Strategic debates

Breaking barriers in education

During the course of the year, IIEP will welcome an array of speakers to come and explore questions such as, what will it take to remove all barriers and finally get all children and youth learning? What kinds of collaboration, innovation, and evidenced-based planning and policy-making can finally open the door to equal opportunity in education for all? The debates take place in Paris, France, at IIEP, in either English or French with simultaneous interpretation. All debates are available on our website and on YouTube after the event.

Join our upcoming Strategic Debates

More information to come

View our past Strategic Debates

  • 24 May 2022: Learning at the Bottom of the Pyramid: Moving from policy to implementation
    with Sylvia Schmelkes (Panelist), Sociologist and Academic Provost of Universidad Iberoamericana, Mexico, Rangachar Govinda (Panelist), former Vice Chancellor, National University of Educational Planning, New Delhi, John Mugo (Panelist), Executive Director of Zizi Afrique Foundation, Dan Wagner (Moderator), Professor of Education at the University of Pennsylvania, UNESCO Chair in Learning and Literacy, and co-organiser of the LBOP2 conference, and Karen Mundy (Discussant), IIEP Director.
    Watch the video of the debate | More information
  • 1 June 2021: Ensuring quality education for girls during COVID-19: An elusive priority?
    with Rachel Marcus, Senior Technical Advisor at the Align (Advancing Learning and Innovation on Gender Norms) Platform, Overseas Development Institute, Rachelle Mian-Djangone, Director of Regional Influencing, Partnerships and Business Development, West and Central Africa, Plan International, Nicole Gesnot, Counselor, Deputy Director and Chief of Operations, Canadian Embassy to Sénégal, Charlotte Berquin, Education Officer, UNCHR Regional Bureau for West & Central Africa, and Fabricia Devignes, Gender at the Centre Initiative, IIEP-UNESCO (moderator).
    Watch the video of the debate | More information
  • 13 April 2021: When crisis meets crisis: refugees’ access to higher education in host countries
    with Manal Stulgaitis, Education Officer, UNHCR, Wondwosen Tamrat, Associate professor and President of St Mary’s University, Ethiopia, Hana El Ghali, higher education policy expert, Safia Ibrahimkhel, alumna and former refugee student, Pakistan, and Michaela Martin, Research and Development team leader a.i., IIEP-UNESCO (moderator).
    Watch the video of the debate | More information
  • 16 February 2021: Teachers on the frontline: lessons from COVID-19
    with David Edwards, Head of Education International, Quenita Walrond-Lewis, Head of the Directorate of the National Centre for Education Resource Development, Guyana, Swarnali Das, District lead from Dilshad Garden District Institute for Education and Training, New Delhi, India, Moti Ram Phuyal, Senior Vice-President, Institutional School Teachers Union, Nepal, and Barbara Tournier, Programme Specialist, IIEP-UNESCO (moderator).
    Watch the video of the debate | More information
  • 26 November 2020: Resilience in higher education - what lessons can we draw from COVID-19?
    with Francisco Marmolejo, Education Advisor, Qatar Foundation, Hilligje van't Land, Secretary General, International Association of Universities, N.V. Varghese, Vice-Chancellor, National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration, India, Michaela Martin, Programme Specialist, IIEP-UNESCO (moderator).
    Watch the video of the debate | More information
  • 3 October 2020: Planning education during COVID-19: Is contingency planning the way forward?
    with Yousef Abu Shaar, Director of Planning of Jordan’s Ministry of Education, Elyas Abdi, Director General of Kenya’s State Department of Early Learning and Basic Education, U Ko Lay Win, Director General of Myanmar’s Ministry of Education and Suzanne Grant Lewis, Director of IIEP-UNESCO (moderator).
    Watch the video of the debate | More information
  • 3 March 2020: Making schools a safe place - how to prevent school violence and bullying?
    with Imanne Agha, Chargée de mission "Violence et prévention à l’école", French Ministry of Education, Christophe Cornu, Team Leader, Section of Health and Education, UNESCO, Sebastien Tavergne, Head of school, Lycée Le Corbusier (Cormeilles-en-Parisis / Académie de Versailles) and Michaela Martin, programme specialist at IIEP (moderator).
    Watch the video of the debate | More information
  • 2 December 2019: International large-scale learning assessments: benefits and risks
    with Camilla Addey, a Marie Curie Fellow at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain, Noah Webster Sobe, Senior Project officer for Education Research and Foresight at UNESCO (discussant) and Suzanne Grant Lewis, Director of IIEP-UNESCO (moderator).
    Watch the video of the debate | More information
  • 24 October 2019: Taking the right to education seriously
    with Sylvain Aubry, from the Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Delphine Dorsi from the Right to Education Initiative, Peter Colenso, Senior Adviser for the Global Schools Forum (discussant) and Hugues Moussy, from IIEP-UNESCO, (moderator).
    Watch the video of the debate | More information
  • 14 May 2019: Reforming the French secondary school and its flagship diploma
    with Pierre Mathiot, Director of Sciences Po Lille (speaker), Paulo Santiago, Head of the Policy Advice and Implementation Division at the OECD Directorate for Education and Skills (discussant), and Michaela Martin, programme specialist at IIEP (moderator). 
    Watch the video of the debate | More information
  • 13 February 2019: Education for 21st century children
    with Tracey Burns, senior analyst at OECD (speaker), Riel Miller, head of Futures Literacy at UNESCO (discussant), and Michaela Martin, programme specialist at IIEP (moderator).
    Watch the video of the debate | More information
  •  5 March 2019: Learning at the bottom of the pyramid
    with Dan Wagner, UNESCO Chair in Learning and Literacy and professor of education at the University of Pennsylvania (speaker), Jordan Naidoo, Director of the Division for Education 2030 Support and Coordination at UNESCO (discussant), Suzanne Grant Lewis, Director of IIEP-UNESCO (moderator).
    Watch the video of the debate | More information

2018 Strategic Debates

In 2018, IIEP's Strategic Debate series was on 'Meeting SDG 4’s learning objectives: looking beyond the obvious.' There is widespread recognition of the global learning crisis, with millions of children and youth unable to perform basic skills in reading, writing, and math. What is less clear is what children need to learn and how we can foster all-inclusive quality education for a rapidly changing future. In pursuit of SDG 4, we must look beyond the obvious and debate new ideas and strategies that will ultimately redefine learning while ensuring accessibility for all.

  • 23 February 2018: Social and emotional skills and the Education 2030 agenda
    with OECD’s Dirk Van Damme, IIEP’s Hugues Moussy (moderator) and Carmel Gallagher, from UNESCO IBE (discussant).
    Watch the video of the debate | Read the highlights

  • 12 March 2018: Higher Education as a common good
    with Simon Marginson, Professor and Director of the Centre for Global Higher Education at the University College of London, Michaela Martin, Programme Specialist at IIEP-UNESCO (discussant) and Suzanne Grant Lewis, Director of IIEP-UNESCO (moderator).
    Watch the video of the debate | Read the highlights 

  • 19 April 2018: The secrets behind the success of the world's education superpowers
    with author Lucy Crehan, on her recent book Cleverlands, Michaela Martin, Programme Specialist at IIEP-UNESCO (moderator) and Sonia Guerriero, Senior Education Specialist in the Section for Teacher Development at UNESCO (discussant).
    Watch the video of the debate | Read the Highlights "Three surprises in the world’s top education systems"

  • 2 May 2018: Overcoming Africa’s learning crisis
    with the World Bank.
    Watch the video of the debate | More information

  • 15 May 2018: Artificial Intelligence – Can Education Systems Anticipate the Challenges Ahead?
    with Stuart Elliott, Henry David Visiting Scholar, U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, Steven Vosloo, Senior Project Officer, Section of Youth, Literacy and Skills Development, UNESCO (discussant) and Suzanne Grant Lewis, Director, IIEP-UNESCO (moderator).
    Watch the video of the debate | More information
  • 25 June 2018: It takes a village - and technology - to educate a child
    with Madhav Chavan, co-founder Pratham Education Foundation, Valtencir Mendes, Project Officer working on ICT in Education at UNESCO (discussant) and Suzanne Grant Lewis, Director of IIEP-UNESCO (moderator).
    Watch the video of the debate | More information
  • 15 November 2018: Lessons in educational policy-making: perspectives from two education ministers
    with Najat Vallaud-Belkacem, the former Education Minister for France, Stefania Giannini, former Education Minister for Italy, who is now the Assistant-Director General for Education at UNESCO, and Suzanne Grant Lewis, Director of IIEP-UNESCO (moderator).
    Watch the video of the debate | More information