الأخبار

Last update: 18 June 2024

Launch of capacity-building programme to implement the Marrakech Framework for Action

The UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL), in cooperation the UNESCO Regional Centre for Adult Education (ASFEC), has launched a comprehensive capacity-building programme to strengthen adult learning and skills development across the Arab region. Through a series of capacity-building meetings both Institutions will support UNESCO Member States in the region in implementing the Marrakech Framework for Action (MFA), adopted at the Seventh International Conference on Adult Learning and Education (CONFINTEA VII).  

Government officials, educators, managers, trainers and representatives of civil society organizations working in the field of adult education in Arab countries will gain valuable knowledge and skills in adult learning and education concepts, policies, programme design, teaching techniques, monitoring and evaluation, gender-responsive curriculum design, and andragogy, among other topics. 

At the first capacity-building meeting, H.E. Mr Reda Hegazy, Minister of Education and Technical Education of Egypt, said: ‘We all recognize the important role of adult learning and education in overall development. It enables learners to exercise their rights and provides opportunities for active participation in their larger and smaller communities. Developing capacities in adult education across all fields has become an urgent necessity to meet the changing needs of our societies, the rapidly evolving labor market, the health and environmental challenges, and the crises that some of our Arab countries are facing.’ 

The capacity-building programme forms part of the community of practice (CoP) dedicated to follow-up actions to the Seventh International Conference on Adult Learning and Education (CONFINTEA VII). It is managed by UIL in cooperation with the Arab Bureau of Education for the Gulf States (ABEGS). The community brings together representatives of UNESCO Member States from the Arab region to work jointly on translating the Marrakech Framework for Action into strategies and action plans. With a shared commitment to lifelong learning and inclusive education, the CoP aims to foster collaboration among Arab countries, facilitate peer learning, share best practice, and develop innovative and inclusive strategies to address the challenges facing adult learning in the region. Aligned with the Marrakech Framework for Action, the CoP focuses on three main action topics: redesigning systems for adult learning and education, promoting participation and equity, and ensuring quality adult learning and education. 

Background 

With the adoption of the Marrakech Framework for Action at the Seventh International Conference on Adult Education on 17 June 2022, representatives of over 140 countries committed to translating the vision of a right to lifelong learning into reality. They undertook to significantly increase adult participation in learning and recognized the need for increased financial investment in adult learning and education.