Regional Bureau for Education in Latin America and the Caribbean

The Regional Bureau for Education in Latin America and the Caribbean (OREALC/UNESCO Santiago) with headquarters in Santiago, Chile, was created in 1963 for the purpose of assisting the region’s 37 Member States in the definition of strategies to further the development of their education policies.

UNESCO believes that education is a human right for all throughout life and that access must be matched by quality. The Organization is the only United Nations agency with a mandate to cover all aspects of education. It has been entrusted to lead the Global Education 2030 Agenda through Sustainable Development Goal 4. The roadmap to achieve this is the Education 2030 Framework for Action (FFA).

On January 25 2017, in the Buenos Aires Declaration the Latin American and Caribbean countries enshrined agreements on educational priorities with a view to 2030. The Ministers of Education stated in their declaration that the Education 2030 Agenda shall contribute to eliminating poverty, reducing inequalities and caring for the environment, through inclusive, quality education and lifelong learning

The authorities agreed on the necessary regional coordination mechanisms to achieve the educational goals. They recognized the urgent need to carry out further changes, which would entail a new outlook on education, learning, teaching, policies and actions in the region. Further information

Specifically, the work carried out by OREALC/UNESCO Santiago finds expression in the production and dissemination of information and knowledge, the formulation of public policy guidelines, the provision of advisory services and technical support to the countries of the region, and the promotion of dialogue, exchange and cooperation among the different stakeholders, governments, universities and research centres, members of civil society, the private sector and international organisations. This work is done in joint collaboration with Clusters and national UNESCO offices in the region, and National Commissions for Cooperation with UNESCO, active in every Member State.