Mission 4.7 joins the Second Session of the Intergovernmental Special Committee Meeting on the Revision of the 1974 Recommendation

By Amanda Abrom, Program Manager, Global Schools

From July 10th-13th, Global Schools Program Manager Amanda Abrom represented Mission 4.7 at the second session of the Intergovernmental Special Committee Meeting on the Revision of the 1974 Recommendation concerning education for international understanding, co-operation and peace and education relating to human rights and fundamental freedoms at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris. The meeting convened Member States and Associate Members of UNESCO. In addition, Mission 4.7 Co-Chair, Assistant Director-General for Education at UNESCO Stefania Giannini, presided over the meeting. 

The Intergovernmental Special Committee Meeting was a continuation of a decision taken to revise the 1974 Recommendation at the 41st session of the UNESCO General Conference in November 2021. A draft of the revised text was sent to Member States and observing organizations in April 2023 for review. 

The 1974 Recommendation is considered to be a landmark UNESCO document concerning global education with a focus on education for international understanding, cooperation and peace; and education relating to human rights and fundamental freedom. 

According to UNESCO, “the revision exercise aims to improve the effectiveness and relevance of the Recommendation, so it better addresses challenges of the 21st century, such as – among other things – those relating to environmental protection and digital technologies.” 

In addition, consultations focused on thematic topics such as sustainable development, human rights, peace and international understanding, and current global threats and challenges. The consultations also emphasized how to respond to the changing field of education due to technological developments, new research in the field, and more.

Because of the Recommendation’s alignment with Target 4.7, SDSN and Mission 4.7 were asked to send a special observer to the consultations alongside Member States. This was a profound opportunity to represent Mission 4.7 at the highest level and participate in the update of global consensus documents that will impact education for decades to come.