The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Education Sector has completed an evaluation of its work on Inclusion in Education (2016–2021). A report on the findings has just been published.
The evaluation confirms UNESCO’s importance in striving for Sustainable Development Goal 4. As a result of the evaluation, UNESCO aims to improve its data on vulnerable and marginalised learners and consistently strengthen its focus on inclusion across all thematic strands in education. In addition, UNESCO will further mobilise its partners and relevant stakeholders to work together to overcome all barriers and address all forms of exclusion and marginalisation, disparities and inequalities. This will involve continuing to strengthen co-operation with key partners in inclusion, such as the Agency.
The Agency contributed to the evaluation, and the Agency website and promotion of UNESCO resources are cited in the evaluation report. Recent examples of Agency and UNESCO co-operation include the Inclusive Education in Action website, the 2021 regional Global Education Monitoring report on inclusion and education, and the joint webinar on fostering stakeholder dialogue that took place in April this year. The evaluation report stresses the benefits of such co-operation and collaboration, such as preventing duplication of work and ensuring synergy between organisations working on inclusion.
The evaluation report is available on the UNESCO website. A two-page summary highlighting the evaluation’s key messages is also available in English and in French.
In other news from UNESCO, the 2022 Gender Report was published in April. It provides an overview of the latest findings on gender equality in education. These include gender gaps in out-of-school rates and pockets of exclusion in some countries, and performance data and learning outcomes around the world. This information will be particularly important in monitoring the on-going impact of COVID-19 on gender inequality. More information is available on the 2022 Gender Report website.