Resources
Explore a wide range of valuable resources on GCED to deepen your understanding and enhance your research, advocacy, teaching, and learning.
741 Results found
The Power of Empathy Year of publication: 2017 Corporate author: UNESCO This photobook is a tribute to the power of empathy and solidarity felt and expressed by young people. Its photographs and stories were selected from the response to the global youth contest “If I were…”, launched by UNESCO on social media in Arabic, English, French and Spanish in early 2017. UNESCO received some 837 submissions, from 117 countries, covering a wide variety of issues and experiences.Despite the gravity of the themes addressed in these beautiful pictures, hope emerges from the testaments of the young photographers which demonstrate not only a sensitivity to the situations of “others”, but, moreover, a resolve to help people recover and protect their rights and dignity. 
Global Education Monitoring Report 2021/2: Non-state Actors in Education; Who Chooses? Who Loses? Year of publication: 2021 Corporate author: UNESCO Non-state actors’ role extends beyond provision of schooling to interventions at various education levels and influence spheres. Alongside its review of progress towards SDG 4, including emerging evidence on the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact, the 2021/2 Global Education Monitoring Report urges governments to see all institutions, students and teachers as part of a single system. Standards, information, incentives and accountability should help governments protect, respect and fulfill the right to education of all, without turning their eyes away from privilege or exploitation. Publicly funded education does not have to be publicly provided but disparity in education processes, student outcomes and teacher working conditions must be addressed. Efficiency and innovation, rather than being commercial secrets, should be diffused and practiced by all. To that end, transparency and integrity in the public education policy process need to be maintained to block vested interests. The report’s rallying call – Who chooses? Who loses? – invites policymakers to question relationships with non-state actors in terms of fundamental choices: between equity and freedom of choice; between encouraging initiative and setting standards; between groups of varying means and needs; between immediate commitments under SDG 4 and those to be progressively realized (e.g. post-secondary education); and between education and other social sectors. 
From Access to Empowerment: Operational Tools to Advance Gender Equality in and Through Education Year of publication: 2021 Corporate author: UNESCO This toolkit has been developed to strengthen individual and institutional capacity to integrate gender equality into education programmes in an effective manner. It has been prepared for all UNESCO Education Sector staff, including those at Headquarters, in Field/Regional/Cluster Offices and in Institutes as well as for implementing partners. This toolkit provides orientation and operational tools to meaningfully integrate gender into all education programmes. The first part provides a short introduction to key concepts on gender equality in and through education and an overview on how gender equality in education links to UNESCO’s vision and internationally agreed objectives. The second part provides practical guidance on how to mainstream gender equality into an education programme, how to design gender-transformative programmes and finally, how to monitor and evaluate gender results in education programmes. 
The United Nations World Water Development Report 2022: Groundwater; Making the Invisible Visible Year of publication: 2022 Corporate author: UNESCO The 2022 edition of the United Nations World Water Development Report, titled “Groundwater: Making the invisible visible”, describes the challenges and opportunities associated with the development, management and governance of groundwater across the world. The report addresses groundwater-related issues from the perspective of the three main water use sectors (agriculture, human settlements and industry), as well as its interactions with ecosystems and its relation with climate change. It highlights different regional perspectives and presents a number of response options concerning data and information, policy and planning, management and governance, as well as financing.The United Nations World Water Development Report is UN-Water’s flagship report on water and sanitation issues, focusing on a different theme each year. The report is published by UNESCO, on behalf of UN-Water and its production is coordinated by the UNESCO World Water Assessment Programme. The report gives insight on main trends concerning the state, use and management of freshwater and sanitation, based on work done by the Members and Partners of UN-Water. Launched in conjunction with World Water Day, the report provides decision-makers with knowledge and tools to formulate and implement sustainable water policies. It also offers best practices and in-depth analyses to stimulate ideas and actions for better stewardship in the water sector and beyond. 
Youth of Central Asia, Challenges for Peacebuilding: A Comprehensive Research Review Year of publication: 2021 Author: Laura Yerekesheva Corporate author: UNESCO The estimations are that by 2030, the world will be home to 1.3 billion young people. This speaks about the importance of the youth for development in various parts of the globe, particularly in developing countries which constitute 90% of the global youth population. From comprehensive holistic perspective peace, peacebuilding and dialogue embrace all aspects and dimensions of life – inter-generational, social, economic, political, ethnic, religious, civic, ideological, cultural, and natural. The youth related issues are directly linked with the SDGs agenda. Central Asian states are also on the list of developing countries, with an increasing demographic share of the youth in the general population, meaning that the countries of the region are “young.” As of 2020, the total population of the four countries of Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan) was 68.46 million, of which youth comprised 16.55 million or 24,1%. What Challenges for Peacebuilding the Youth of Central Asia Face? This highlights the urgency required for elaborating and implementing special policies on youth development. For Central Asia, the peace and peacebuilding agenda is the development agenda, and vice versa, as neither is possible without the other, and these in turn are intrinsically linked with youth-related issues. This report provides a detailed overview of the existing challenges to the youth of the 4 countries of the region – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan Tajikistan, Uzbekistan – structured around three main themes of peacebuilding: (1) an education and learning environment; (2) economic and social participation; and (3) civic engagement. Governments, international organizations, professionals and policymakers in the youth, peacebuilding and development sectors, academia and NGOs are invited to join forces to accelerate the achievement of youth development for a more just, sustainable and peaceful future. 
UNESCO’s Efforts to Achieve Gender Equality in and Through Education: 2020 Highlights Year of publication: 2022 Corporate author: UNESCO This report presents highlights of UNESCO’s work in 2020 to advance gender equality in and through education.UNESCO's work in this area is guided by the UNESCO strategy for gender equality in and through education 2019–2025, and supported by Her Education, Our Future, which was launched in parallel with the strategy, to leverage political and financial commitments, cooperation and joint action for girls’ and women’s education. 
Knowledge-Driven Actions: Transforming Higher Education for Global Sustainability; Independent Expert Group on the Universities and the 2030 Agenda Year of publication: 2022 Author: Adrian Parr | Agnes Binagwaho | Andy Stirling | Anna Davies | Cheikh Mbow | Dag Olav Hessen | Helena Bonciani Nader | Jamil Salmi | Melody Brown Burkins | Seeram Ramakrishna | Sol Serrano | Sylvia Schmelkes | Tong Shijun | Tristan McCowan Corporate author: UNESCO With 2030 less than a decade away, it is paramount to think critically and act urgently if we are to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.Higher education institutions are uniquely positioned to contribute to the social, economic and environmental transformations that are required to tackle the world’s most pressing issues.This report thoroughly discusses the role of higher education institutions in contributing to the 2030 Agenda, through a focus on three interrelated themes: the need to move towards inter- and transdisciplinary modes of producing and circulating knowledge; the imperative of becoming open institutions, fostering epistemic dialogue and integrating diverse ways of knowing; and the demand for a stronger presence in society through proactive engagement and partnering with other societal actors. The report directs attention to the systemic barriers that have inhibited transformations in these three areas so far, and provides advice and examples on how to achieve this. The report calls on higher education leaders and actors to push for transformations within their institutions, using the report’s recommendations to critically reflect and act on their role for achieving the 2030 Agenda. 
COVID-19 Learning Losses: Rebuilding Quality Learning for All in the Middle East and North Africa Year of publication: 2021 Author: Hana Yoshimoto | Jeannette Vogelaar | Brenda Haiplik Corporate author: UNESCO | United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) | World Bank An entire generation of children in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is estimated to be affected by the education crisis determined by the COVID-19 pandemic, with potential impacts that are going beyond the immediate/short term and also well beyond the education domain itself, with consequences on children’s socialisation, mental well-being, and future perspective of being active members of their society, including in the labor market. More information on the impact of the crisis would help countries to put in place strategies to mitigate the impacts. Timely investment and action to prevent extreme impacts of this crisis on education are of paramount importance in MENA, which already tackling a learning crisis before the COVID-19 outbreak.This publication delineates the overall education status in MENA after the breakout of COVID-19 pandemic, by presenting the education responses in MENA, and assessing the potential learning loss through a simulation analysis, recommendations are provided on how to build back better and enhance access and quality learning for all. 
Communication and Information Programme Year of publication: 2021 Corporate author: UNESCO UNESCO is the UN specialized agency building peace in the minds of people through education, the sciences, culture, communication and information. Our mission is to foster intercultural dialogue and sustainable development, by promoting the free flow of ideas.By adopting a multi-disciplinary and inclusive approach, UNESCO works with both duty-bearers and rights-holders across the world to develop and implement targeted actions that are born out of local needs, which ensures a holistic and results-based approach for sustainable change.In the field of communication and information, UNESCO defends and promotes freedom of expression, media independence and pluralism, and the building of inclusive knowledge societies underpinned by universal access to information and the innovative use of digital technologies.Through capacity-building, policy advice, international cooperation, monitoring and foresight in the fields of freedom of expression, access to information, and digital transformation, UNESCO will continue to empower key actors with a view to ensuring that fundamental freedoms are guaranteed online and offline, in line with international standards.This is all the more relevant to ensure the ethical development and use of emerging technologies, which have a growing impact on all aspects of the world’s societies. Citizens will also be empowered to enjoy these fundamental freedoms through the development of 21st century skills and the fostering of enabling environments for media pluralism and diversity. 
Ensuring the right to equitable and inclusive quality Education: results of the ninth consultation of Member States on the implementation of the UNESCO Convention and Recommendation against Discrimination in Education Year of publication: 2017 Corporate author: UNESCO The Convention and Recommendation against Discrimination in Education reflect UNESCO’s constitutional mission of instituting collaboration among nations to ‘advance the ideal of equality of educational opportunities without regard to race, sex, or any distinctions, economic or social.’ The purpose of these instruments, recently recognized as a cornerstone of the Education 2030 Agenda, is not only the elimination of discrimination in education, but also the adoption of concrete measures aimed at promoting equality of opportunities and treatment in this field. They cover the right to education comprehensively. The purpose of reporting is to illustrate the steps taken to implement the instruments, the progress made and the difficulties encountered by Member States. Eight Member State consultations have been conducted on the measures taken for the implementation of the 1960 Convention and Recommendation since the adoption of these instruments by the General Conference of UNESCO. Each of the consultations led to a global report containing the results of the consultation for submission to the UNESCO Executive Board’s Committee on Conventions and Recommendations and for consideration by the General Conference.