High-level Launch of the 2026 GEM Report Countdown to 2030: Access and Equity

High-level launch event of the 2026 GEM Report on access and equity

25 March 2026 - 10:00 am ~ 25 March 2026 - 6:00 pm

Location: UNESCO's Headquarters, 7 Place de Fontenoy, Paris, 75007, France
Type: Launch of a publication
Arrangement type: In-Person
Language(s): English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Russian
Contact: Laura Stipanovic

Watch the event

Agenda

The high-level launch of the 2026 GEM Report took place on 25 March 2026 at UNESCO’s headquarters in Paris, back-to-back with the Global Education Coalition's sixth annual meeting, which took place on March 23 and 24. The event was divided into two parts:

The morning session featured opening remarks, a presentation of the 2026 GEM Report, a ministerial panel on access and equity and ministerial panel to debate policies to address the out-of-school population.
The afternoon session featured thematic policy discussions co-organized with UNESCO and partners on different aspects of the access and equity theme.

Access the photos of the event.

Download the 2026 GEM report.

Logistics and registration

Ministers of education from all UNESCO Member States will be invited to participate in this global discussion to kick-off the discussions on a post-2030 agenda.

Venue: All sessions will take place in Room I at UNESCO’s headquarters in Paris
- Entrance for VIPs and Ministers of Education: 7 Place de Fontenoy
- Entrance for general public: 125 Avenue de Suffren
In-person participation: Participants and speakers joining in-person are required to register via this link to be able to access UNESCO on the day: https://indico.un.org/event/1021618/
Online participation: The event will be streamed live on the day.
Interpretation: Simultaneous interpretation will be provided in English, French, Spanish, Russian, Chinese and Arabic.

Concept note for the 2026 Global Education Monitoring Report Countdown to 2030: 1. Access and equity Global Education Monitoring Report Team
2025

About the 2026 GEM Report on access and equity

Five years from the deadline of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, it is a critical moment to take stock of the achievements and the constraints. The Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report is centrally placed to help frame a global conversation to explain which countries have managed to find ways forward, how that was possible, and what that means for designing an education agenda beyond SDG 4.

Based on a quarter of a century of experience monitoring education progress, the GEM Report aims to step back and look at trends in progress and policy drivers of success over the past 15-20 years. Case studies will describe why some countries have progressed faster than their peers, combining these findings with research lessons on effective policies and an in-depth analysis of financing aimed at improving equity in education.

The 2026 GEM Report on access and equity is the first in a three-part series, entitled Countdown to 2030, which will also look at quality and learning in 2027 and on relevance in education in 2028. The series will argue the need for education to remain balanced across these three angles – inclusive, effective and purposeful – to serve both people and planet.

An alarming example of faltering progress towards SDG 4 is the 272 million children, adolescents and youth still out of school. At its Leaders Group Meeting in Santiago in August 2025, the SDG 4 High-Level Steering Committee decided to facilitate a global dialogue on policies to address the out-of-school challenge. As part of the launch event, the GEM Report and the HLSC will co-host the first debate in this dialogue. After a presentation of the latest evidence, ministers will showcase effective policies and lessons learned on how to increase (re-)enrolment, improve the quality and relevance of learning, and ensure retention and support.