IIEP welcomes new Board Chair and Members

08 February 2022

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José Weinstein Cayuela has been appointed the new Chair of IIEP's Governing Board.

The 61st session of the Governing Board of IIEP-UNESCO has approved the Institute’s annual report – now available online – and resolutions. IIEP is also pleased to announce José Weinstein Cayuela as the new Chair of its Governing Board. Bringing a wealth of experience to the role, he will oversee the Institute as it strengthens its support to countries in achieving inclusive and equitable quality education for all. 

“We warmly welcome Dr. Weinstein into this new role,” said IIEP Director Karen Mundy during the 61st Session of the Governing Board. “As the world faces uncertainty, his extensive knowledge and leadership at the intersection of education, social inclusion, and culture, will help IIEP become a more relevant, agile, and responsive Institute.” 

Currently a professor of education at the Universidad Diego Portales, Dr. Weinstein was the former Undersecretary of Education (2000-2003) and the first Minister of Culture and Arts (2003-2006) in Chile. As Chair of IIEP’s Governing Board, Dr. Weinstein will provide guidance as the Institute sharpens its role as a partner to ministries of education worldwide in the coming years.

In addition, following the recommendations of the Governing Board, the UNESCO Director-General appointed three new members to the Board: Albert Nsengiyumva, Secretary General of the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA), Pauline Rose, Director of the Research for Equitable Access and Learning (REAL) Centre at Cambridge University, and Emiliana Vegas, Co-Director of the Center for Universal Education at The Brookings Institution.

Strengthening capacities for a stronger future 

With a new Medium-Term Strategy (2022-2025), IIEP is refining its core offer to Member States as it navigates an unpredictable funding landscape for global education amid the COVID-19 pandemic. New approaches to planning will be leveraged to have a focus beyond sector analysis and plans.

In the coming years, more than half of IIEP’s portfolio will be directed towards education systems within continental Africa, while the Regional Office for Latin America will continue to provide critical regional relevance. 

In 2020-2021, IIEP trained 1,800 education professionals, and 72 countries benefitted from IIEP’s technical cooperation. Learn more in IIEP in action

In addition, IIEP will create four “value clusters”, comprised of technical experts, to anchor its global expertise in core areas, including: (1) planning, finance, data, and governance; (2) better management for improved learning; (3) equity and resilience; and (4) skills and flexible learning pathways. These clusters will bring together technical cooperation and research and development, while training and knowledge mobilization will infuse all activities. 

IIEP also thanks its outgoing Chair, Dr. Nicholas Burnett, for helping to lay the solid foundation for progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals over the past five years.

“We salute Dr. Burnett for his unwavering support to both IIEP and education-at-large. His contributions have been invaluable as we all continue to forge ahead towards Education 2030,” said Mundy.

The outgoing Chair and assembly also thanked and praised former Board Members Nina Arnhold, Simone Cecchini, Valérie Liechti, and Jean-Michel Severino, for their service, at the December 2021 61st Governing Board meeting. 

About IIEP-UNESCO

Founded in 1963, IIEP is a specialized UNESCO institute that supports governments in planning and managing their education systems so that they can achieve both national objectives as well as internationally set global goals. IIEP develops sustainable educational capacity through training professionals in educational planning and management, evidence-based research and knowledge mobilization, and technical assistance to ministries of education and other institutions.