Gender equality in lifelong learning is still far from a reality for many women and girls around the world. For International Women’s Day 2021, the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) and its partners advocated for increased investment in educational provision to ensure that everyone is provided with equal opportunities to learn.

This month’s newsletter looks back at International Women’s Day celebrations on 8 March, as well as the preparatory processes taking place for the upcoming seventh International Conference on Adult Education (CONFINTEA VII), a new online course on family literacy, preparations underway for the fifth International Conference on Learning Cities (ICLC 5), and much more.

Wishing you good reading!

David Atchoarena

March/April 2021 version française versión en español Dear readers, Gender equality in lifelong learning is still far from a reality for many women and girls around the world. For International Women’s Day 2021, the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) and its partners advocated for increased investment in educational provision to ensure that everyone is provided with equal opportunities to learn. This month’s newsletter looks back at International Women’s Day celebrations on 8 March, as well as the preparatory processes taking place for the upcoming seventh International Conference on Adult Education (CONFINTEA VII), a new online course on family literacy, preparations underway for the fifth International Conference on Learning Cities (ICLC 5), and much more. Wishing you good reading! David Atchoarena IN FOCUS: Gender equality Together with its partners, UIL marked International Women’s Day 2021 by calling on all educational stakeholders to promote gender equality in and through lifelong learning. Discover announcements and blog posts related to gender equality and girls' and women's education below. Learn more. ‘It is time for generation equality. Our sustainable future, our societies need the valuable contributions of all genders. #Education is one of the keys to unlock this contribution.’ said Katja Dörner, Mayor of the UNESCO learning city of Bonn, in Germany, in her video statement. ‘If we do not act now we will be confronted with severe long-term effects on education and gender equality, particularly in regards to the most marginalized,’ warned Samah Shalaby, Gender Focal Point, UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning, in her video message. UIL Blog: The gender digital divide: Increasing women’s participation in digital learning As the world continues to confront the educational challenges brought on by the COVID-19 crisis, one issue in particular stands to jeopardize equitable access to learning and the empowerment of half the world’s population: the gender digital divide. Read more about this pressing concern in this blog post by UIL’s Annapurna Ayyappan and Samah Shalaby. ‘Lifelong learning contributes to gender equality in Africa because it promotes personal development, social inclusion, active citizenship and employability,’ explained Sarah Anyang Agbor, African Union Commissioner for Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, in her video message. ‘Transformative adult learning and education plays a critical role in addressing systemic and intergenerational inequalities and discrimination in the Asia-Pacific region and elsewhere in the world,’ explained Maria Helen Dabu, Secretary-General, Asia South Pacific Association for Basic and Adult Education (ASPBAE), in her video statement. 2021 UNESCO Prize for Girls' and Women's Education The call for nominations of the 2021 UNESCO Prize for Girls’ and Women’s Education is now open. The prize awards USD 50,000 to two laureates making outstanding efforts in favour of girls’ and women’s education. Learn more. Literacy Global Alliance for Literacy Steering Group paves the way for 2021 initiatives On 25 March 2021, the Steering Group of the Global Alliance for Literacy within the Framework of Lifelong Learning (GAL) met to explore ways to strengthen literacy in GAL’s 29 member countries. Fundraising, advocacy and a new initiative to strengthen digital competencies of literacy educators were on the agenda. Learn more. New course available on family and intergenerational literacy and learning (FILL) programme planning To further advance learning for and within families, UIL together with the Commonwealth of Learning, will launch a new online course on 12 April 2021 for stakeholders wishing to develop FILL programmes. Learn more Fostering multilingualism in education To mark International Mother Language Day on 21 February, UNESCO highlighted the efforts of its International Literacy Prize winners to carry on with their mother-language literacy programmes despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Learn more Adult learning and education Participants of a CONFINTEA VII regional consultation in the Arab States commit to promoting ALE in the region Adult learning and education (ALE) is fundamental to the future development of the Arab States, agreed the participants of a regional preparatory consultation for the seventh International Conference on Adult Education (CONFINTEA VII), which will take place in 2022 in Morocco. The event welcomed over 200 attendees on 17 and 24 March 2021. Learn more. Central Asia and Iran sub-regional CONFINTEA VII consultation welcomes over 130 online participants On 25 February 2021, government ministers, experts in adult learning and education (ALE), and leaders from civil society and non-governmental organizations in the Central Asia region and Iran came together virtually to discuss challenges and innovative practices in ALE, as well as recommendations and priorities for its future policy development, funding and quality. Learn more. Upcoming regional consultations for the seventh International Conference on Adult Education (CONFINTEA VII) 19 May 2021: West Africa sub-regional consultation 28 May 2021: West Africa (Sahel) sub-regional consultation 9 June 2021: Southern Africa sub-regional consultation ALE capacity-building course launched in the Arab region On 9 March 2021, the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Education in the Arab States (UNESCO Beirut) launched an online course to develop the capacities of ALE and lifelong learning stakeholders in the Arab region. Learn more The role of ALE: Our stories, our voice Work on promoting adult learning and education is expanding and there are some encouraging signs. With the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development approaching its halfway point, next year’s seventh International Conference on Adult Education will be a pivotal moment, writes Christiana Nikolitsa-Winter on the UIL blog . Learn more We are ALE! On 22 March 2021, civil society organizations from around the globe, with the support of the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL), launched the five-year campaign We are ALE!  Learn more UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities Fifth International Conference on Learning Cities UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities (GNLC) member Yeonsu-gu, Republic of Korea, will host the fifth International Conference on Learning Cities (ICLC 5) from 27 to 30 October 2021. The ICLC 5 Expert Advisory Committee met for the first time on 10 March to provide insights and help shape the content and the dynamics of the conference. Learn more. UNESCO learning city of Trieste, Italy In September 2020, 54 new members joined the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities (GNLC). Each month, one of these cities is showcased in the Bulletin. Today, the spotlight is on Trieste, Italy. ‘We want to guarantee learning opportunities for all of our citizens and, at the same time, allow Trieste to continue to thrive and grow,’ says Serena Tonel, Councillor for Economic Activities and Theatres in Trieste. Watch her video statement. 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. Education in uncertainty: Academic life as Indigenous health scholars during COVID-19 Preparing education for the crises of tomorrow: A framework for adaptability   External articles Learning Apps Have Boomed in the Pandemic. Now Comes the Real Test New York Times The Guardian view on adult education:bring back evening classes The Guardian COVID-19 and the Learning Crisis in Latin America and the Caribbean: How Can We Prevent a Tragedy? World Bank Copyright © 2021 UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning, All rights reserved.