UNESCO Recommendation on Education for Peace, Human Rights and Sustainable Development

In November 2023, countries adopted at UNESCO the Recommendation on education for peace and human rights, international understanding, cooperation, fundamental freedoms, global citizenship and sustainable development. 

Commonly referred to as the “Recommendation on Education for Peace, Human Rights and Sustainable Development”, it updates the previous “1974 Recommendation” 1 that almost 50 years ago united countries in positioning education as a key driver of peace and international understanding. As such, the Recommendation provides the legal foundation for Target 4.7 of the Sustainable Development Goal 4 on Education.

Today, it remains the only global standard-setting instrument that lays out how education can and should be used to bring about lasting peace and sustainable development. Unique in this way, the Recommendation covers all aspects and dimensions of education. Informed by the UNESCO Futures of Education Report (2021) and the Transforming Education Summit (2022), which both call for a reimagining of education to meet the challenges of our time, it links different issues, from human rights, digital technologies and climate change to gender equality, health and well-being and cultural diversity. It considers that achieving and maintaining peace is an active process that is reliant on the daily actions of each and every individual. It acknowledges that our world is increasingly complex, interdependent and interconnected and therefore, education too needs to be multi-disciplinary and holistic to ensure the full development of individuals and societies.

This brochure introduces the updated Recommendation and outlines what it has to offer and how it can be used in a practical way by different stakeholders in education on a daily basis.

More Information

To read the full brochure, follow the link here.