29 June: Pre-Summit Ministerial Segment I


7:30–10:15 Registration and welcome coffee


Formal Sessions

Master of Ceremony: Mr Henry Bonsu, Journalist and Broadcaster


10:30–11:15

I. Opening: An Ambition to Transform Education

  • Mr Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary-General (message)
  • Ms Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO Director-General
  • H.E. Ms Sahle-Work Zewde, President of Ethiopia, Chair of the International Commission on the Futures of Education  
  • H.E. Mr Julius Maada Bio, President of Sierra Leone, Co-Chair of the SDG 4 High-Level Steering Committee

Messages from Youth 

  • Ms Kenisha Arora, Youth Representative of the SDG4 High-Level Steering Committee
  • Video featuring messages from young people on Transforming Education  

11:15–11:45

Special addresses

  • H.E. Abdulla Shahid, President of the United Nations General Assembly (message)
  • H.E. Santiago Irazabal Mourão, President of the 41st session of the UNESCO General Conference
  • Ms Catherine Russell, UNICEF Executive Director, Chair of Summit UN Taskteam

11:45–13:30

II. TRANSFORMING EDUCATION TOGETHER

This session will bring together a diverse range of actors for an open discussion of what educational transformation looks like and how we achieve this. This session will use a quick-paced conversation style format and each participant being allowed a short three-minute response in each round.

Facilitators: 

  • Mr Henry Bonsu, Master of Ceremony
  • Ms Aishwarya Machani, Youth Advocate (United Kingdom)

Introduction 

  • Ms Amina J. Mohammed, United Nations Deputy Secretary-General 
  • Ms Stefania Giannini, Assistant Director-General for Education, UNESCO 
  • H.E. Mr David Sengeh, Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education, Sierra Leone, Co-Chair of the Summit Advisory Committee 

Panel discussion (Part 1) – voices of diverse actors 

  • HE Mr Chakib Benmoussa, Minister of National Education, Preschool and Sports, Kingdom of Morocco
  • Mr Hambani Masheleni, African Union Commission, Head of the Education Division in the Department of Education, Science, Technology, and Innovation
  • Ms Michelle Codrington-Rogers, Citizenship teacher 
  • H.E. Ms Bjørg Sandkjær, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Norway 
  • Mr Houlin Zhao, Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) 
  • HE Mr Huai Jinpeng, Minister of Education, People’s Republic of China
  • Ms Tarcila Rivera Zea, Executive Director, Centro del Culturas Indigenas del Peru

(Interlude - Performance by Ms Tania Saleh, Singer and Songwriter)

Panel discussion (Part 2) – voices of diverse actors 

  • H.E. Ms Dipu Moni, Minister of Education, People's Republic of Bangladesh
  • Mr Nir Shrestha, President at Blind Youth Association Nepal, Kathmandu Valley chapter
  • H.E. Ms Anita Muižniece, Minister for Education and Science, Latvia
  • Mr Jean Marie Ishimwe, Refugee youth advocate and digital educator 
  • HE Mr Jaime Perczyk, Minister of Education of Argentina
  • Mr António Nóvoa, Honorary Rector of the University of Lisbon, Chair of the Research and Drafting Committee of the International Commission on the Futures of Education
  • H.E. Mr Marco Antonio Ávila Lavanal, Minister of Education, Chile
  • Dr. Tariq Al Gurg, CEO, Dubai Cares 

Reflections on the discussion and conclusion 

Mr Leonardo Garnier, UN Secretary-General’s Special Adviser for the Transforming Education Summit


13:30–15:30 Lunch break


15:30–16:45 

III. TRANSFORMING FINANCING FOR EDUCATION 

High-level panel of Ministers and diverse actors regarding the shift in domestic and international financing needed to drive education transformation, drawing on emerging findings and proposals of Thematic Action Track 5 (education financing).

Welcome and Scene-setting by Youth Leaders – Ms Diana Ayala (Honduras) and Ms Ranja Diab (France)

Opening

  • Hon. Premila Kumar, Minister for Education, Heritage and Arts, Fiji, Action Track 5 Co-Lead
  • Ms Jutta Urpilainen, European Commissioner for International Partnerships

Fireside chat I. Reaching the furthest behind – catalyzing equity and efficiency in domestic education budgets

Facilitator: H.E. Mr Nesmy Manigat, Minister of Education and Vocational Training, Haiti

  • H.E. Ms Agnes Nyalonje, Minister of Education, Malawi (tbc)
  • Mr Charles North, Acting CEO, Global Partnership for Education
  • H.E. Mr Nigel Clarke, Minister of Finance, Jamaica

Message from Action Track 5 Co-Lead

  • H.E. Caroline Desir, Minister of Education, Wallonia-Brussels Federation, Belgium

Fireside chat II. Unlocking more domestic resources for education – the role of international financing 

Facilitator: Mr David Archer, Representative of Civil Society, Co-lead for Thematic Action Track 5

  • Ms Mamta Murthi, VP for Human Development, the World Bank
  • Mr Gordon Brown, UN Special Envoy for Education
  • Ms Anne-Brigitte Albrechtson, CEO, the LEGO Foundation

Wrap up by Youth Leader: Ms Lilia Touil (France)


16:45–17:00 Interlude and transition into parallel sessions


17:00–19:30

Parallel Sessions

IV. COMMITTING TO TRANSFORMATION – MINISTERIAL ROUNDTABLES 

For each parallel session: Ministers present key transformative actions and commitments from the national consultations.

Room I 
Youth and Teacher Moderators:

  1. Mr Jamie Frost, winner of the Global Teacher Prize 2020 Covid Hero Award 
  2. Ms Sofia Bermudez, SDG4Youth Representative

Room II  
Youth and Teacher Moderators:

  1. Mr Nhial Deng, Refugee Youth Advocate
  2. Ms Haldis Holst, Deputy General Secretary, Education International

Room XI
Youth and Teacher Moderators:

  1. Ms Sara Gabrielli, Luxembourg Youth Parliament
  2. Ms Anna Molero, Chief Government Officer, Teach for All

Ministerial speaking list


19:30 Reception for Heads of Delegations hosted by UNESCO (by invitation only)


Other meetings