While increasing access to education is still a major challenge in many countries, improving the quality and relevance of education is now recognized as crucial – for the individual, for society and for the global community. Indeed, education is key to understanding and resolving global issues in their social, political, cultural, economic and environmental dimensions.

The meeting will serve to formally establish the five Partner Networks of the Global Action Programme on ESD (GAP); discuss and elaborate an initial workplan for each Partner Network, including key implementation milestones; and define within each Partner Network responsibilities, coordination and working methods. UNESCO will establish five Partner Networks, one for each of the five Priority Action Areas of the GAP: policy support, whole-institution approaches, educators, youth, local communities. GAP Partner Networks are one of the main implementation mechanisms of the GAP.

Nearly a quarter century ago, the Education for All (EFA) movement was born in Jomtien, Thailand. Delegates from around the world signed the Declaration on Education for All, an historic commitment to "meet the basic learning needs of all" by universalizing primary education and slashing illiteracy rates. Ten years later, in 2000, the six EFA goals, covering all aspects of basic education from early learning and adult literacy to education quality, were formalized at the World Education Forum in Dakar and a deadline to reach those targets of 2015 was set.

APCEIU is organizing, in partnership with JoongAng Ilbo, a World Education Forum 2015 Pre-conference Side Event titled ‘Global Citizenship Education: Lessons and Visions from South Korean Experiences at the National, Regional and Global Levels’ to be held at Songdo Convensia on the morning of 19 May 2015. Set to be held shortly before and in close conjunction with WEF, this forum aims to serve as a platform for a wider and deeper dialogue and discussion on the topic of Global Citizenship Education (GCED).

The UNESCO-supported Global Education First Initiative (GEFI) has encouraged national government agencies, transnational and non-governmental organizations, teachers, and researchers to pursue various policies, programs, and pedagogies for global citizenship education (GCE). However, many questions remain regarding the nature and possibility of education that can foster global citizenship. The Paulo Freire Institute – UCLA International Institute on Global Citizenship Education seeks to address such questions as: What is GCE and how can it address global problems?

iEARN-Brasil (Educadores Globais) will host the 2015 iEARN Conference and Youth Summit in Brasilia, Brazil, July 26-31, 2015 - all are invited to attend! The Annual iEARN Conference and Youth Summit, held in a different country each year since 1994, is a unique opportunity for educators, students, administrators, Ministry officials, non-profit, and corporate partners, to meet and discuss how they are using technology to build global understanding and enhance teaching and learning.

New York City, USA Friday, 6 March, 2015 Find out how Global Citizenship Education (GCED) can help to build a more peaceful, just and sustainable world. Conference Room 11, UNHQ, New York 1:30-3:00pm, Friday 6 March, 2015 - See more at: http://www.globaleducationfirst.org/news_events.html#sthash.ImklrlYX.dpuf

The United Nations Global Education First Initiative (GEFI) will organize an advocacy training workshop for young leaders in Global Citizenship Education (GCED) from the 30th March to 4th April 2015, at the Geumjeong Cultural Center in Busan, Republic of Korea. Organized in partnership with the Asia-Pacific Centre of Education for International Understanding (APCEIU) and the Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (MGIEP), the workshop aims to build the capacity of dynamic young leaders from across the world to advocate for GCED.

The Regional Ministerial Conference on Education Post-2015 - European and North American States will be organized by UNESCO from 19 - 20 February 2015, in Paris, France. The conference will review the progress on Education for All, build a regional position, and develop recommendations for the future education agenda and for the related Framework for Action. As such it will feed into the World Education Forum 2015 in Incheon, Republic of Korea.

The Sub-Saharan Africa Regional Ministerial Conference on Education Post-2015 is taking place on 9-11 February 2015 in Kigali, Rwanda. The conference provides an opportunity to review and assess progress made in attaining the Education for All (EFA) goals set in 2000. The aim is to prepare an African vision for the post-2015 education agenda. The conference is hosted by the Government of Rwanda and organized jointly with UNESCO's Regional Offices in Dakar and Nairobi.