Education leaders from around the world convened today at the United Nations to discuss ways to advance action on Sustainable Development Goal 4, which aims to ¡°ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning.¡±
¡°Inclusive, equitable and quality education goes to the heart of the as a key enabler of sustainable development,¡± said Peter Thomson, President of the General Assembly, in his at the High-level SDG Action Event on Education.
Mr. Thomson pointed out that education taps the Earth¡¯s greatest asset, namely the inherent potential of the world¡¯s people.
¡°Access to quality education is not only a goal in itself, but a fundamental building block to creating a better world of sustainable peace, prosperity and development,¡± he underscored.
He went on to explain that education holds the key to fuelling sustainable growth, building social cohesion and stability, and promoting human rights and equality ¨C calling it ¡°the golden thread that runs through all 17 .¡±
UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed dubbed education as ¡°the cornerstone of sustainable development.¡±
Ms. Mohammed maintained that the world can only be shaped by quality and relevant education, stressing the importance of investments to ensure a strong framework.
¡°We know when we deliver education to a young person, we¡¯re not only delivering the knowledge and skills they will need to chart their own future ¡ª we¡¯re preparing them to lend their hands, their mind, and their heart to shaping a more peaceful, prosperous future for their society, and indeed, for the world,¡± she said.
The UN deputy chief focussed specifically on the five interrelated areas of finance, innovation, girls¡¯ education, lifelong learning, and education in humanitarian contexts.
Noting that the wealthiest children enjoy up to 18 times more public education financing than the poorest, she exhorted, ¡°This injustice must be reversed.¡±
¡°There is no better investment in the future peace and resilience of a society than in the education of its citizens,¡± she stated.
For her part, Irina Bokova, Director-General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (), emphasized education as a basic human right and the foundation for inclusive sustainable development.
¡°Education is a transformational force that cuts across all of the Sustainable Development Goals, making progress sustainable across the board,¡± said Ms. Bokova.
Citing UNESCO¡¯s regular global monitoring reports, she noted that 264 million children, adolescents and youth were out of school ¨C most of them girls.
¡°Girls and women face the steepest challenges. Two-thirds of the more than 750 million illiterate adults in the world are women,¡± stressed Ms. Bokova, adding that they are often discriminated against, prevented from enrolling or continuing their education, dropping out of secondary education and facing strong barriers.
¡°If we do not move these barriers away¡ we will not achieve Sustainable Development Goal 4,¡± she underscored.
¡°If all adults completed secondary education, 420 million people could be lifted from poverty, reducing the number of poor people by more than half globally, by almost two-thirds in Sub-Saharan Africa, in South Asia¡ and yet, aid to education has fallen for the sixth consecutive year,¡± Ms. Bokova indicated. ¡°This can simply not go on.¡±
As experts discussed how to advance SDG 4, the event also highlighted innovations in education through a panel discussion and a ¡°marketplace¡± that showcased solutions to delivering low-cost or free learning resources to students and educators.
Today¡¯s event, which also featured musical performances, was the last in a series of SDG action events convened by the Office of the President of the General Assembly. Others focussed on sustainable peace, climate action, financing and innovation.
Source: UN News Centre