The Global Action Week for Education 2024 has come to an end, marking a remarkable week of global advocacy and awareness for Transformative Education alongside our partners from the Global Campaign for Education (GCE).
We want to thank you all for the great support! It was incredible to see the widespread interest and endorsement. Stay tuned for inspiring key takeaways and insightful learnings from the week’s events.
Key Takeaways GAWE 2024
All around the world, our partners and we have beaten the drums for transformative education. Why? Because it is the transformative power of education that can drive social justice, peace, gender equality, sustainable development, and individual and collective freedom.
Despite progress, education remains in crisis, with significant challenges such as the global teacher shortage and conflicts and crises cutting thousands off access to education. The commitments made during the Transformative Education Summit 2022 and the newly published UN Recommendations to Transform the Teaching Profession require urgent implementation.
Throughout the week, we explored strategies to achieve transformative education for all everywhere. What stood out for us is how all over the world, education advocates face common challenges. It’s imperative that we stand together to address these challenges globally and on a fundamental level.
Financing plays a crucial role in achieving quality transformative education for all. Discussions during our event emphasized the importance of tax reform and debt relief in advancing this agenda. For further insights, you can watch our recordings or access additional resources provided below. The UN Recommendations to Transform the Teaching Profession also address these topics (Recommendation 7, Recommendation 55, and page 17).
The UN Recommendations further offer solutions for ensuring the provision and protection of education during conflict and emergencies. They recommend for states to provide and implement policies that secure support and guarantee the well-being of teachers, including measures to elevate their status, and ensure continued funding and payment of salaries (Recommendation 12). Additionally, they call for the establishment of a Global Fund for Teachers in Emergencies (Recommendation 54). For further detail, see here for the UN Recommendations.
Lastly, as the UN Summit of the Future approaches and its significance for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, we urge governments preparing for the summit to place education at the heart of their preparation and upcoming discussions.
For a comprehensive overview of our recent activities, access to valuable resources, and insight into our week’s campaign, continue reading below.
GAWE 2024 in a nutshell
See for a summary of our advocacy efforts during GAWE 2024 aimed at achieving Transformative Education worldwide here:
Our Video Statements
Our Steering Committee members, including our chairperson Aodán Ó Clúmháin, Plan Ireland International, Concern Worldwide, the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO), Misean Cara, and our coordinator Ponke Danker throw light on why these actions are so direly needed. Listen to their video statements on our LinkedIn and Platform X – and follow for more.
Our secretary, Moira Leydon of the Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland, took to our social media channels to explain what Transformative Education means to her and why we need to invest in public and transformative education. Join the conversation now on LinkedIn and Platform X!
IFGE GAWE Event
During our event, a Conversation about the Landmark UN Recommendations to Transform the Teaching Profession, our distinguished speakers from ActionAid and INTO gave insightful analyses of
- the commitments made by states during the Transformative Education Summit 2022 and how tax reforms are paramount to achieving a greatly needed shift for education financing;
- the UN Recommendations to Transform the Teaching Profession and their implementation, with examples of the situation in Ireland.
During our conversation with ActionAid, INTO, and GCE we covered questions about
- the achievability and implementation of the recommendations;
- financing of education;
- a necessary unified approach worldwide and how to leave no-one behind;
- the effects the recommendations can have for education in emergencies and crisis-affected regions, as well as refugee and displaced teachers.
You can tune into the recording here: GAWE IFGE Event – UN Recommendations Teaching Profession Recording
The following reports are great resources for working with the UN Recommendations to Transform the Teaching Profession and on Financing Education:
- Activating the Recommendations of the UN High-Level Panel on the Teaching Profession by Education International
- Transforming Education Financing in Africa – A Strategic Agenda for the African Union Year of Education by ActionAid
- Breaking Out of the Bubble to Transform Education Financing by ActionAid
Thank you for your continued support and interest and please follow us on LinkedIn and Platform X and share this Newsletter with your partners and stakeholders in the area of global education.
