Achieve gender parity by 2005, gender equality by 2015Many girls in developing countries are still missing out on the opportunities offered by education. Girls are more likely never to enter school and are over-represented among out-of-school children. About two-thirds of countries have achieved gender parity at the primary level; only 37 per cent at the secondary level. Scholarship programmes, community campaigns, improved sanitation, locating schools closer to home and other policies have reduced gender disparities. However, in several sub-Saharan African countries and Pakistan, 80 girls or fewer are enrolled for every 100 boys at primary level. Once in school, girls tend to perform as well as or better than boys.

Goal 6Improve the quality of educationHuge gaps in education quality exist between rich and poor countries and within countries. International, regional and national learning assessments show children in early grades are not mastering the basic reading skills needed for further learning. Developing countries in Asia and Africa suffer shortages of qualified teachers as well as essential resources like electricity, water, desks, chairs, and textbooks. More than 27 million teachers work in the world’s primary schools, 80 per cent of them in developing countries. An additional 10.3 million teachers will be needed to achieve Universal Primary Education by 2015.

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Education worldwide – where we stand Six goals to achieve Education for All by 2015

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UNESCO’s Education Sector

works as a global network of

52 field offices and four regional

bureaus in Bangkok, Beirut,

Dakar and Santiago.

Its mission is to improve

education worldwide by

providing international

leadership, technical advice,

standard-setting, capacity-

building and monitoring.

Through its field offices,

UNESCO assists countries

to reform, strengthen and

manage education systems

that promote access, inclusion,

gender equity and quality.

How the UNESCO Education Sector works UNESCO’s Education Sector is a:

Laboratory of ideas: anticipating and responding to emerging trends and needs in education and developing education policy based on research and country priorities.

Standard-setter: developing stand ards, norms and guidelines in key education areas and monitoring the implementation of relevant legal and normative instruments.

Clearinghouse: promoting the deve lop-ment, implementation and dissemination of successful educational practices

Capacity-builder: providing tech nical co-operation to develop the capacity of Member States to achieve their national education goals.

Catalyst for international

cooperation: initiating and promot ing dialogue and exchange among educational leaders and stakeholders.

Main areas of actionThe scope of UNESCO’s work encompasses the traditional stages of educational development from pre-school through primary and secondary to higher education and beyond. It focuses on increasing access, improving quality and ensuring that education develops knowledge and skills in areas such as sustainable development, HIV and AIDS and human rights. The Organization works with governments, National Com missions for Cooperation with UNESCO and a wide range of partners to make education systems more effective through policy change. It coordinates the Education for All movement, tracks education trends, leads several international decades and speaks to raise the profile of educational needs on global development agendas.

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The quality imperative Gains made in access to education cannot be sustained without a parallel improvement in quality. UNESCO works with a range of partners to improve capacity to assess and monitor quality.

The Southern Africa Consortium for Monitoring Educational Quality (SACMEQ) was launched in 1995 by UNESCO’s International Institute of Educational Planning. Today, SACMEQ involves 15 ministries of education and is working on its third major cross-national study of the quality of education and the conditions of schooling.

UNESCO Santiago coordinates the Latin American Laboratory for Assess-ment of the Quality of Education (LLECE). This regional network aims to assess the quality of education and fac tors associated with students’ exper iences and development. It has pub lished two key studies measuring

learning outcomes, evidence which helps education ministries make informed policy decisions.

Launched in 2008, UNESCO’s Learning Counts Initiative highlights the need to improve the quality of education and to ensure measurable learning outcomes. The initiative gives Member States guidance on the design of learning assessments and promotes collaboration among international experts.

The curriculum is a crucial building block of any educational process. The International Bureau of Education is a global centre for supporting the development of quality curricula for EFA. Its Community of Practice in Curriculum Development is a unique global network of curriculum specialists in over 120 countries. The Bureau works to enhance the capacity of countries to develop curricula which address issues such as inclusion, poverty, HIV and AIDS and peace education.

A holistic education programme for Africa

A new, holistic UNESCO-backed

programme is taking hold in

Africa, anchored in the principles

of the right to education. The Basic

Education Programme in Africa

(BEAP) promotes an expanded

vision of quality and relevant

basic education of 9 to 10 years,

including at least one year of pre-

school, for all students. It focuses

on competencies and learning

outcomes that prepare learners

for subsequent levels of education

and the world of work.

Since its introduction in 2008,

BEAP has facilitated high-level

policy dialogue with African

Member States to re-examine

the effectiveness, efficiency and

outputs of their education systems.

It has launched the programme in

5 countries (Cote d’Ivoire, Ethiopia,

The Gambia, Seychelles and

Tanzania), sensitized over 10 others

and supported the building of

capacities in new approaches

to curriculum development and

reform for 8 countries.

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How the UNESCO Education Sector works

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LiteracyLiteracy is a fundamental right and the foundation for lifelong learning. Literacy gives the knowledge, skills and self-confidence to transform lives, leading to better health, income and fuller social and political participation.

What UNESCO is doing

UNESCO helps Member States to increase their literacy rates by motivating governments and civil society to focus on literacy, formulating solid policies and developing capacities to deliver good quality multilingual programmes. Its major initiatives towards this end are the United Nations Literacy Decade (UNLD) and the Literacy Initiative for Empowerment (LIFE). LIFE is a ten-year (2006-2015) global initiative to accelerate literacy in the 35 countries with the

biggest literacy challenges. UNESCO is currently supporting the implementation of important literacy programmes in several countries such as Bangladesh, Egypt, Morocco, Niger, Pakistan and Senegal.

International Literacy Day (8 September) and the annual UNESCO International Literacy Prizes aim to raise awareness about literacy and increase commitment. At the regional level, UNESCO also pro-motes literacy through such programmes as the Asia-Pacific Programme of Education for All (APPEAL). Launched in 1987, APPEAL supports literacy through the promotion of policy dialogue, capacity-building, the piloting of innovative approaches, research, information exchange and networking.

The Literacy Assessment and Monitoring Programme (LAMP), developed by the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, is a tool to assist Member States in measuring levels of literacy achievement.

The UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning is an international research, training, information and publishing centre for literacy, adult education, and non-formal education. It has a unique collection of sample literacy materials in more than 120 languages. By linking educational research, policy and practice, UIL works to improve the environment and quality of lifelong learning for all worldwide.

Literacy, teachers and skills

UNESCO emphasizes three

building blocks for Education for

All: Literacy, Teachers and Skills.

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TeachersQualified teachers are key to quality education. In some African countries, about 60 per cent of teachers have no formal training. Teachers suffer poor status, wages and working conditions. Countries that have achieved high learning standards – the Republic of Korea and Cuba are two striking examples – have invested steadily in the teaching profession.

What UNESCO is doing

UNESCO works to provide global leadership on teachers, their status, recruitment, training and professional development based on the UNESCO/International Labour Organization Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers (1966), which is applied in parallel with the Recommendation concerning the Status of Higher Education Teaching Personnel (1997).

The Teacher Training Initiative for sub-Saharan Africa (TTISSA) aims to improve national teacher policy and strengthen teacher education in the region. UNESCO’s International Institute for Capacity Building in Africa (IICBA) assists Member States with open and distance learning and face-to-face training of trainers. At the international level, the Task Force on Teachers for EFA, a global alliance of partners, works to address the teacher gap and facilitate cooperation.

UNESCO helps countries to develop comprehensive teacher policies, with attention to teacher training, status, working conditions and accreditation. UNESCO Santiago has produced studies on key areas such as careers, teacher evaluation, innovative pre-service teacher training programmes, health and working conditions. In the Asia-Pacific region, UNESCO Bangkok has taken the lead in the use of Information and Communication Technologies, both for teachers’ professional development and to support their classroom teaching. UNESCO Jakarta is working with teacher training institutions to include new approaches in their programmes on teacher certification and accreditation. Each October 5 UNESCO celebrates the work of teachers with World Teachers’ Day.

Outstanding literacy initiatives

Each year as part of its work to spread the message about literacy, UNESCO

awards prizes to organizations that have given some of the world’s poorest

women and men the chance to learn, increase their self-confidence and

improve their livelihoods. In 2009 UNESCO awarded four Literacy Prizes

supported by the Republic of Korea and the People’s Republic of China.

The winners included Nirantar, an NGO in northern India that has created a

rural fortnightly newspaper entirely produced and marketed by low-caste

women and distributed to more than 20,000 newly literate readers. Another

prize went to the Tin Tua Literacy Programme in Burkina Faso where the literacy

rate is a mere 26 per cent. Tin Tua, which means ‘let’s help ourselves develop’,

reaches 40,000 learners every year and this has led to better management

of food production and the training of health workers. In Afghanistan, one

prize rewarded a community-owned initiative implemented by the British

NGO Serve that provides literacy, public health and life skills to the Pashai

ethnic minority, especially girls and women. In the Philippines the Municipal

Literacy Coordinating Council of Agoo picked up the fourth prize for its

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Literacy, teachers and skills

Helping children start life well

A UNESCO-supported programme which helps

vulnerable families give very young children the

best start in life has become part of state policy in

Brazil.

Launched in 2003 in the Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil,

the Programa Primeira Infância Melhor - PIM (the

Programme for a Better Early Childhood) promotes

the holistic development of children from 0 to 6

years of age through a structured programme of

parental guidance and child stimulation activities.

Targeting at-risk populations, the PIM has so far

been implemented in over 200 towns in Rio Grande

do Sul through partnerships between State and

local governments and with technical cooperation

from the UNESCO Brasilia Office.

Children and pregnant women are seen through

home visits which include guidance, games and

educational activities or in community group

meetings which offer information on topics such

as child delivery and breastfeeding with follow up

assessments and information provided through a

series of PIM Guides. The programme has become

part of state policy with the passing of a law for the

promotion and development of early childhood.

Skills for the world of work

In an era of global economic integration and rapidly evolving technologies, training for the world of work has never been more important. Yet lack of access to education, low learning achievement and early drop out are fuelling inequalities. At the same time, there is increasing demand for secondary, technical and higher education. Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) plays an essential role in promoting a country’s economic growth and contributing to poverty reduction as well as ensuring the social and economic inclusion of marginalized communities.

What UNESCO is doing

UNESCO promotes TVET and skills for work as part of lifelong learning concentrating on secondary and post-secondary training in formal and non-formal settings. It assists Member States to develop long-term strategies and solutions based on inclusive and rights-based approaches. To counter the image of TVET courses being a safety net for failing or poor students, it works to improve their quality, status and employment value, making sure they are relevant to economic and social needs.

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UNESCO supports policies that value experience and learning acquired through work and non-formal settings. Institutions and companies can be turned into learning organizations in which professional development is valued. For example the Republic of Korea’s Credit Bank System recognizes various learning experiences as academic credits and Thailand has a similar system.

UNEVOC’s International Centre for Technical and Vocational Education and Training helps Member States strengthen and upgrade their TVET systems. Its work includes promoting international and regional cooperation in the development of human resources and best practices and mobilizing expertise. The UNEVOC Network includes government ministries, research facilities, planning and training institutions and serves as a platform for information sharing.

Hill tribe girls learn life skills in Thai temple

Hill tribe girls in northern Thailand are being taught life skills as part of a vocational training programme run by monks

from their local temple. The programme is an example of a best practice and the result of efforts to improve opportunities

for rural youth employment supported by UNESCO, the Food and Agriculture Organization and the International Labour

Organization. The monks organize visiting teachers from the Lumphun College of Agriculture to teach agricultural skills,

social community management and religious activities. Girls are targeted for two reasons. ‘Human trafficking has been a

huge problem for decades especially for tribal girls living along the border. This initiative was created to strengthen the

capacities of communities along the border. They are also often the strongest voices for passing on messages learned,’ said

Phra Prasit Pavatako, Deputy Assistant of the temple. Pracharapun Lacher, 19, from the Akha hill tribe, is a 3rd year student

of the programme. ‘We would like to go back to our hometown to pass on the skills we have learned. Sometimes it takes a lot

of efforts to convince our parents to trust our knowledge and skills, for example the significance of using environmentally

friendly fertilizer,’ she says. Graduates receive diplomas certified by a neighbouring provincial university and the

programme encourages them to find or create jobs in their hometown.

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Higher education is key to addressing global challenges such as food security, climate change, water management, inter cultural dialogue, renewable energy, public health and, not least, the teacher shortage. However, inequalities in access and quality persist.

Rapid globalisation has led to a diversifi-cation of providers, creating the need for reinforced accreditation and quality assurance systems to guarantee educa-tional standards and protect students.

Through two major world conferences on higher education organized by UNESCO in 1998 and 2009, the Organization has provided a global platform for policy debate, knowledge-sharing and co opera-tion. UNESCO works on enhancing quality, strengthening research capacities in higher education institutions, and knowledge sharing across borders.Through initiatives such as UNITWIN (see page 16), it examines ways of

increasing higher education oppor tu nities for young people from vulnerable and disadvantaged groups. It deals with cross-border higher education and quality assurance, with a special focus on student mobility and recognition of qualifi cations, and provides tools to protect students and other stake holders from low-quality provision of higher education. In partner-ship with OECD, UNESCO has produced Guidelines on Quality Provision in Cross-border Higher Education.

UNESCO and the World Bank have formed a partnership to assist developing countries assure quality in higher educa-tion. In early 2008, a three-year Global Initiative for Quality Assurance Capacity (GIQAC) was launched to sustain activities in developing and transition countries.

The UNESCO Higher Education web site offers a portal with information on higher education institutions recognized or

otherwise sanctioned by competent authorities in participating countries.

To stimulate debate and build consensus among the wider community, UNESCO established the UNESCO/NGO Collec tive Consultation on Higher Education in 1988. Made up of 60 organizations representing the higher education com-munity, the body acts as a think tank to assist UNESCO in the orientation of its higher education programme, and participates in its implementation.

Challenges facing higher education world-wide include ‘Brain Drain’ and its impact particularly in Africa and the Arab region. To counter this UNESCO launched the Brain Gain Initiative in collaboration with Hewlett-Packard to create a digital infra-structure linking universities in the African and Arab regions to global knowledge.

Higher education

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UNESCO is the only United Nations agency with a mandate

in higher education, a major force for building an inclusive

and diverse knowledge society and advancing academic

freedom, research, innovation and creativity.

Simulated elections to teach junior voters in Germany, a school campaign to stop bullying in Lithuania and a human rights resource package for secondary schools in Tajikistan are just three of the 101 good practices in Human Rights Education drawn from Europe, North America and Central Asia and gathered into A Compendium of Good Practice compiled by UNESCO and key Human Rights institutions in 2009.

Designed for primary and secondary schools, as well as teacher training institutions, the resources included in the compendium touch upon the key elements for successful human rights education: laws, guidelines and standards; the learning environment; teaching and learning tools; professional development for educators and evaluation.

Publications are only one facet of UNESCO’s work in promoting Human Rights Education. The Organization also plays a major role in the implementation of the World Programme for Human Rights Education, as a follow-up to the UN Decade for Human Rights Education (1995-2004). In addition, UNESCO monitors legal instruments in the field of education and works to heighten awareness and understanding about them in its Member States. Finally,

the Organization collaborates with the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and participates in the work of the United Nations human rights treaty bodies to advance the right to education.

Chinese pupils help clean-up the Yangtze River

Children and communities in China are actively involved in restoring the

ecological integrity of China’s most famous river as part of the Water School

for a Living Yangtze project.

The project, part of the International Water School Program, was launched

by the Chinese Ministry of Education with UNESCO as partner in 2008.

Primary school student Sun Yao in southwest China’s Sichuan Province

has lived alongside Baicao River, a tributary of the Yangtze, all his life.

The Baicao River provides drinking water to 6,600 inhabitants in a region

severely damaged during the May 2008 Wenchuan earthquake which

claimed more than 80,000 lives.

Sun Yao and classmates became concerned about the foul-smelling

“rubbish mountains” along the 10-km river, piles of polyfoams, cardboard

cups, food scraps, medical needles and tubes, and plastic bags and the

cleanliness of the water. They began to monitor water quality and came up

with a proposal to establish a better waste disposal system.

In 2009, the project which has involved more than 50,000 students

from 27 middle and primary schools in Sichuan and adjacent provinces,

expanded to China’s capital Beijing and a similar project is planned for

China’s second longest river, the Yellow River.

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Human Rights Education – promoting good practices

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Policy and planning In many countries corruption creates inefficiency and inequity. Good governance practices can build inclusive and responsible education systems that address the real needs of the marginalized.

UNESCO supports national decision-makers in developing solid and relevant education policies and strategies and in implementing them transparently and effectively. The Organization offers technical assistance in education policy formulation and analysis, the design of education sector development plans and donor mobilization in support of national educational priorities.

Underpinning this work is the UNESCO National Education Support Strategy (UNESS) created in response to demand from Member States. The documents it produces provide an in-depth analysis of national educational needs, challenges and priorities in over 80 countries.

As part of the EFA process, UNESCO provides technical assistance to countries in modernizing and developing national legislation to ensure that it guarantees the main components of the right to education. Moreover, UNESCO promotes research and analysis of the constitutional and legislative bases of the right to education, and their effective enforcement through law courts and tribunals.

The International Institute for Education Planning

The International Institute for Education Planning (IIEP), which has its headquarters in Paris, France and an office in Buenos Aires, Argentina, was created by UNESCO in 1963. IIEP’s overall mission is to strengthen the capacity of Member States to plan and manage their education systems in order to help them to achieve their development goals in a sustainable manner. It does this through training, research and technical assistance. IIEP has trained over 5,000 experts and education officers, and published over 1,600 research studies

Coherent education policies and plans form a roadmap for governments to improve their

education systems and achieve Education for All targets. To be most effective in raising quality

and strengthening equity, these plans must form part of a wider poverty reduction and

development strategy and be developed through participatory processes involving civil society.

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A significant proportion of the 75 million children out of primary school worldwide live in countries affected by war and natural disasters. Achieving Education for All requires ensuring learning opportunities for these children.

It is increasingly recognized that education must be a principal part of any humanitarian response. Conflict and disaster-affected communities themselves prioritize provision of education for their children, often even before more immediate material needs. Education can save and sustain

lives, offering physical, cognitive and psychosocial protection when delivered in safe, neutral spaces. Education restores routine and gives people hope for the future; it can also serve as a channel both for meeting other basic humanitarian needs and communicating vital messages that promote safety and well-being. As the UN lead agency for Education, UNESCO plays an active role in promoting education in emergencies and reconstruction.

Esra rebuilds her shattered life and schooling in Gaza

Seventeen-year-old Esra El-hello witnessed her father and brother being killed and had to flee her house with the rest

of the family. Whilst in hiding, her one-year old niece died from her injuries. The experience still gives her nightmares,

she says, and could easily have jeopardized her promising academic future. ‘We had all lost one month of school

because of the war and I was supposed to sit my final exams in June (2009). My family encouraged me to try to start

exam preparations again; they said education is my future. I could not stop crying and shouting but I have two sisters in

university and when I saw them go back I decided to go back to school as well. The teachers were really supportive and

gave me additional sessions,’ she says. In June 2009 she completed her final exams which prepare students for university.

Esra was one of 4000 Gazan students who benefitted from catch-up classes organised by UNESCO. With additional classes

in six core subjects the programme compensated for lost study time during the war. UNESCO has been working with

partners to reactivate secondary and higher education in Gaza since January 2009.

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Post-Conflict Post-Disaster Education

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Networks and knowledge sharingFacilitating education networks

and communities is central to

UNESCO’s mission as a clearing

house, knowledge provider

and promoter of best practices

and innovation. Networks exist

at global and regional levels.

They encompass a wide range

of interests, from curriculum

development, quality assurance

and open resources to planning

and adult learning. UNESCO

has also set up regional

networks bringing together

parliamentarians around

Education for All concerns.

The University Twinning and Networking Programme

Part of UNESCO’s work in education is to build bridges of knowledge worldwide. The University Twinning and Networking Programme (UNITWIN) and the UNESCO Chairs Programmes were established in 1992 as think tanks and bridge builders between the academic world, civil society and local communities worldwide. The chairs programme aims to advance research, training and programme development by building university networks and encouraging inter-university cooperation through the transfer of knowledge across borders. Today 640 UNESCO Chairs and 60 UNITWIN Networks are established involving over 770 institutions in 126 countries.

UNESCO Associated Schools Project Network

Founded in 1953, UNESCO’s Associated Schools Project Network (ASPnet) is a global network of some 8500 educational institutions in 180 countries, working in support of quality education in practice. Its priorities are to promote education for all, identify and spread examples of quality education in practice with the emphasis on education for sustainable development, peace and human rights and intercultural learning.

The Network serves as an international laboratory for exploring, experimenting and taking to scale new educational practices which reinforce the humanistic, ethical and international dimensions of education.

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UNEVOC Network

The UNEVOC Network of specialised technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutions is a unique platform for the sharing of knowledge and experiences regarding all aspects of TVET and consists of 278 specialised institutions- the so-called UNEVOC Centres- in 165 UNESCO Member States.

Education for All Global Monitoring Report

The EFA Global Monitoring Report, developed by an independent team

and published by UNESCO, has become the prime instrument to assess

global progress towards achieving the six EFA goals. The report, jointly

funded by UNESCO and bilateral agencies, is an important tool for holding

governments to account and enabling them to view challenges in a

comparative perspective. It is published in the six official UN languages:

Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish. A summary of the

report is translated every year into over a dozen languages.

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PartnershipsThe Organization works with a wide range of UN agencies to strengthen education worldwide and participates actively in the United Nations Delivering as One pilot initiative which brings UN Agencies together to improve programme delivery.

The key international stakeholders in the EFA movement are UNESCO, UNDP, UNFPA, UNICEF and the World Bank. UNESCO’s Education Sector partners include governments, UNESCO National Commissions, UN Agencies, bilateral and multilateral donors, civil society and non-governmental organizations and the private sector.

Every April, UNESCO is an active participant in Global Action Week, a worldwide annual campaign organized by the Global Campaign for Education to raise awareness of the importance of Education for All.

In order to address global education challenges and strengthen cooperation with the private sector, UNESCO and the World Economic Forum combine their global networks and outreach capacities.

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UNESCO around the worldField offices by Region

AfricaRegional Bureau: DakarAbuja, NigeriaAccra, GhanaAddis Ababa, EthiopiaBamako, MaliBrazzaville, Republic of CongoBujumbura, BurundiDar es Salaam, United Republic of TanzaniaHarare, ZimbabweKinshasa, Democratic Republic of CongoLibreville, GabonMaputo, MozambiqueNairobi, KenyaWindhoek, NamibiaYaoundé, Cameroon

Arab StatesRegional Bureau: BeirutAmman, JordanCairo, EgyptDoha, QatarIraq (based in Amman, Jordan)Khartoum, SudanRabat, MoroccoRamallah, Palestinian Territories

Asia and the PacificRegional Bureau: BangkokAlmaty, KazakhstanApia, SamoaBeijing, ChinaDhaka, BangladeshHanoi, Viet NamIslamabad, PakistanJakarta, IndonesiaKabul, AfghanistanKathmandu, NepalNew Delhi, IndiaPhnom Penh, CambodiaTashkent, UzbekistanTehran, Iran

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Europe and North AmericaMoscow, Russian FederationVenice, Italy

Latin America and the CaribbeanRegional Bureau: Santiago de ChileBrasilia, BrazilGuatemala City, Guatemala Havana, CubaKingston, JamaicaLima, PeruMexico City, MexicoMontevideo, UruguayPort-au-Prince, HaitiQuito, EcuadorSan José, Costa Rica

Two UN liaison officesGeneva, SwitzerlandNew York, USA

Institutes and Centres The International Bureau of Education (IBE), Geneva, Switzerland works to enhance curriculum development and educational content.

The International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP), Paris, France and Buenos Aires, Argentina helps countries design, plan and manage their education systems.

The UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL), Hamburg, Germany promotes literacy, non-formal education, and adult and lifelong learning.

The Institute for Information Technologies in Education (IITE), Moscow, Russian Federation assists countries in the use of information and communication technologies in education.

The UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), Montreal, Canada provides global and internationally comparable statistics on education.

The International Institute for Capacity Building in Africa (IICBA), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia helps strengthen Africa’s educational institutions with a focus on teachers.

The International Institute for Higher Education in Latin America and the Caribbean (IESALC) Caracas, Venezuela promotes the development of higher education in the region.

The International Centre for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (UNEVOC), Bonn, Germany works on improving education for the world of work.

The European Centre for Higher Education (CEPES), Bucharest, Romania promotes cooperation and reform in higher education in Europe.

Centres under the auspices of UNESCO

The Asia-Pacific Centre of Education for International Understanding (APCEIU), Icheon, Republic of Korea.

The International Centre for Girls’ and Women’s Education in Africa (CIEFFA), Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

The Guidance, Counselling and Youth Development Centre for Africa (GCYDCA), Lilongwe, Malawi.

The International Research and Training Center for Rural Education (INRULED), Beijing, China.

The Regional Centre for Educational Planning (RCEP), Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.

© UNESCO, 2009All rights reservedPublished in 2009 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization7, Place de Fontenoy, 75352 Paris 07 SP, France

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‘Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.’Nelson MandelaFormer president of South Africa and 1993 Nobel Peace Prize laureate

education

UNESCO’s mission is building peace, eradicating poverty and promoting sustainable development and inter cultural dialogue through education, the sciences, culture, communication and information.

Education empowers people with the knowledge and skills to improve themselves. UNESCO aims to make the right to quality education a reality for every child, youth and adult.

UNESCO Education Sector 7, place de Fontenoy Paris, France Telephone: +33 1 45 68 08 24 E-mail: EDKnowledge@unesco.org www.unesco.org/education/