On 9 December 2025, UNESCO is holding its International symposium on the future of the right to education at its headquarters in Paris. With a focus on ‘renewing global commitments and charting future direction’ in education, the symposium takes place on World Human Rights Day and marks the 65th anniversary of the 1960 Convention against Discrimination in Education.
EASNIE Director João Costa is participating in a parallel session on equity, vulnerabilities and resilience. He will discuss the intersectional nature of inequality in education and outline ways to better define inclusive education and ensure its effective implementation in diverse contexts.
Other session panellists include United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, Nada al-Nasif; Lilia Touil, youth advocate and social entrepreneur; Siraj Khan, Policy and Law Manager of Education Above All; and Professor Fadia Kiwan, Honorary Director of the Institute of Political Science at Beirut’s Saint Joseph University and Director-General of the Arab Women Organization. Justine Sass, Chief of the Section of Education for Inclusion and Gender Equality at UNESCO, will moderate the session.
The panellists will explore ways to future-proof education systems in crisis contexts and prevent new and deepening forms of intersecting vulnerabilities and educational disadvantage. They will also look at what UNESCO can do to improve international guidance on the right to education.
Other panel sessions will examine lifelong learning, digital education, higher education and the role of teachers. The event will also launch UNESCO’s Global Report on the Right to Education.
The UNESCO event page contains more details about the event, as well as information on how to follow it online.