UNESCO program 2012-2013

With only a few years until the target date of 2015 for achieving the EFA and the MDGs, it is critical that
The international community redoubles its efforts to make quality learning a reality for all. In the 2010-
2011 biennium, UNESCO identified four priority areas for its work in education: literacy; teachers;
Skills development for the world of work; and sector-wide policies. This programmatic and budgetary
Concentration has enabled the Organization to significantly scale up its country-level impact.
MLA 1 will therefore retain these four priority areas of action, build on the progress made in 2010-
2011 and extend the depth and reach of the activities initiated. Recognizing that capacity development
for sector-wide policy formulation and planning is critical to improving quality throughout education
Systems, greater prominence will be given to work in this field. The supplementary funding provided to
the 18 “target countries” will be used to finance increased technical support in one of the four priorities
areas of action, in alignment with the country’s national development priorities.
Sector-wide policy formulation and planning
01023 Th e right to education can only be realized through sound education policies and well-designed plans.
This is particularly important at a time at which education policy-makers and planners are facing an
increasing number of challenges. Indeed, in addition to the longstanding issues related to demographics
and funding, new issues have arisen such as the uncertainties linked to changes in occupations and in
competencies required in knowledge societies. There is a growing need to reappraise how countries can
make the best use of long-term planning in education, not only to guarantee access but also to improve
the quality of delivery.
01024 UNESCO will therefore further extend its support to sector-wide education policy and planning, with
particular emphasis on quality and gender equality issues. To this end, the Organization will provide
support for evidence-based and result-oriented educational planning, while further reinforcing its
integration in the Common Country Assessment/United Nations Development Assistance Framework
(CCA/UNDAF) processes and the harmonization of its programmes with national development and
poverty reduction strategies. Particular attention will be given to institutional and national capacity
development in the “target countries”. While the modalities of interventions will be adapted to the
needs of particular countries, the main areas of work will include the following:

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(a) Conducting policy reviews and enhancing the knowledge base in education policy at the
country level: UNESCO will, at the request of countries, support Member States in carrying
out policy reviews in education. These reviews will result in a precise analysis of the strengths
and weaknesses of the education system, drawing on the existing knowledge base, and with the
overall goal of issuing policy recommendations – in particular in the areas in which UNESCO
can off er direct technical assistance. In addition, UNESCO will carry out thematic policy reviews
and comparative analysis at regional level, focused in particular on issues related to quality and
gender. In addition to providing a direct service to the concerned countries or regions, UNESCO
will use this work to reinforce its role as a reliable source of evidence and analysis in education
policy;
(b) Development of capacities in education planning and management: State-of-the-art
methodologies, techniques and tools for education policy analysis, sector diagnosis, planning
and resource projections and costing will be further enhanced. Attention will be given to reinforce
national capacities to implement plans. In addition, tools for educational management at the
School, local and national levels will be refined. Particular efforts will be made to mainstream
critical issues such as gender, lifelong learning and education for sustainable development into
national education policies, plans and budgets;
(c) Measuring and monitoring education quality to guide policy: national, regional and
international learning assessments are key tools to monitor quality of education over time and
inform policy. Yet, too often, countries face problems when trying to translate the evidence
obtained into concrete action. UNESCO will support Member States in developing capacities
in the monitoring and evaluation of education systems, particularly in Africa. In particular,
UNESCO will respond to the call from the African Union (AU) to support the development of
an integrated programme of measurement of learning achievement and teaching and learning
process in Africa, within the framework of the implementation of the AU Second Decade of
Education;
(d) Promoting ICTs as a gateway to learning: UNESCO will prioritize analytical and policy-driven
work in addressing the challenge of fostering the conditions for ICT- enhanced learning. This
Will be reflected in particular through the development of relevant policy indicators, enhancing
teacher capacity development, investigating and disseminating mobile learning, and supporting
innovations that take advantage of technology, both in formal and non-formal education
settings. Work in this area will be jointly designed and implemented by Major Programs I
and V and in close partnerships with external partners such as IT companies; and
(e) Reinforcing UNESCO’s response to emergencies and its contribution to sustainable
recovery: UNESCO will reinforce its strategy to link emergency response to long-term planning
and reconstruction, including through its ongoing participation in the Inter-Agency Network
on Education in Emergencies (INEE). This will include both preparations of needs assessments
through the deployment of rapid reaction teams when emergencies strike,

Main line of action 3: Supporting education system responses to
contemporary challenges for sustainable development and a culture
of peace and non-violence
01043 Quality education aims to foster socially-responsible, peaceful and democratic attitudes among
children, young people and adults. Globalization and fast changing technological progress have
posed new challenges for societies and education systems. Rapid evolution is requiring individual and
communities to adapt to new social, economic, cultural, environmental and technological contexts;
yet, in many cases, little empirical evidence is available to guide Member States in managing these
change processes. Furthermore, formal and non-formal education are recognized as effective means
of promoting social transformation. The challenge then, is dual: to promote more equitable and
sustainable societies through education; and to respond adequately to and prepare for uncertainties
and challenges that threaten the resilience and the quality of the delivery of education systems.

Education for values, citizenship, human rights, tolerance,
dialogue for reconciliation and peace
01051 Achieving quality education for all that responds to the social, economic, cultural and environmental
dimensions of emerging challenges requires improvements to the quality and relevance of learning
contents, processes and contexts. Education should encompass universal values such as peace, human
rights, tolerance and democratic citizenship, empowering learners with the necessary knowledge
and skills to face local and global challenges, and to become responsible citizens participating in the
building of a just, peaceful and sustainable future. Moreover, since education, the sciences, culture
and communication are the foundations of sustainable development, it is through a multidisciplinary
approach that UNESCO can promote a culture of peace and non-violence that is closely linked to a
new humanism and puts people at the core of development processes. Actions in this area under Major
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Programme I will therefore be carried out along the following:
(a) Framed by the Recommendation concerning Education for International Understanding,
Cooperation and Peace and Education Relating to Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
(1974) and the World Programme for Human Rights Education (2005-ongoing), UNESCO
will develop the concept of “education for global citizenship” and assist in formulating and
Implementing policies, plans and programs to promote it. Education for global citizenship
includes human rights education; education against discrimination; the role of history
in promoting values education, intercultural and interfaith education; education for the
prevention of atrocities; and education for inclusion of minorities (including linguistic and
cultural minorities). For example, UNESCO will give particular emphasis to work on Roma
children through subregional cooperation in Europe. Furthermore, it will continue its work for
the prevention of violence in schools, including gender-based violence. The Associated Schools
Project Network (ASPnet) and UNESCO Chairs will be proactive partners and important assets
for UNESCO’s eff ort in promoting Education for Global Citizenship;

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(c) New partnerships and cooperation will be set up with teacher training institutions and with
structures responsible for training the police and civil servants for integrating Education for
Global Citizenship in their programmes.

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The establishment of the Educational Research and Foresight Team in the Education Sector is one
response to this need to strengthen the capacity of UNESCO’s Education Sector as a platform that
both mobilizes ideas and knowledge, analyzes emerging development trends, anticipates their impact
on education, and proposes relevant orientations and recommendations for the future of education. In
2012-2013, Major Program I will concentrate this work around three key thrusts of actions:
49 36 C/5 Approved – Major Program I
(a) Catalyzing critical debate, creative thinking and knowledge-sharing in education;
(b) Conducting of forward-looking research on emerging trends and challenges in education and
development of education responses based on cutting-edge evidence-based research;
(c) Sharing new education paradigms to guide the global education agenda beyond 2015.