UNESCO and AFS strengthen cooperation for education for peace and global citizenship
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Both organisations renewed their partnership with the signing of an agreement at the Global Education Symposium 2025 in Córdoba.
2 December 2025
As part of the AFS Global Education Symposium 2025, entitled “Education for Peace: inclusion, empathy and diversity as keys to building a sustainable future”, on 26 April the Director of UNESCO Regional Office in Santiago, Esther Kuisch Laroche, delivered the opening address and formally signed a cooperation agreement between the two organisations.
This agreement reaffirms and builds on a strategic alliance between UNESCO and AFS that already spans more than a decade of joint work at global and regional levels, with the aim of strengthening education for peace.
In her remarks, the Director highlighted that “in a deeply interconnected world, where global challenges affect us all, education must help us understand that shared reality. We need classrooms where we learn to live together and act together for a sustainable future for all. New challenges, from climate change to the technological revolution, demand an urgent renewal of our commitments and a transformation of our education systems.”
The event brought together educators, young people, experts and authorities from various countries, in a gathering that not only highlighted the transformative role of education, but also reinforced the message that the classroom is a fundamental space for building peace.
A partnership with global and regional impact
AFS Intercultural Programs, which has held consultative status with UNESCO since 2015, has been a key partner in numerous initiatives on youth, intercultural dialogue and global education. In Latin America and the Caribbean, joint work between UNESCO Regional Office in Santiago and AFS has intensified, particularly through the Latin American Alliance for Intercultural Education (ALEI), made up of 14 AFS national offices in the region.
This new agreement seeks to consolidate a strategic partnership to drive joint actions, teacher training, research, and campaigns that promote inclusion, empathy, critical thinking and civic engagement from within the classroom.
“Today, more than ever, we see the need to help people develop the capacities and values necessary to build a world that is not only more peaceful, but also more sustainable. AFS and UNESCO are jointly committed to implementing educational and exchange programmes for students and educators. We are deeply grateful for this partnership with UNESCO,” said Daniel Obst, President and CEO of AFS Intercultural Programs.
The conference also served as a reminder of the urgency of strengthening teachers’ capacities.
“The will is there. But teachers need more support,” Kuisch Laroche emphasised. In response, UNESCO has recently developed the Recommendation on Education for Peace, Human Rights and Sustainable Development, the only global normative instrument providing a roadmap for transforming education systems in favour of lasting peace.
The symposium in Córdoba marked a new milestone in cooperation between UNESCO and AFS, reflecting a shared commitment to empowering new generations as agents of change.