I wish you a joyful, healthy and prosperous new year and look very much forward to continuing and accelerating our joint journey to turn UNESCO’s holistic vision of lifelong learning into a reality.

This first issue of the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning Bulletin for 2021 features information about the International Day of Education, the kick-off of preparations for the seventh International Conference on Adult Education (CONFINTEA VII), webinars on prison education, and much more.

Wishing you good reading!

David Atchoarena

January 2021 version française versión en español Dear readers, I wish you a joyful, healthy and prosperous new year and look very much forward to continuing and accelerating our joint journey to turn UNESCO’s holistic vision of lifelong learning into a reality. This first issue of the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning Bulletin for 2021 features information about the International Day of Education, the kick-off of preparations for the seventh International Conference on Adult Education (CONFINTEA VII), webinars on prison education, and much more. Wishing you good reading! David Atchoarena IN FOCUS: International Day of Education On 24 and 25 January 2021, UNESCO learning cities from around the world celebrated the International Day of Education under the theme ‘Recover and revitalize education for the COVID-19 generation’. They showcased actions that place education and lifelong learning at the centre of the recovery. Learn more. Mayors' video messages to mark the third International Day of Education Mayors from UNESCO’s Global Network of Learning Cities shared examples of local actions aimed at providing lifelong learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Watch their video messages My power is education because... ‘My power is education because it is a very important factor in a society like ours. It is a trampoline towards a better future!’ Citizen of the UNESCO learning city of Medellín, Colombia,on International Day of Education. Listen to further voices from Medellín Governance Lifelong Learning in the African region In our interview with Ms Rudo Mabel Chitiga, former Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises of Zimbabwe and Member of the UIL Governing Board, she speaks about the challenges the African region faces in making lifelong learning a reality – and the support UIL can offer. Learn more. Adult learning and education CONFINTEA VII preparations underway On 20 January 2021, the UNESCO Beijing Cluster Office and UNESCO Bangkok, in cooperation with the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning, kicked off preparations for the seventh International Conference on Adult Education (CONFINTEA VII) with a first virtual sub-regional consultation event for East Asia. Learn more. UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities UNESCO learning city of Quibdó, Colombia In September 2020, 54 new members joined the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities (GNLC). Every month, one of these cities is featured in the Bulletin. This month, the spotlight is on Quibdó, Colombia: 'We promote lifelong learning for all of our citizens.' says Martin Sánchez Valencia, Mayor of Quibdó, in his video statement. Family learning in the UNESCO learning city of Clermont-Ferrand The French city of Clermont-Ferrand implements various innovative programmes as part of its learning city initiative. One of them, the family learning programme ‘One thousand shapes’, was jointly developed with the National Modern Art Museum at the Centre Pompidou in Paris and provides free learning spaces throughout the city. Learn more. Lifelong learning policies Lifelong learning: the case of Morocco In a blog post, Ms Zohour Alaoui, former president of the UNESCO General Conference, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco in Berlin and UIL Governing Board Member, describes the importance of lifelong learning to Morocco. Learn more (in French) A prisoner's right to education How the right to education can be realized in prisons was the topic of a webinar hosted by UIL on 21 January 2021 as part of UNESCO’s ‘#RightToEducation’ campaign. Speakers discussed challenges to and best practice for ensuring that the rights of the incarcerated to education is upheld. Learn more. Webinar: How prison libraries support rehabilitation efforts On 3 February 2021, UIL and the Institut de coopération pour l’éducation des adultes (ICEA), in cooperation with the UNESCO Chair in Applied Research for Education in Prisons, will host a webinar on how prison libraries can support the rehabilitation of the approximately 11 million inmates worldwide. Learn more. Literacy Workshops on action research in literacy assessment and monitoring In January and February 2021, the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning will host three virtual workshops to support 12 countries from Africa and the Arab region in action research in literacy assessment and monitoring. Learn more. UIL policy brief 12: Direct assessments of adult skills and competencies is now available in Arabic. UIL policy brief 13: Adult numeracy: assessment and development is now available in Arabic.   COVID-19 issue notes Discover our issue notes covering key topics related to the COVID-19 education response, such as distance learning, family learning, and more. Sign up for the bi-monthly ALADIN Online Alert to receive open access documents on adult learning, adult literacy, lifelong learning, and technical and vocational education and training! Explore our databases LITBASE: LITERACY CASE STUDIES WORLDWIDE LIFELONG LEARNING POLICIES DATABASE RECOGNITION, VALIDATION AND ACCREDITATION UNESCO GLOBAL NETWORK OF LEARNING CITIES' MEMBERS International Review of Education Special issue of the International Review of Education: Education in the age of COVID-19: Understanding the consequences. Arts and crafts as an educational strategy and coping mechanism for Republic of Korea and United States parents during the COVID-19 pandemic The impact of lockdown on the learning gap: family and school divisions in times of crisis External articles COVID-19 sparks an overdue discussion on education reform: An optimistic vision Brookings Why Questioning Is The Ultimate Learning Skill Forbes How to Redesign Our Educational System for Lifelong Learning (podcast) EdSurge