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The Governing Board of the UNESCO International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP-UNESCO) met in Paris, France from 13 to 14 December 2022, to take stock of recent achievements and to chart a path forward for the Institute as the 60th anniversary of IIEP draws near.
Members of the Board, currently chaired by José Weinstein and representing all regions of the world, stressed that equitable access to education and equal opportunities for learning and skills development can only be achieved through strong planning and management of education systems – which lies at the heart of IIEP’s mandate, first established in 1963.
Six decades on, this remains more relevant than ever as countries worldwide strive to recover learning losses arising from the pandemic and transform education and foundational learning in a rapidly changing world.
To accompany UNESCO Member States on this journey, the Board welcomed IIEP’s recent reflections and adjustments to its core offer to countries. This includes a new global training strategy, which aims to sustainably meet the capacity needs of educational planners and systems across the globe.
Further to this, IIEP will launch a new Global Learning Academy in 2023, with a refreshed course catalogue, a hybrid blended approach offering greater flexibility for professionals, and enhanced harmonization across the Buenos Aires, Dakar, and Paris offices. This will come amid a year-long celebration of IIEP’s 60th anniversary, which will also involve deep reflections on the future of planning and its place in a world facing evolving global threats and challenges.
Adding to the momentum, the Board welcomed IIEP’s new Resource Mobilization Plan as the Institute seeks to maintain and grow its funding base. A donor mapping is underway, to identify opportunities that align with country demand and IIEP’s key priorities on data, governance and finance, management for learning, equity and resilience, and skills and flexible learning.
This plan also comes on the heels of a Case for Investment in the Education and Training Systems of Africa, as IIEP remains committed to dedicating half of its project portfolio to the continent over the next several years.
The 12-member Board also congratulated IIEP for its strong achievements in 2022 and for its contributions to global solution-building, echoing the spirit of the Transforming Education Summit this past year.
In 2022, more than 1,790 planners and other education professionals received training by IIEP and a total of 19 countries – including eight in Africa – benefited from IIEP technical assistance. This increasingly emphasizes the importance of implementation and monitoring of plans and policies for tangible system transformation.
Support reached beyond the traditional education sector analysis and plan development, to include a more comprehensive and diverse offer to countries.
Today, more emphasis is put on applying a gender and crisis lens throughout the planning cycle to protect the right to education for all and to build system resilience.
Finally, in 2022 the Institute launched its new Knowledge Management and Mobilization team, while also generating and sharing new evidence and knowledge on a variety of topics, including flexible learning pathways, open government initiatives, ministry of education leadership, digital education policies, and gender dynamics.
This work is made possible through the support of our core donors and partners.
