Driving gender equality: a mission of UNESCO's Global Education Coalition
The mission aims to help learners to overcome gender-based barriers and fulfil their right to education, including through expanding opportunities to develop digital and leadership skills. It also aims to address the root causes of unequal gender dynamics, understanding that transforming education in this way can also have broader societal effects.
The mission develops and rolls out targeted interventions at multiple levels, starting with integrating a gender lens into sector policies, plans and frameworks. A crucial component involves building capacities among teachers and other educational staff to recognize and address gender biases, create inclusive learning environments, and implement gender-transformative teaching methods. The mission also engages families and local leaders to challenge harmful gender norms that keep learners out of education.
compared to 44% for boys in low-income countries
Our action areas
At the country level and through partnerships, the mission is actively engaged in:
- Data/research/evidence
- Advocacy and communications
- Country-level action
Activities and innovative solutions are made possible by the efforts of 70 mission partners and sympathizers including CJ Group, the Government of Japan, Wallonie-Bruxelles International, Dior, Intel, Prada, Technovation, Girls Opportunity Alliance, Malala Fund, Norad, the UN Girls鈥 Education Initiative, UNICEF, and the World Bank.
In collaboration with different partners, the mission provides training in leadership and digital skills
In Chad, Mauritania and Pakistan, UNESCO, with support from the Government of Japan, built the capacities of education actors to identify and address the challenges girls face in learning and returning to school after school closures.
Across the countries, contextualized training was delivered to education officials and decision-makers on integrating gender considerations into education planning. Additional country-specific activities, such as the development of a teacher training manual on gender-responsive pedagogies and gender-responsive sector analysis, complemented the training and facilitated further capacity building.
In Senegal, UNESCO and Wallonie-Bruxelles International rolled out the second 12 -month phase of their successful Keeping Girls in the Picture campaign to promote girls鈥 continuity of learning. Radio spots, films and infomercials, awareness caravans, discussions with women and young girls, community dialogues and panels, among other activities, were leveraged to mobilize communities in poor and rural areas and spearheaded social norms change.
In total, more than 2,6 million people were reached through the campaign, including 296,000 girls and 250,000 women, as well as students, youth in associations, heads of households, community leaders and Bajenu gox (health gardiens).
In Vietnam, the We Are ABLE - Achieving Better Education and Living project, now in its second phase (2023-2025), is a partnership between UNESCO and the CJ Group aimed at raising awareness of girls' right to education. The project seeks to change social norms, promote gender equality, and empower girls, particularly ethnic minority students, to challenge stereotypes.
Operating in 15 schools across the Ninh Thuan, Cao Bang, and Vinh Long provinces, it reaches over 8,000 students and their parents. Of the students, 49% are female and 47% are from ethnic minorities. The project involves gender-responsive counselling training for teachers, administrators, health staff, and counsellors, the promotion of gender equality through youth-led activities, and various advocacy activities, such as the release of documentaries and the promotion of girls' education at music festivals.
鈥淭he most rewarding part has been the unfeigned connections that I developed with like-minded women from distinct cultures. To discover their homelands and the values they stand for has been an enriching experience. Moreover, the encouragement that I receive from my Mentor despite being in a different country is extremely special!鈥.
More information
If you are interested in finding out more about UNESCO's Global Education Coalition Driving Gender Equality mission, please reach out to gender.ed@unesco.org.