UNESCO Bangkok and Japan Funds-In-Trust Annual Review Meeting celebrates over five decades of strong collaboration to advance education in Asia-Pacific
Representatives of UNESCO’s Asia-Pacific Regional Bureau for Education and the Japanese government meet to review current projects and affirm continued collaboration
21 February 2022 – The SDG4-Education 2030 Agenda in Asia-Pacific; the Happy Schools; and an online Course on Community Learning Centres and Lifelong Learning in Asia and the Pacific are only the latest among numerous regional education projects supported by Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), one of UNESCO Bangkok’s most important and longstanding partners for over five decades.
The Annual Review Meeting on Japan Funds-in-Trust (JFIT) for the Promotion of Education in the Asia-Pacific Region took place online, on 21 February 2022, connecting colleagues from MEXT Japan and UNESCO in Bangkok and Paris. Question and answer sessions on on-going or terminated projects comprised:
- Supporting the Implementation of the SDG 4-Education 2030 Agenda in Asia and the Pacific (Phase III)
- Empowering ECCE Teachers with a Transformative Vision of Education
- UNESCO Associated Schools Network (ASPnet): Collaborative action research on the role of schools in achieving SDGs in Asia-Pacific
- Building an Inclusive Asia-Pacific Network of National Information Centres on Recognition
- ICT to Facilitate SDG4 in South Asia
- Promoting Community-based Education for Sustainable Development in Asia and the Pacific
UNESCO Asia and Pacific Regional Bureau for Education director Shigeru Aoyagi stated, ‘Thanks to the long-term support and commitment of JFIT/MEXT, UNESCO is able to position our leadership in SDG4 in the region and support the global, regional and national processes’.
As the main donor of the regional coordination of SDG4-Education 2030 and the Asia-Pacific Meeting on Education 2030 (APMED) series, MEXT has been an invaluable partner for UNESCO Bangkok, leading the Education goal of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG4). This year’s collaboration is particularly noteworthy, as the two entities are jointly organizing the 2nd Asia-Pacific Education Ministers’ Conference (APREMC-II) in June, together with UNICEF and the Government of Thailand.
The meeting also discussed the main activities and expected outcomes of the future plans under JFIT for Education in Asia-Pacific:
· Supporting the implementation of SDG4-Education 2030 Agenda in Asia and the Pacific (Phase IV)
· Empowering learners through transformative education for sustainable development in Asia and the Pacific
· Preparing teachers who can innovate using digital technology
Main photo credit: Shutterstock/Stephane Bidouze
