UNESCO’s Futures of Education initiative aims to rethink education and shape the future. The initiative is catalyzing a global debate on how knowledge, education and learning need to be reimagined in a world of increasing complexity, uncertainty, and precarity.

UNESCO
Implemented in
- Africa
- Asia / Pacific
- Europe and Central Asia
- Latin America / Caribbean
- Middle East
- North America
Led by
Sector of activity
Education
Type of initiative
Education & Awareness Raising
Start date
25/09/2019
Submitted on:
14/01/2020Objectives
The vision:
Knowledge and learning are humanity’s greatest renewable resources for responding to challenges and inventing alternatives. Yet, education does more than respond to a changing world. Education transforms the world.
The aim:
This initiative will mobilize the many rich ways of being and knowing in order to leverage humanity’s collective intelligence. It relies on a broad, open consultative process that involves youth, educators, civil society, governments, business and other stakeholders. The work will be guided by a high-level International Commission of thought-leaders from diverse fields and different regions of the world.
Activities
As collected through the One Planet Reporting
Outcome level
SCP changes in practice
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Top 3 Challenges and Purposes of Education - Survey
Top 3 Challenges and Purposes of Education - Survey
Regions
Global / All regions
Lead organization
UNESCO
Objective
A 3-minute online survey to offer views on the top three development challenges ahead in the future and top three ways education can address them.
Achievements
The answers collected to these two short questions will help UNESCO and the International Commission on the Futures of Education identify priorities as we think about how knowledge and learning can help people create the futures they want.
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Your Vision of Education in 2050
Your Vision of Education in 2050
Regions
Global / All regions
Lead organization
UNESCO
Objective
UNESCO is inviting submissions of artistic creations to depict what education, learning and knowledge might look like in the year 2050.
Achievements
These submissions will help UNESCO enrich the visions of education in the future.
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Your View on the Futures of Education
Your View on the Futures of Education
Regions
Global / All regions
Lead organization
UNESCO
Objective
UNESCO invites the global community to share their thoughts about how education can be used to shape the future of humanity and the planet.
Achievements
UNESCO will review all submitted contributions and present a synthesis of major messages to the International Commission that steers the work of the Futures of Education initiative. Individual submissions may also be excerpted or published in their entirety on the Futures of Education website.
Impact and Results
In November 2021 the commission will publish a report designed to share a forward-looking vision of what education and learning might yet become and offer a policy agenda. The Futures of Education: Learning to Become initiative will catalyze a global debate on how knowledge and learning can shape the future of humanity and the planet.
Next steps and how to get involved
Contribute to our platforms:
1. Top 3 Challenges and Purposes of Education - Survey. A 3-minute online survey to offer views on the top three development challenges ahead in the future and top three ways education can address them.
2. Your Vision of Education in 2050 – Submission of artwork. This platform invites people to share their original creative, artistic visions of what education might look like in 2050.
3. Your View on the Futures of Education - Written contributions. This platform invites people to present their thoughts on what they see as the one major issue for the futures of education (max 1000 words).
All accessible via the link below.