The Global Alliance for Literacy within the Framework of Lifelong Learning (GAL) was officially launched at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris on the 50th anniversary of International Literacy Day on 8 September 2016. This fifteen-year initiative, coordinated by UIL, aims to promote a lifelong and life-wide approach to literacy in the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Composed of a group of committed partners, including representatives of UNESCO Member States, regional organizations, donors, the private sector and civil society organizations, GAL will coordinate the collaborative efforts of multiple stakeholders to support countries in achieving target 4.6 of the SDGs: ‘by 2030, ensure that all youth and a substantial proportion of adults, both men and women, achieve literacy and numeracy’.

GAL will be facilitated and advised by a core group comprising representatives of all stakeholder groups. The newly elected Executive Management Bureau consists of seven representatives of various world regions. Mr Arne Carlsen, Director of UIL, represents UNESCO as the Co-Chair of GAL, while Ms Kandia Kamissoko Camara, Minister of Education, Côte d'Ivoire, was elected to represent Member States in her role as the other Co-Chair. The Bureau also has three elected Vice-Chairs: Ms Gugulethu Ndebele, Chief Executive Officer of Save the Children South Africa; Ms Maria Helena Guimarães de Castro, Brazilian Deputy Minister of Education; and Ms Maria Khan, Secretary-General of the Asia South Pacific Association for Basic and Adult Education (ASPBAE). In addition, Her Royal Highness Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands, UNESCO Special Envoy on Literacy for Development, is an Honorary Member of the Bureau, while Dr Dan Wagner, UNESCO Chair in Learning and Literacy, serves as Special Advisor.

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The third Global Report on Adult Learning and Education (GRALE III) was launched on 8 September 2016 during celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of International Literacy Day. The report draws on monitoring surveys completed by 139 UNESCO Member States to develop a differentiated picture of the global state of ALE. It evaluates countries’ progress in fulfilling the commitments they made in the Belém Framework for Action, which was adopted at the Sixth International Conference on Adult Education (CONFINTEA VI) in 2009. In addition, the report examines the impact of ALE on three major areas: health and well-being; employment and the labour market; and social, civic and community life.

GRALE III provides policymakers, researchers and practitioners with compelling evidence for the wider benefits of ALE across all of these areas. It underlines three overarching policy implications. Firstly, ALE is an indispensable component of education, and a fundamental and enabling human right; secondly, ALE is an integral dimension of a balanced life course; and thirdly, ALE is part of a holistic, inter-sectoral sustainable development agenda with the potential to offer multiple benefits and lasting impact. GRALE III thereby highlights some of the major contributions that ALE can make to realizing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Following the international launch of GRALE III, a series of regional launches are planned in cooperation with UIL partners to disseminate its messages from a regional perspective. These include: Arab States, Europe and North America, Asia and the Pacific, Africa, and Latin America and the Caribbeans.

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‘Lifelong Learning in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: Implications for Policy and Practice’, was the theme of UIL’s third Think-Tank Meeting, which took place in Hamburg, Germany, on 27 and 28 September 2016. The meeting was attended by leading experts from governments, non-governmental organizations, universities and international organizations, who came together to clarify the concept and key components of lifelong learning. Participants came up with a set of recommendations on implementing and evaluating lifelong learning to support the achievement of SDGs. These recommendations will be published by UIL in a forthcoming policy brief.

At the meeting, UIL Honorary Fellowships were awarded to seven distinguished scholars and practitioners who have made outstanding contributions to international lifelong learning, adult and continuing education, literacy and non-formal basic education.

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On 30 and 31 August 2016, UIL hosted a symposium on the recognition, validation and accreditation of ‘green skills’. The symposium – part of a two-year comparative study – brought together national experts from research and policymaking institutions in eight Asian countries. Participants shared their governments’ ‘greening’ policies, drawing on evidence collected from micro, small and medium-sized enterprises in four industries (automotive, waste management, plastic manufacturing and catering). They also discussed how to include green skills in accredited competences. The results of the study will be published in 2017.

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Over 100 cities from 28 countries are now members of the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities (GNLC). The UNESCO GNLC, which has grown rapidly since opening to membership in 2015, enables member cities to share best practice and tools for advancing lifelong learning in their communities. The huge interest in the Network is a sign of local governments’ commitment to quality education and lifelong learning for all.

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10 November 2016

First ministerial meeting on the implementation of the second phase of RAMAA

Venue:
Marrakech, Morocco

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15-16 November 2016
First Members Meeting of the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities

Venue
Hangzhou, China

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2017
Cork City to host the third International Conference on Learning Cities

Venue:
Cork City, Ireland

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