On the occasion of the Transforming Education Summit (16-19 September) led by the UN Secretary-General, UNESCO will rally world leaders around actions to achieve the global objective of quality education for all by 2030, while adapting education systems to tackle the main challenges of the century through peace education, climate education and digital education.

The Transforming Education Summit, led by the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, has been convened in the wake of the largest disruption to education on record, triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, which set back progress on inclusion, quality and relevance even further.

UNESCO data shows that worldwide, 244M children and youth are still out of school. It is estimated that, globally, 6 out of every 10 children are unable to understand a simple text by the age of ten. In this context, the UN Sustainable Development Goal of quality education for all by 2030 (SDG4) is at risk of not being achieved.

At the same time, an unprecedented global consultation with over 1 million stakeholders led by UNESCO on the Futures of Education has demonstrated the urgent need to adapt education to the new challenges of the century. To respond to the climate disruption, the technological revolution, the resurgence of conflicts and social inequalities, education must also be transformed.

The Transforming Education Summit should be an accelerator of global mobilization, with the announcement by States of new strong commitments.

Based on unesco.org