UNESCO Futures of Education Commission. (2021). Reimagining our futures together: A new social contract for education. Paris, France: UNESCO.
UNESCO launched its Futures of Education Initiative in September 2019. Drawing on extensive consultations, the International Commission has just released their final report, Reimagining Our Futures Together: a new social contract for education. The brief overview of their conclusions is here. Most critically, they conclude that: “we need a new social contract for education that can repair injustices while transforming the future. This new social contract must be grounded in human rights and based on principles of non-discrimination, social justice, respect for life, human dignity and cultural diversity. It must encompass an ethic of care, reciprocity, and solidarity. It must strengthen education as a public endeavour and a common good.”
Among other comments in the report, those most directly related to CID are probably these:
The world is rich in multicultural and multi-ethnic societies and education should promote intercultural citizenship. Beyond learning about the value of diversity, education should promote the skills, values and conditions needed for horizontal, democratic dialogue with diverse groups, knowledge systems and practices. The basis for intercultural citizenship is the affirmation of one ́s cultural identities. Knowing who you are is the starting point for respecting others. (p. 53). . .Education at its best is a collective process that acknowledges the value of peer and intergenerational as well as intercultural learning. (p. 134)
[CID was one of the organizations consulted by the initiative, and is acknowledged in the report; see the CID Report for UNESCO Futures of Education for the conclusions of 3 focus groups we organized at their request.]
Update as of March 2022: Reimagining our futures together is available in English and French, with the Executive Summary also available in Spanish, Arabic, Russian and Chinese.
Center for Intercultural Dialogue 