Monitoring and Reviewing the “Recommendation on Adult Education” (Nairobi, 1976)

Following a recommendation of UNESCO’s Third International Conference on Adult Education (CONFINTEA III, Tokyo, 1972) UNESCO’s General Conference adopted, at its 19th session held in Nairobi in 1976, the Recommendation on the Development of Adult Education (henceforth the Nairobi Recommendation). As the key legal official UNESCO document concerning adult education policy and practice in its Member States, the Nairobi Recommendation provides guiding principles and a global approach for promoting and developing adult education.

As is the case with all normative instruments of UNESCO, the implementation of the Nairobi Recommendation is monitored continuously by the Committee on Conventions and Recommendations of the Executive Board of UNESCO. To avoid duplication of efforts and to reduce reporting duties of Member States, UNESCO’s General Conference decided (see 36C/Resolution 13) that this monitoring is undertaken in keeping with the monitoring of the Belém Framework for Action, using the reports from Member States for the triennial Global Report on Adult Learning and Education (GRALE). More recently the Executive Board adopted an action plan (see part II) to review and update the Nairobi Recommendation in reflection of contemporary educational, cultural, political, social and economic challenges, in accordance with a respective recommendation in the Belém Framework for Action.

In a first step, an international group of experts will undertake a “preliminary study” as the basis for further proceeding. The key purpose of the study is to explore and clarify the technical and legal aspects relating to the desirability of revising the Nairobi Recommendation. The first meeting of the group is planned on 10 – 11 July 2012 at UIL.