International Day of Education 2023; January 24th.

THEME: "To invest in people, prioritize education." International Day of Education 2023.

The International Day will call on governments, the international community and key stakeholders to stand by their commitments to prioritize investment in education and educational transformation in order to reverse the down sliding on the SDGs and unlock accelerated progress. This call will be supported by a social media activation that will rally global influencers, including youth champions.

Statement by the U.N. Secreatry-General on International Day of Education 20203; January 24th.

Education is a fundamental human right.

It’s the bedrock of societies, economies, and every person’s potential.

But without adequate investment, this potential will wither on the vine.

It has always been shocking to me that education has been given such a low priority in many government policies and in international cooperation instruments.

The theme of this year’s International Day of Education reminds us that “to invest in people, prioritize education.”

Investment is critical to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4.

Last year’s Transforming Education Summit gathered the world together to reimagine education systems so every learner accesses the knowledge and skills required to succeed.

Over 130 countries made commitments to ensure that universal quality education becomes a central pillar of public policies and investments.

A Call to Action on Educational Investment and the establishment of the International Financing Facility for Education created a fresh push on domestic and international financing.

And the Summit launched a range of global initiatives to mobilize support for education in crises settings, girls’ education, foundational learning, transforming teaching, digital tools, and green education systems.

Now is the time for all countries to translate their Summit commitments into concrete actions that create supportive and inclusive learning environments for all students.

Now is also the time to end all discriminatory laws and practices that hinder access to education. I call on the de facto authorities in Afghanistan in particular to reverse the outrageous and self-defeating ban on access to secondary and higher education for girls.

I also encourage countries to place education at the heart of preparations for the SDG Summit in 2023 and the Summit of the Future in 2024.

Most of all, I urge civil society and youth to continue calling for more and better investment in quality education.

Let’s keep the flame of transformation burning.

Let’s deliver education systems that can support equal societies, dynamic economies and the limitless dreams of every learner in the world.

António Guterres; U.N. Secretary-General.

Statement by the Director-General of the UNESCO on International Day of Education 2023; January 24th.

“Everyone has the right to education.” This 24 January, it is more important than ever for UNESCO  to  remind  everyone  of  the  value  and  importance  of  these  few  words  taken  from article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.  Despite the importance of this statement, the fundamental right to education is still far from  being  a  reality  for  all  the  girls  and  boys  in  the  world.  According  to  our  data,  244 million of them are still out of school this year. In particular, UNESCO would like to dedicate the fifth edition of this International Day to all the girls and women in Afghanistan, who have been denied their right to learn, study and teach. The Organization condemns this serious attack on human dignity and on the fundamental right to education. UNESCO has been tirelessly calling for the immediate restoration of the right to education for all girls and young women in Afghanistan.Our organization, in close liaison with the country’s communities, continues to work in Afghanistan to secure the continuity of education, whether by means of literacy courses or  by  mobilizing  the  power  of  radio,  a  medium  able  to  reach  people  directly  in  their  homes. UNESCO also remains the primary source for the monitoring of education data in Afghanistan, particularly data related to higher education. We will continue to mobilize the  international  community  in  order  to  uphold  Afghan  girls’  and  women’s  right  to  education.We must not forget, however, that throughout the world, even for those fortunate enough to  be  in  school,  grave  concerns  persist.  For  example,  in  low-  and  middle-income countries, seven out of ten children are still unable to read and understand a simple text at the age of 10 years.This is why, in recent months, UNESCO has been working to strengthen international mobilization  to  ensure  the  quality  of  education.  We  need  to  adapt  education  to  the  challenges  of  our  times,  particularly  by  acting  on  the  conclusions  stemming  from  the Futures  of  Education  initiative, which  calls  for  a  new  social  contract  through  and  for  education.At  the  World  Conference  on  Higher  Education held  in  Barcelona  last  May,  the  International Conference on Adult Education held in Marrakech last June, and the World Conference on Early Childhood Care and Education held in Tashkent last November, UNESCO  and  its  Member  States  together  made  new  commitments  to  transforming  education for every age.In September, this international mobilization culminated with the Transforming Education Summit  (TES),  which  was  convened  by  the  Secretary-General  of  the  United  Nations, António Guterres. The TES led more than 130 States to make firm commitments

Now we must translate these commitments into action – and UNESCO will continue to coordinate the international community’s efforts to ensure quality education for all. On  this  day,  UNESCO  is  urging  one  and  all  to  defend  –  everywhere  and  always  –  a universal  and  fundamental  right  which  is  the  best  lever  for  ensuring development: education.

Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO Director-General.

EVENTS: Building on the global momentum generated by the UN Transforming Education Summit in September 2022, this year’s Day calls for maintaining strong political mobilization around education and charting the way to translate commitments and global initiatives into action. Education must be prioritized to accelerate progress towards all the Sustainable Development Goals against the backdrop of a global recession, growing inequalities and the climate crisis.

The International Day of Education on 24 January 2023 is dedicated to Afghan women and girls.

Read UNESCO’s concept note for the 2023 celebration and download the programme. 

OBJECTIVES

The Global campaign to mark the International Day for Education 2023 aims to:

• Generate visibility from local to global level on prioritizing education to reach the SDGs ahead of the SDG Summit, building on the outcomes of the TES 
• Promote and showcase the national statements of commitment at country level and mobilize political and financial support for translating them into action
• Encourage wide take-up of the global initiatives launches at the TES to accelerate foundational learning, get every learner climate ready through greening education, promote public digital learning, advance gender equality in and through education and ensure learning continuity in situations of emergency and protracted crisis 
• Advocate for higher levels of domestic and international financing, including through innovative sources, building on commitments at the TES. 
• Provide youth a platform to build on the TES youth declaration, relay their demands and showcase their initiatives and innovations to advance the right to education 
•  Rally influencers to push forward the global education movement calling on world leaders to stand by their commitments and prioritize investment in education and educational transformation