NEXUS October-December 2017 - the Newsletter of the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL)

News

Please find featured below the latest issue of Nexus, the quarterly newsletter of the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL).

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In Focus

The power of adult learning and education

Adult learning and education (ALE) is a crucial component of lifelong learning that affects every area of the lives of adults and young people. Recent policy developments reflect a wider understanding of the value and usefulness of ALE. If we are to achieve a more inclusive and sustainable world, we must examine the progress made thus far in the field of ALE and find ways to respond to the outstanding challenges, taking into account local and regional contexts. To review progress in ALE across the world more than 400 international stakeholders from 98 countries gathered in Suwon, Republic of Korea, on 25 October 2017 for the Mid-Term Review of the sixth International Conference on Adult Education (CONFINTEA VI). Organized jointly by the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) and the cities of Suwon and Osan in the Republic of Korea, the event gave participants an opportunity for in-depth discussion and to share details of progress in their various countries and regions. The aim was to monitor and evaluate the development of ALE worldwide, within and beyond the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Participants shared concerns about the mixed progress in providing ALE opportunities to youth and adults in different countries and regions. Key documents of the Mid-Term Review of CONFINTEA VI are available on the UIL website.

REGIONAL STUDIES:
CONFINTEA VI Mid-Term Review 2017 - The status of adult learning and education in

sub-Saharan Africa

Asia and the Pacific

Europe and North America

Arab States

Latin America and the Caribbean

UIL AROUND THE WORLD

CONFINTEA Fellows 2017

UIL hosted six government officials and representatives of civil society organizations in the field of adult learning and education (ALE) through tits CONFINTEA Fellowship Programme in November 2017. The fellows came from five different francophone countries: Algeria, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Haiti, Senegal and Togo. With support from Mr Paul Belanger (former Director of UIL, professor at the University of Québec in Montréal and President of the International Council of Adult Education), the fellows drafted national strategies with the aim of operationalizing the Belem Framework for Action (BFA) and the Recommendation of Adult Learning and Education in their specific contexts. They also situated their work within the 2030 Framework for Action and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

A special issue of the IRE

The new special issue of the International Review of Education – Journal of Lifelong Learning (IRE) on on non-formal and community learning for sustainable development presents and analyses a wide range of non-formal education for sustainable development (ESD) practices from Western Europe, East Asia, Latin America and Southern Africa. The articles cover cases of ESD implementation in cities and learning in communities, highlighting initiatives that address specific issues, such as youth participation; information and communication technology; and sustainable agriculture and biodiversity conservation. The special issue also addresses learning in the network of the Partnership for Education and Research about Responsible Living (PERL).

Learning cities conference outcome documents

The 2017 International Conference on Learning Cities outcome documents – the Cork Call to Action for Learning Cities and Learning Cities and the SDGs: A Guide to Action – have been published. The two documents outline the crucial role that cities and local communities play in achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. They also identify concrete targets and actions for promoting education and lifelong learning for all. The 2017 conference, themed ‘Global goals, local actions: Towards lifelong learning for all in 2030’, was hosted by the city of Cork, in Ireland. Read more

Family and intergenerational literacy and learning in Ethiopia

Intergenerational learning plays a fundamental role in fostering literacy, lifelong learning and sustainable development. In recognition of this, in 2016 the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) initiated a family literacy and learning project. In this context, a workshop on family literacy and learning was conducted in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 18 to 20 October 2017. Utilizing the UIL publication, Learning Together Across Generations: Guidelines for Family Literacy and Learning Programmes as a training manual, the workshop was an initial step to understanding, designing and implementing contextually relevant family and intergenerational learning programmes in Ethiopia. Read more