Detailed programme - 21 May

What does it take to implement the 2030 education agenda?

These 10 parallel sessions will discuss implementation processes and mechanisms needed to realize the future agenda and make recommendations in view of the adoption of the Framework for Action.

Parallel session 1. Global and regional coordination and monitoring mechanisms

Chair : Mr David Atchoarena, Director, UNESCO
The success of Education 2030 depends on effective national, regional and global action. This will require robust mechanisms for coordination and monitoring at all levels. These mechanisms should be based on the principles of inclusiveness, participation and transparency and build on existing mechanisms. This session focuses on the regional and global level to support country-driven actions and highlight progress and outstanding challenges in monitoring and accountability mechanisms since 2000. In light of the new agenda, it will discuss the kinds of global and regional coordination and monitoring mechanisms and practices that may be needed. The session will further explore how global and regional coordination and monitoring mechanisms for education should work alongside, and complement, emergent coordination and monitoring mechanisms for the overall SDG.

Parallel session 2. Effective governance and accountability

Chair : Mr Gwang-Jo Kim, Director, UNESCO
Contemporary national education governance systems are multi-layered and complex. The multiplication of private actors in the delivery, management and monitoring of education further increases the challenge of governing effectively and transparently, while decentralization means subnational government bodies and local actors have increased responsibilities and authority. In this context, coordination and partnership are essential to safeguard equal access to quality education and the efficient use of limited resources. This session will explore the roles education authorities play, identify key policies and strategies to build a regulatory and collaborative governance framework in a context of growing marketization, and identify accountability systems that can help build quality and equitable education systems.

Parallel session 3. Beyond aid: transforming education systems through partnership

Chair : Mr Nick Dyer, Director-General for Policy and Global Programmes, Department for
International Development, United Kingdom
Delivering the ambitious vision of the Framework for Action should be country-led, but transforming education systems to deliver learning for all also requires countries to work together in meaningful partnership. Countries should learn from one another: from finding out how to strengthen and improve education systems to prioritizing policies based on the best available evidence. The international community also plays a vital role in supporting partnerships and ensuring no one is left behind. This session will present country and international perspectives on the role of development cooperation and partnership beyond 2015. Contributions will be rooted in countries’ need to identify new ways of working in partnerships and multilaterally to add the greatest value and respond to global gaps. The discussion will draw on central themes of learning and equity, to shift the debate from a focus on development finance to an emphasis on meaningful partnerships to catalyze change.

Parallel session 4. Can there be development without capacity? Principles from national sector analysis and planning

Chair : Ms Suzanne Grant Lewis, Director, UNESCO International Institute for Educational Planning
Capacity development is recognized as fundamental to achieving sustainable development and one of the main pillars of international development cooperation. While there is consensus on the importance of capacity development, the choice of strategies is still being debated, particularly how to move away from the development of individual capacity to sustainable institutional capacity. This session will consider several propositions for successful capacity development programmes for education sector
analysis and planning. It will explore the political complexity of long-term commitment to strengthening national capacity, identify strategies for strengthening capacity, consider lessons for strengthening national centres, and identify additional principles of capacity development that are emerging from experiences.

Parallel session 5. Providing meaningful learning opportunities to out-of-school children

Chair : Ms Jo Bourne, Associate Director for Education, UNICEF
Despite the promises of the Millennium Declaration and Education for All, around the world, one child in eleven is still not enrolled in school. This session will provide a deeper and more nuanced understanding of the profiles of children out of school in different regions of the world and the barriers that they face, drawing on recent analyses conducted under the Out of School Children Initiative (OOSCI). A panel of expert speakers will explore the changes that are needed in countries that have large out-of-school populations as well as examples of effective approaches in countries that are ‘in the final mile’. The session will conclude with descriptions of alternative learning programmes that have been shown to meet the needs of children and adolescents who either have little prospect of going to school or who have already dropped out of education.

Parallel session 6. Using evidence in policy-making and practice

Chair : Mr Amit Dar, Director, Education Global Practice, World Bank Group
This session will focus on the importance of evidence in education policy-making and practice as a key factor in the successful implementation of the 2030 education agenda. Investments in what works in education are urgently needed given the increased reach of the education agenda. Strong evidence on education outcomes, on what programmes work best to change those outcomes, and on the systems in place to implement those programmes widely is of central importance in informing policy and programming decisions across all countries, agencies and organizations working with education systems around the world. Through a moderated discussion, a panel of policy-makers, civil society, academics and development agency representatives will discuss their experience with developing and using evidence in education policy making, highlighting strategies that have successfully led to more and better education system reforms while also pointing to the difficulties surrounding the development and use of evidence in policy-making.
 

Parallel session 7. Operationalizing lifelong learning

Chair : Mr Arne Carlsen, Director, UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning
As a key feature and principle of the 2030 education agenda, ‘lifelong learning’ must be at the centre of educational reform efforts, while also underlying the development of learning systems that reach beyond the education sector. Yet although the concept of lifelong learning is generally understood and appreciated, questions remain concerning its operationalization. Now, faced with the global challenges of the 21st century, it has become even more imperative for each and every country to make lifelong learning for all a reality. This session will analyze progress, trends and challenges in countries towards the achievement of lifelong learning for all; share countries’ best practices in formulating and implementing policies and strategies for the development of lifelong learning systems and societies; and consider an operational definition of lifelong learning as well as ways to monitor and measure
progress.

Parallel session 8. Mobilizing business to realize the 2030 education agenda

Chair : Mr Justin van Fleet, Chief of Staff, Office of the UN Special Envoy for Global Education
Now more than ever, business is partnering with civil society, governments and each other to create new solutions to improve learning and data collection for education; to help align curricula with workplace needs; to develop technologies for delivering education including to the most marginalized; and to engage in multi-stakeholder platforms. Yet, globally, corporate support to health is sixteen times what it is to education. This session will establish a business case to invest in education and focus on how business can coordinate action with other education stakeholders. Panellists will share their perspectives on how business has the potential to impact learning, how using business assets can raise the overall profile of the 2030 education agenda, and what successful business community engagement looks like. It will also consider how business, government and civil society can work together to overcome barriers to learning.

Parallel session 9. The role of civil society in education 

Chair : Ms Patience Stephens, Director/Special Advisor on Education, UN Women
The international community has recognized the pivotal role of civil society in achieving the EFA goals.
Indeed, civil society organizations can help broaden public awareness, initiate and undertake critical policy dialogue and evidence-based advocacy interventions, promote more transparent and inclusive decision-making processes, and undertake innovative education approaches, especially to reach the most marginalized groups – thus contributing towards the promotion of inclusive, quality, and equitable education and lifelong learning for all. The session will aim to take stock of the contributions, success
stories, bottlenecks and lessons arising from civil society’s active engagement in EFA since 2000, and propose concrete recommendations on the roles and contributions of civil society organizations as well as strategies for civil society support to ensure the full realization of Education 2030.

Parallel session 10. The 2030 education targets: What our societies gain by achieving this universal agenda

Chair : Mr Mamadou Ndoye, former Minister of Education, Senegal
The session will discuss the findings of a new OECD report that analyzes the social and economic gains of reaching the post-2015 education targets. New evidence will be used to make the case for ensuring that every child born in 2015 attains a baseline level of proficiency in the skills needed for further education, work and life by 2030. According to the report, if the poorest countries were to achieve this goal, their GDP would grow on average 28% each year until 2095. The session will examine how far countries have to travel if they are to realize these returns, highlighting the universal relevance of the post-2015 targets and providing insights on the education policies and practices that can spur their achievement. The experiences of successful education systems will be showcased to reveal how investment in education can be leveraged to yield the best results.

11:00-12:30 Plenary Session III

How does education contribute to sustainable development post-2015?

Co-chairs: Mr Babatunde Osotimehin, Executive Director, UNFPA, and Ms Amina Mohammed, Special Advisor to the United Nations Secretary-General on Post-2015 Development Planning Panellists : TBC
Sustainable development cannot be achieved by technological solutions, political regulation or financial instruments alone. Achieving sustainable development is only truly possible through crosssectoral efforts in which education plays a key role – not any type of education, but one that addresses the interdependence of environment, economy and society, and helps bring about the fundamental change of mindsets needed to trigger action for sustainable development. Recognizing the important role of education, the SDGs not only reflect education as a stand-alone goal, but also include targets on education under other SDGs, notably on health, growth and employment, sustainable consumption and production, and climate change. This session will highlight and debate the interlinkages between education and other sustainable development issues. It will underscore the transformative power of education and discuss the importance of cross-sectoral approaches. Panel members will debate how education can address global challenges with particular focus on how education contributes to addressing climate change, health and poverty reduction.

12:30-14:30 Lunchtime side-events 
 

14:30-16:00 Plenary Session IV
 

Education 2030 : Agreement on the Framework for Action and adoption of the final Declaration

Co-Chairs: Mr Dankert Vedeler, Deputy Director-General, Norwegian Ministry of Education and Reserach and Chairman of the EFA Steering Committee, and Mr Qian Tang, Assistant
Director-General for Education, UNESCO
The objective of this session is to have all participants adopt the WEF 2015 Declaration, which reflects the common vision of the education community on Education 2030, and agree on a comprehensive
Framework for Action that will guide and support the implementation of the future education agenda.

16:30-18:00 High-Level Statements and Closing Ceremony

High-level representatives of different stakeholders, such as governments, agencies, NGOs and private sector, are expected to make public commitments to implement the proposed education agenda before the forum is officially closed.