Transforming Education Summit (Leaders Day)
3 00 PM - Spotlight Session 5: Advancing gender equality and girls' and women's empowerment in and through education
Summary
The Leaders Day at the Transforming Education Summit (16, 17 & 19 September 2022) will be dedicated to the presentation of National Statements of Commitment by Heads of State and Government in the form of Leaders Roundtables. A limited number of thematic sessions will also be held to place a focus on cross-cutting priorities for transforming education. Leaders Day will also feature the presentation of the Summit Youth Declaration and the Secretary-General's Vision Statement for Transforming Education.
Description
While progress has been made in recent decades, gender inequalities persist in education. Gains are also fragile as COVID-19, armed conflict, refugee and internal displacement, climate-induced disasters, and a growing backlash against gender equality and women's and girls' rights are reversing progress and widening inequalities in many contexts.
Education systems must make more explicit and active commitment to addressing the gender-based barriers, stigma and discrimination that hold learners back from fulfilling their right to education and future life, work and leadership opportunities. But action is also needed to harness education's power to unlock the potential of learners in all their diversity, end harmful gender norms, attitudes and practices, and transform institutions to achieve just, equal and inclusive societies.
The Spotlight Session 5 offers a space for a high-level dialogue among heads of state, leaders and key influencers to commit to accelerating progress on gender equality and girls' and women's empowerment in and through education.
More specifically, the Spotlight Session 5 aims to advance gender equality and girls' and women's empowerment in and through education by:
- Sharing innovative catalytic and transformative actions undertaken through grassroots and national programmes to end harmful gender norms, attitudes and practices so that all learners can fulfil their right to education.
- Learning from world leaders and partners on the commitments they are making through the Transforming Education Summit to advance gender equality and girls' and women's empowerment in and through education. Calling on world leaders and partners to commit to advancing gender equality and girls' and women's empowerment in and through education, and to join a global platform to review progress towards gender equality and girls' education commitments annually
– and to confront setbacks
– to drive transformative leadership, accountability and action
The Spotlight Session 5 of the Transforming Education Summit will launch a call to action to catalyze cooperation and transformative action to advance gender equality and girls' and women's empowerment in and through education.
The Spotlight Session 5 is co-hosted by: UNESCO, UNICEF and UN Women
The Transforming Education Summit is being convened in response to a global crisis in education – one of equity and inclusion, quality and relevance. Often slow and unseen, this crisis is having a devastating impact on the futures of children and youth worldwide. The Summit provides a unique opportunity to elevate education to the top of the global political agenda and to mobilize action, ambition, solidarity and solutions to recover pandemic-related learning losses and sow the seeds to transform education in a rapidly changing world.
Related Sites and Documents
Transforming Education Summit website