UNESCO Member States adopt a Global Framework to strengthen Culture and Arts Education.

Unesco Education

Abu Dhabi, February 20, 2024 — The member states of UNESCO have collectively adopted a new global Framework for Culture and Arts Education. As part of this Framework, the member states have committed to several initiatives, including prioritizing culture and arts education in teacher training, emphasizing local and indigenous cultures and heritage in the classroom, and recognizing artistic and cultural skills within the professional world.

“As a UNESCO study highlighted last year, arts education helps students develop emotional intelligence, creativity, and critical thinking. It improves their well-being and academic results. Artistic education also promotes openness to others and respect for diversity within society at large. I thank our Member States for this new global agreement, which will make culture and arts a greater priority in education while taking into account the use of digital technology,” UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay stated.

The World Conference on Culture and Arts Education, organized by UNESCO and the United Arab Emirates in Abu Dhabi (13-15 February), brought together nearly 1,000 culture and education stakeholders - including 90 ministers, 125 representatives of UNESCO Member States, policy-makers, experts and NGOs, as well as UN agencies, academia, and the private sector.

The new UNESCO Framework emphasizes the importance of lifelong learning in culture and art in all educational settings. It also stresses the need to put culture and the arts at the core of education policies, strategies, curricula, and programs. The Framework has a broader definition of culture, including built, natural, and living heritage, cultural expressions, and the cultural and creative industries. Additionally, it focuses on the potential of digital technologies in culture and arts education to promote intercultural dialogue and linguistic diversity.

The adopted text also recognizes that learning with and through cultural diversity is crucial for creating mutual understanding and bridging divisions. It highlights the need to emphasize local and indigenous cultures and heritage. Furthermore, it calls for stronger relationships between educational and cultural institutions. It involves creating more partnerships between schools and cultural institutions, including UNESCO’s World Heritage sites and the cultures, traditions, and festivals inscribed on UNESCO’s List of Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

This Framework results from two years of consultations, dialogue, and negotiations with various stakeholders and member states. It will provide grants to those who implement exceptional practices for arts education in each region. Secondly, it will engage teachers, particularly those in the more than 12,000 UNESCO Associated Schools. Educators who design and deliver effective pedagogies for arts education will receive international mobility grants.

With 194 Member States, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization contributes to peace and security by leading multilateral cooperation on education, science, culture, communication and information. Headquartered in Paris, UNESCO has offices in 54 countries and employs over 2300 people. UNESCO oversees over 2000 World Heritage sites, Biosphere Reserves, and Global Geoparks; networks of Creative, Learning, Inclusive, and Sustainable Cities; and over 13,000 associated schools, university chairs, training, and research institutions.

Source: UNESCO

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— The Editor is a UNESCO-IIEP-Certified Education Planning Consultant.

Edited & Posted by the Editor | 4:57 AM | Link to this Post