The SDGs are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity. These 17 Goals build on the successes of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and provide clear guidelines and targets for all countries to adopt in accordance with their own priorities and the environmental challenges of the world at large.

Ambitions for education are essentially captured in SDG 4 which aims to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all”. This new vision is transformative and universal and attends to the ‘unfinished business’ of the EFA agenda and the education-related MDGs.

It addresses global and national education challenges. Through the Incheon Declaration adopted at the World Education Forum in May 2015, UNESCO, as the United Nations’ specialized agency for education, was entrusted to lead and coordinate the Education 2030 agenda with its partners. Further, the Education 2030 Framework for Action adopted in November, 2015 provides guidance to governments and partners on how to turn commitments into action.

In the above context, UNESCO New Delhi Office’s Education Sector works with a wide-range of education partners (Member States’, bilateral and multilateral organizations, SDG 4 convening agencies, area experts, institutions and forums, teacher unions, civil society, academia and private sector) to support Member States in their efforts to achieve SDG 4 by 2030. 

The Sector also aims to facilitate cross-national collaboration and drive policy discussions for the effective implementation of the agenda. In this context, UNESCO New Delhi together with the UNICEF Regional Office for South Asia (ROSA), supported the SAARC Secretariat in facilitating a sub-regional collaboration to collectively address the common education challenges faced by the countries in South Asia.

To know more about the Goal 4 Targets click here