Welcome to the newsletter of the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) – the UIL Bulletin. In April 2020, education institutions in over 180 countries around the world have closed due to COVID-19, impacting almost 90% of the world’s student population. Never before have we witnessed educational disruption on such a large scale. UNESCO is well prepared to support Member States during this time of crisis to ensure that learning does not stop.

Throughout the last weeks the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities, coordinated by the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning, has once again shown its incredible wealth of expertise. Via webinars, UNESCO learning cities from around the world have shared experiences in facing current challenges in education with hundreds of city representatives from around the world.

With this UIL Bulletin, I invite you to read about these experiences and join the upcoming webinars. Together we can fight this crisis.

9 April 2020 version française versión en español view as web page Dear readers,   Education institutions in over 180 countries around the world have closed due to COVID-19, impacting almost 90% of the world’s student population. Never before have we witnessed educational disruption on such a large scale. UNESCO is well prepared to support Member States during this time of crisis to ensure that learning does not stop. Throughout the last weeks the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities, coordinated by the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning, has once again shown its incredible wealth of expertise. Via webinars, UNESCO learning cities from around the world have shared experiences in facing current challenges in education with hundreds of city representatives from around the world. With this UIL Bulletin I invite you to read about these experiences and join the upcoming webinars. Together we can fight this crisis. David Atchoarena IN FOCUS: UNESCO learning cities respond to COVID-19 Many of the 173 UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities (GNLC) members around the world face severe challenges due to COVID-19. During webinars by the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong, UNESCO learning cities such as Wuhan (People’s Republic of China), Turin (Italy), Osan (Republic of Korea) and Swansea (United Kingdom) presented solutions, contingency plans and distance-learning approaches to over 250 representatives of other cities. Read more... Everywhere in the world, cities are on the front line of the fight against COVID-19, from managing overstretched health and social services to coping with the closure of learning institutions, writes David Atchoarena. More A record number of learners are not attending school or university because of temporary closures mandated by governments in an attempt to slow the spread of COVID-19. UNESCO provides data about school closures worldwide, informs about individual country responses and solutions for inclusive distance learning. Learn more. Join the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities The deadline for applications has been extended to 31 July 2020! As COVID-19 closes schools, colleges and universities around the world, it is critical that educational solutions, such as online and distance learning, do not widen the digital divide, argues Christiana Nikolitsa-Winter. Learn more. Join our GNLC webinars on UNESCO learning cities' responses to COVID-19. Cities from around the world will present challenges and solutions on key issues such as equity, family learning, migrants and refugees, mental health and well being. Read more. Watch our video interviews with UNESCO learning cities on YouTube.   Literacy An estimated 750 million youth and adults worldwide have still not achieved basic literacy; two-thirds of them are women. To strengthen policies, equity, innovation, data and partnerships around literacy, the Global Alliance for Literacy now adopted a new strategy with ambitious targets set to be achieved by 2025. More In our interview Mohammad Yasin Samim, Senior Technical Advisor to the Minister at the Ministry of Education of Afghanistan, explains the current situation regarding youth and adult literacy in his country and gives an insight into challenges, possible solutions and future actions. Learn more. In partnership with the French Development Agency, UIL is launching a study on illiteracy and literacy strategies in Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea and Togo. The analysis focuses in particular on young people, especially young women, who continue to constitute a particularly disadvantaged population segment in the Sahelian zone. Learn more. Adult learning and education Since the start of the pandemic, crisis management in education has focused on children and young people, but adult education is just as critical in times of crisis, according to UIL Chair Daniel Baril.  More On 15 and 16 April 2020, the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) and the African Union (AU) will launch the report Trends in Adult Learning and Education in Africa – Findings from the Fourth Global Report on Adult Learning and Education (GRALE 4) via two webinars. More In her blog piece, Samah Shalaby, Assistant Programme Specialist at the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning, writes of the challenges women face – as well as the progress being made – in accessing adult learning and education opportunities. Learn more. Explore our case studies databases LitBase: literacy case studies worldwide LEARN MORE Lifelong learning policies DATABSASE LEARN MORE Recognition, validation and accreditation LEARN MORE Publications UIL Policy brief: Adult education and the challenge of exclusion LEARN MORE Family learning: Learning Together Across Generations LEARN MORE IRE Call for papers, special issue COVID-19 LEARN MORE External articles 4 ways COVID-19 could change how we educate future generations WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM The coronavirus pandemic is reshaping education QUARTZ   Can the global coronavirus lockdown spur lifelong learning? Here’s the answer INDIA TODAY Feldbrunnenstrasse 58, 20148 Hamburg, Germany uil.unesco.org [email protected] Tel: +49 (0)40 44 80 41 54 Copyright © 2020 UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning