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Ibero-America builds bridges for educational inclusion: Conclusions from the 19th Conference on Educational Cooperation
The 19th Conference on Educational Cooperation with Ibero-America, focused on Special Education and Educational Inclusion, took place from 11 to 15 November 2024 in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Plurinational State of Bolivia. The event brought together representatives from education ministries and secretariats across the region. Organised by the Ibero-American Intergovernmental Cooperation Network for the Education of Persons with Special Educational Needs (RIINEE), alongside UNESCO, Spain's Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports (MEFPD), and the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), the conference served as a crucial platform for sharing experiences, assessing progress, and defining commitments to advance inclusive education in Ibero-America.
One of the key outcomes was the agreement to strengthen SIRIED as a fundamental monitoring tool. This mechanism will enable periodic tracking and bolster the regional production of educational data, helping update information and diagnose the educational situation of people with disabilities. Additionally, participating countries pledged to support the publication of a report on the pilot project's outcomes, providing essential data to guide inclusive policy development. The conference also widely endorsed RIINEE’s efforts during 2024 as part of the project "Developing Inclusive Educational Systems."
The conference highlighted the importance of strengthening national educational information systems, supported by RIINEE, through the production of high-quality, comparable data on the situation of people with disabilities. To build capacity, participants proposed an Ibero-American internship programme to improve technical training both within education ministries and among teaching staff.
A particularly resonant initiative was the proposal to launch a public awareness and communication campaign aimed at fostering greater social commitment to inclusive education for persons with disabilities. This campaign will be developed in collaboration with UNESCO, MEFPD, and AECID.
Additionally, participants pledged to enhance the dissemination of calls for experiences and projects from Latin America focused on educational and technological innovation for the inclusion of students with disabilities. The aim is to identify initiatives that creatively explore, experiment with, and integrate digital technologies as tools to reduce or eliminate learning barriers for students with disabilities in inclusive settings.
The participating countries reaffirmed their commitment to the International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, underscoring the importance of South-South and triangular cooperation as effective ways to strengthen regional ties. They also renewed their commitment to the historic Salamanca Statement and Framework for Action on Special Needs Education, which in 2024 marks its 30th anniversary. Participants emphasised the urgency of accelerating efforts to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4), focusing on equity and inclusion. They stressed the need for legislative and regulatory frameworks to ensure the full participation of all students, especially those facing multiple forms of discrimination.
The countries agreed to hold the 20th Conference on Educational Cooperation in 2025, which will mark the 20th anniversary of RIINEE. This event will offer a new opportunity to reflect on the achievements and challenges remaining in the pursuit of inclusive and equitable education across Ibero-America. The shared commitment is clear: to continue working together to build educational systems that leave no one behind.
Colombia
Diana Ãlvarez, from Colombia and leader of the Ministry of Education’s inclusion team, remarked:
"For me, it is very important to be part of this conference, where, as a country, we are collaborating to promote inclusive education in the region. When one country progresses, when two countries progress, the region as a whole progresses. What we have found is that we are all making advances together."
Paraguay
Digna Gauto, from Paraguay, highlighted the significance of participating in this initiative:
"For us, it is essential to have greater access to information, to understand the dynamics of other countries, to learn how they are advancing, and to recognise that we are also part of a collective effort. This helps us strengthen our position, forge strategic alliances with other countries, and, above all, exchange knowledge. This is one of the greatest challenges we face as individual countries—sharing experiences, best practices, and, most importantly, uniting in this major endeavour and movement that is inclusive education."
Guatemala
Martha Eugenia IrÃas Maldonado, representing Guatemala, noted:
"For the Ministry of Education, participating in this initiative is valuable because it enables the exchange of experiences with other countries, providing a regional context that helps us understand our position in terms of inclusive education. It allows us to assess our progress, challenges, and difficulties, while also contributing to the development of proposals, the generation of indicators to improve inclusive education in the country, and the strengthening of actions and policies within the Ministry of Education for students with disabilities and special educational needs."
