Resources
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Reimagining Life Skills and Citizenship Education in the Middle East and North Africa: A Four-Dimensional and Systems Approach to 21st Century Skills; Conceptual and Programmatic Framework Year of publication: 2017 Corporate author: UNICEF Middle East and North Africa The MENA Life Skills and Citizenship Education (LSCE) Initiative represents a country and regional collaborative endeavour towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 - Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. It seeks to reformulate traditional understandings of life skills and citizenship education in the region, while recalling fundamental questions about the purpose and role of education in societal development that are relevant to the current context.The LSCE Initiative focuses on three inter-locking challenges:An elusive knowledge society, as a result of poor quality of education, low levels of learning outcomes, and limited equity and inclusion.Declining economic growth, as a result of a lack of employability skills, high youth unemployment rates, gender disparities in accessing the labour market, lack of job creation, and a weak business environment.Weak social cohesion, as a result of mounting violence and radicalization as well as weak civic engagement. 
Youth Declarations on Transforming Education Year of publication: 2022 Corporate author: United Nations (UN) The Youth Declaration on Transforming Education has been launched. It is a document prepared by young people from all over the world and was presented to the UN Secretary-General on Friday.This declaration is the input of the youth to the Transforming Education Summit 2022. It highlights young people’s collective commitment to transforming education. 
Realization of the Sustainable Development Goals by, for and with Persons with Disabilities (UN Flagship Report on Disability and Development 2018) Year of publication: 2018 Corporate author: United Nations (UN) Realization of the Sustainable Development Goals by, for and with persons with disabilities 'Disability and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development' this report represents the first UN systemwide effort to examine disability and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at the global level. The report reviews data, policies and programmes and identifies good practices; and uses the evidence it reviewed to outline recommended actions to promote the realization of the SDGs for persons with disabilities. The report shows that despite the progress made in recent years, persons with disabilities continue to face numerous barriers to their full inclusion and participation in the life of their communities. It sheds light on their disproportionate levels of poverty, their lack of access to education, health services, employment, their under-representation in decision-making and political participation. This is particularly the case for women and girls with disabilities. Main barriers to inclusion entail discrimination and stigma on the ground of disability, lack of accessibility to physical and virtual environments, lack of access to assistive technology, essential services, rehabilitation and support for independent living that are critical for the full and equal participation of persons with disabilities as agents of change and beneficiaries of development. Data and statistics compiled and analysed in the present report indicate that persons with disabilities are not yet sufficiently included in the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the SDGs. 
Transforming Education: An Urgent Political Imperative for Our Collective Future; Vision Statement of the Secretary-General on Transforming Education Year of publication: 2022 Corporate author: United Nations (UN) Education is a fundamental human right. It has long held a special place in the hearts and minds of people across the world, and for good reason. Throughout history, it has been a source of personal dignity and empowerment and a driving force for the advancement of social, economic, political, and cultural development.Yet today, beset by inequalities and struggling to adjust to the needs of the 21st century, education is in crisis. The impacts of this crisis play out over time and often go unseen. But they are profound and will be felt for decades to come. If we are to transform our world by 2030 as envisaged by the Sustainable Development Goals, then the international community must give this crisis the attention it deserves. We must respond decisively, with conviction, imagination, and in solidarity to transform education. Informed by an extensive and inclusive preparatory process, we offer this Vision Statement to Member States and the global public to support our joint efforts towards that transformation, to contribute to the upcoming Summit of the Future, and as a manifesto for collective action. 
Following Up on the Transformative Commitments Made at the Summit: A Call to Action by the SDG4 High-level Steering Committee Year of publication: 2022 Corporate author: United Nations (UN) The Transforming Education Summit aims to mobilize solutions to accelerate national and global efforts to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. Seven new Global Initiatives launched at the Summit will focus on such solutions to transform education. 
An Urgent Call for Action by the SDG4-Education 2030 High-Level Steering Committee Year of publication: 2022 Corporate author: United Nations (UN) We, the SDG4-Education 2030 High-Level Steering Committee representing the global education community, call on all Heads of State and Government to take decisive actions to invest in and transform education as the clearest pathway to our shared goals of peace, prosperity and sustainability. 
The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2021 Year of publication: 2021 Corporate author: United Nations (UN) As the pandemic continues to unfold, The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2021 outlines some significant impacts in many areas that are already apparent. The global extreme poverty rate rose for the first time in over 20 years, and 119 to 124 million people were pushed back into extreme poverty in 2020. There is a risk of a generational catastrophe regarding schooling, where an additional 101 million children have fallen below the minimum reading proficiency level, potentially wiping out two decades of education gains. Women have faced increased domestic violence, child marriage is projected to rise after a decline in recent years, and unpaid and underpaid care work is increasingly and disproportionately falling on the shoulders of women and girls, impacting educational and income opportunities and health. Notwithstanding the global economic slowdown, concentrations of major greenhouse gases continue to increase. With the global average temperature reaching about 1.2°C above pre-industrial levels, the climate crisis has well and truly arrived, and its impacts are being felt across the world. The pandemic has also brought immense financial challenges, especially for developing countries – with a significant rise in debt distress and dramatic decreases in foreign direct investment and trade. Yet, with a surge in global solidarity and leadership from the highest political level, countries can still deliver on the 2030 Agenda and the 2015 Paris Agreement on Climate Change. A global vaccination plan, designed and implemented by the countries that can produce vaccines today or will be able to do so if properly supported, is an urgent first step in that direction. A recommitment by Governments, cities, businesses, and industries to ensure that the recovery reduces carbon emissions, conserves natural resources, creates better jobs, advances gender equality and tackles growing poverty and inequalities is a further imperative. 
The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2019 Year of publication: 2019 Corporate author: United Nations (UN) Four years after signing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, countries have taken action to integrate the Goals and targets into their national development plans and to align policies and institutions behind them. The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2019 uses the latest available data to track global progress on the SDGs and to take stock of how far we have come in realizing our commitments. The report shows that, while advances have been made in some areas, monumental challenges remain. The evidence and data spotlight areas that require urgent attention and more rapid progress to realize the 2030 Agenda’s far-reaching vision. Member States agree that these challenges and commitments are interrelated and call for integrated solutions. It is therefore imperative to take a holistic view of the 2030 Agenda and to identify the highest impact areas in order to target interventions. The most urgent area for action is climate change. If we do not cut record-high greenhouse gas emissions now, global warming is projected to reach 1.5°C in the coming decades. As we are already seeing, the compounded effects will be catastrophic and irreversible: increasing ocean acidification, coastal erosion, extreme weather conditions, the frequency and severity of natural disasters, continuing land degradation, loss of vital species and the collapse of ecosystems. These effects, which will render many parts of the globe uninhabitable, will affect the poor the most. They will put food production at risk, leading to widespread food shortages and hunger, and potentially displace up to 140 million people by 2050. The clock for taking decisive actions on climate change is ticking. The other defining issue of our time is increasing inequality among and within countries. Poverty, hunger and disease continue to be concentrated in the poorest and most vulnerable groups of people and countries. Over 90 per cent of maternal deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries. Three quarters of all stunted children live in Southern Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. People living in fragile States are twice as likely to lack basic sanitation, and about four times as likely to lack basic drinking water services as people in non-fragile situations. Youth are three times more likely to be unemployed than adults. Women and girls perform a disproportionate share of unpaid domestic work and lack autonomy in decision-making. Just as problems are interrelated, the solutions to poverty, inequality, climate change and other global challenges are also interlinked. Valuable opportunities exist to accelerate progress by examining interlinkages across Goals. For example, tackling climate change requires a shift to clean energy, reversing the trend in forest loss, and changing our production and consumption patterns. Promoting sustainable agriculture can help reduce both hunger and poverty, since close to 80 per cent of those who are extremely poor live in rural areas. Increasing access to safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene can save millions of lives per year and improve school attendance. Improving proficiency in reading and mathematics of some 200 million children who are falling behind in sub-Saharan Africa will help them climb out of poverty and ultimately enable the region to better compete in the global marketplace. This report also highlights the importance of investing in data for the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda. Most countries do not regularly collect data for more than half of the global indicators. The lack of accurate and timely data on many marginalized groups and individuals makes them “invisible” and exacerbates their vulnerability. While considerable effort has been made to address these data gaps over the past four years, progress has been limited. Increased investment is urgently needed to ensure that adequate data are available to inform decision-making on all aspects of the 2030 Agenda. Towards that end, the Dubai Declaration, launched at the second World Data Forum in October 2018, outlines a demand-driven funding mechanism under Member States’ oversight that will respond quickly and efficiently to the priorities of national statistical systems. 
The Lazy Person’s Guide to Saving the World Corporate author: United Nations (UN) End extreme poverty. Fight inequality and injustice. Fix climate change. Whoa. The Sustainable Development Goals are important, world-changing objectives that will require cooperation among governments, international organizations and world leaders. It seems impossible that the average person can make an impact. Should you just give up?No! Change starts with you. Seriously. Every human on earth—even the most indifferent, laziest person among us—is part of the solution. Fortunately, there are some super easy things we can adopt into our routines that, if we all do it, will make a big difference.Have a look at just a few of the many things you can do to make an impact!For more information: https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/takeaction/ 
Address by Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, on the occasion of the conference: Creating Sustainable Society of Peace: A Legacy of King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand Year of publication: 2017 Corporate author: UNESCO. Director-General, 2009-2017 (Bokova, I.G.) This address was delivered by Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, on the occasion of the conference: Creating Sustainable Society of Peace: A Legacy of King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand; UNESCO, 26 September 2017.