This week, the Governing Board of the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning will meet to evaluate the progress of our work and provide guidance on the planning of upcoming activities. It is a moment to take stock. As for many, the year 2020 has been a challenging one for us due to the insecurities caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. But it has also been a year full of opportunities to shape the future of lifelong learning and accelerate progress.

I am grateful that we will welcome four new Governing Board members - Ms Zohour ALAOUI (Former President of the UNESCO General Conference, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco in Germany), Ms Rudo Mabel CHITIGA (Former Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Women’s Affairs Community Small + Medium Enterprises Development, Zimbabwe), Ms Cláudia COSTIN (Founder and Director, Center for Excellence and Innovation of Education Policies (CEIPE-FGV), Brazil), and Ms Miriam NICADO GARCÍA (Rector, University of Havana, Cuba) - whom I look very much forward to working with.

This UIL Bulletin provides you with a snapshot of our work over the past month: the outcomes of the Global Alliance for Literacy annual meeting, the results of the work by the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities clusters on educational planning and citizenship education, and much more.

Wishing you good reading!

David Atchoarena

25 November 2020 version française version en español Dear readers, This week, the Governing Board of the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning will meet to evaluate the progress of our work and provide guidance on the planning of upcoming activities. It is a moment to take stock. As for many, the year 2020 has been a challenging one for us due to the insecurities caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. But it has also been a year full of opportunities to shape the future of lifelong learning and accelerate progress. I am grateful that we will welcome four new Governing Board members - Ms Zohour ALAOUI (Former President of the UNESCO General Conference, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco in Germany), Ms Rudo Mabel CHITIGA (Former Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Women’s Affairs Community Small + Medium Enterprises Development, Zimbabwe), Ms Cláudia COSTIN (Founder and Director, Center for Excellence and Innovation of Education Policies (CEIPE-FGV), Brazil), and Ms Miriam NICADO GARCÍA (Rector, University of Havana, Cuba) - whom I look very much forward to working with. This UIL Bulletin provides you with a snapshot of our work over the past month: the outcomes of the Global Alliance for Literacy annual meeting, the results of the work by the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities clusters on educational planning and citizenship education, and much more. Wishing you good reading! David Atchoarena Literacy  On 16 November 2020, the Third Committee of the United Nations General Assembly adopted by consensus the resolution “Literacy for life: shaping future agendas”. It stresses the importance of the Global Alliance for Literacy, coordinated by the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning. Learn more On 28 and 29 October 2020, the Global Alliance for Literacy met virtually to assess the unprecedented challenges caused by COVID-19 for youth and adult literacy in its 29 member countries. Visit our website to watch statements of participating education ministers and to access presentations. Family literacy programmes can be a lifeline for disadvantaged parents and caregivers who are struggling to support their children’s learning during the pandemic, write Anna Kaiper-Marquez and Esther Prins, in the latest UIL blog post. Learn more From 23 November 2020 to 12 February 2021, 46 participants from nine countries will learn how to strengthen alternative and non-formal education for youth and adults in education sector plans through an online course offered by UIL and the International Institute for Educational Planning. Learn more UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities The 2020 World Cities Day themed ‘Valuing our communities and  cities’ underlined the importance of communities at the heart of building sustainable cities. Learn more about the outcomes of the UNESCO World Cities Day online conference and the contributions from the Global Network of Learning Cities. Read full report Gender equality in learning and education remains a challenge in many cities around the world, with social norms, stereotyping and a lack of understanding of gender-equality concepts often hindering progress. Together with the UNESCO Section of Education for Inclusion and Gender Equality UIL developed a video tutorial explaining how to tackle this challenge. Watch to learn more On 12 and 13 November 2020, UNESCO learning cities from around the globe met virtually to share strategies, experiences and challenges concerning citizenship education. The event was organized by the UNESCO learning cities of Larissa (Greece) and Yeonsu-Gu (Republic of Korea), supported by UIL. Watch the video recording. On 17 November 2020, UNESCO learning cities met virtually to exchange best practice, progress and challenges in educational planning and discuss the measurement of learning city development. The event was organized the learning cities of Goyang (Republic of Korea) and Huejotzingo (Mexico), in collaboration with the UNESCO International Institute for Educational Planning and UIL. Watch the recording. On 18 November 2020, a webinar organized by UIL and the PASCAL Observatory brought together UNESCO learning cities and other experts to discuss community-based participatory research and learning cities. We invite you to watch the video recording and access the presentations on our website. Fifty-four new members joined the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities in September. Find out who they are by diving into our membership database and learn more about lifelong learning in these cities by watching video statements from the mayors. Adult learning and education In Indonesia, more than 350,000 schools and non-formal education institutions have implemented parenting programmes, extending to around 380 cities and municipalities across the country. The participation of Mr Yohan Rubiyantoro’, Policy Analyst of Non-formal Education at the Ministry of Education, in UIL's CONFINTEA Fellowship Programme was instrumental in finalizing the underlying strategy. Learn more UIL has signed a memorandum of understanding with DVV International, the German Institute for Adult Education and the International Council for Adult Education to further develop the existing Curriculum GlobALE as a recommended tool for the pre-service and in-service training of adult educators. Learn more 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. 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 The following articles are free to access until 31 December 2020 Prophets, saviours and saints: Symbolic governance and the rise of a transnational metrological field Exploring adult basic education and training as a transformative learning space for alienated out-of-school youth in South Africa Publications Spanish version of the fourth Global Report on Adult Learning and Education External articles How to make upskilling stick in 3 easy steps World Economic Forum ILO publishes new guide for trade unions on skills development and lifelong learning Devdiscourse Will the pandemic shift education back to teaching? Policy Options Copyright © 2020 UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning, All rights reserved. Our email address is: [email protected]