GEM Report Unesco

Over the past two days, we were pleased to welcome the members of the Global Education Monitoring Report Advisory Board to UNESCO Headquarters in Paris for the eleventh annual meeting of the Board.

Bringing together representatives from UN agencies, bilateral donors, NGOs, youth, civil society networks, UNESCO and leading education experts from across all regions, the Advisory Board provides strategic guidance to help ensure that the GEM Report remains relevant, rigorous and responsive to global education priorities.

Board members reviewed the GEM Report’s activities over the past year and discussed the implementation of its 2025–2030 strategy. They reflected on the impact already achieved through the Countdown to 2030 series, which launched this year with the 2026 on access and equity, and explored how future editions on quality and learning (2027) and relevance (2028/29) can contribute to global education debates.

The Board also focused on how to ensure the lessons from monitoring SDG 4 progress in the GEM Report can frame discussions about the shape of the post-2030 education agenda and support evidence-informed policymaking in a rapidly changing global context.

➡️ Find out more about the Advisory Board and its members: https://bit.ly/4oQTsnA
➡️ Read the GEM Report strategy for 2025–2030: https://bit.ly/3ryRw9I

“China has always adhered to the principle of prioritizing education and made the promotion of equity and quality in education a national commitment.”

At the launch of the 2026 GEM Report, H.E. Huai Jinpeng, Minister of Education of China, highlighted the importance of ensuring that education supports both individual development and national progress.

As the world approaches the 2030 deadline for , understanding how countries have expanded access to education and reduced disparities is more important than ever.

The 2026 , ‘Access and equity: Countdown to 2030’, examines global progress over the past 25 years and draws lessons from 35 country case studies on the policies that have helped learners access education and succeed.

➡️ Explore the report: https://bit.ly/gemreport2026

Across the globe, record-breaking heatwaves are disrupting daily life.

But did you know that children exposed to heatwaves in early life are predicted to lose up to 1.5 years of schooling? Studies show that:
🌡️ In the US, each 1°C rise in classroom temperature without air conditioning reduces test scores by 1%.
🌡️ Very hot school days disproportionately impact African American and Hispanic students, accounting for 5% of the racial achievement gap.
🌡️ In Brazil’s most disadvantaged areas, students lose 1% of learning each year due to rising temperatures.

These are part of a broader pattern of climate shocks — floods, droughts, and natural disasters — that are pushing children out of school and widening learning gaps globally.

➡️ Explore more in the Education and Climate Change paper by the and Sustainability and Education Policy Network Project: https://bit.ly/ccec2024

Let’s make sure every child, no matter the weather or where they live, can !

On March 25, the 2026 launched the Countdown to 2030 series with a focus on access and equity in education.

📢 Now we want to hear from you!

Did the report help inform your work?
Were the messages, evidence and recommendations clear?
Did the launch event and online materials make the findings accessible and engaging?

Your feedback will help shape future GEM Report products, events and online tools as we continue tracking progress towards .

Because improving global education monitoring also means listening to those who use the data.
➡️ Take the survey here: https://bit.ly/3QRsvU5

Leaving no one behind means ensuring every refugee has access to education.
The good news is that recent years have seen progress in including immigrants and refugees in national education systems. But, despite progress, significant barriers remain.

offers 7 recommendations to improve refugee education:
✅ Protect the right to education for migrants and displaced people.
✅ Include migrants and displaced people in national education systems.
✅ Plan for the education needs of migrants and displaced people.
✅ Accurately represent migration histories to challenge prejudices.
✅ Prepare teachers to address diversity and hardship.
✅ Harness the potential of migrants and displaced people.
✅ Support the education needs of migrants and displaced people in humanitarian aid.

When refugees receive education, the entire community benefits.
Explore more on migration, displacement, and education: https://bit.ly/45A7yQh

Nearly half of the world’s 12.4 million refugee children are out of school.

Many also face barriers linked to displacement, statelessness, missing legal identity documents, discrimination and weak access to justice.

The new , Namati and Grassroots Justice Network paper on education and justice shows that education exclusion is closely tied to the strength of the rule of law. Countries with stronger justice systems and lower discrimination tend to have lower out-of-school rates.

Education is not only a victim of injustice. It is also one of the strongest tools societies have to build peace, protect rights and empower people to seek justice.

Because access to education is also about dignity, protection and belonging.

➡️ On , explore how to : https://bit.ly/2026justice-report

When conflict forces children from their homes, education can provide safety, stability and hope.
Yet nearly half of the world's 12.4 million refugee children are out of school.

Displacement often creates barriers to education. Refugee children may face discrimination, lack the documents needed to enrol in school or struggle to access the protection and services they need.

This is why education and justice are deeply connected. Access to legal identity, rights, protection and fair institutions can help ensure that every child has the opportunity to learn.

Ahead of World Refugee Day, read our comic on how education helps build more peaceful, just and inclusive societies: https://bit.ly/2K3JPir