UNESCO MGIEP First Distinguished Lecture

Irina Bokova, Director-General, UNESCO

DIVERSE SOCIETIES, INCLUSIV DEMOCRACIES: NEW SKILLS FOR A SUSTAINABLE WORLD

25 November 2014, New Delhi

Press Release

We need new skills for a new world Director-General tells young people in New Delhi

New Delhi, 25 November – The need for inclusive and innovative education was the key themes of the inaugural UNESCO MGIEP (Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development) Distinguished Lecture, presented by UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova in New Delhi today. 

The event was attended by pupils from several New Delhi schools, university students, representatives from academic and research institutions, dignitaries from the government and non-government organisations, and international diplomatic missions.

Prof Anantha Kumar Duraiappah, Director, UNESCO MGIEP welcomed the DG on her first visit to the Institute and emphasised the important role of transformative education in the Post 2015 Global Development Agenda. “Education alone can build the foundation of a sustainable and peaceful world, education alone can transform human approach to the world around,” he said.

“Real sustainability goes beyond the reach of States,” Ms Bokova said. “it must be grounded in the rights and dignity of every woman and man, in their abilities, skills and behaviours, in their capacity to transform their lives, anticipate the future, make the most of change.”

“This starts with education,” she said, along with stronger policies, especially towards marginalized populations, to ensure that nobody misses out.

“Societies can be healthy, and governments can be effective, only if they are inclusive, if they bring every citizen together – every woman and man, all young people, especially the most marginalized,” she added.

The Director-General underscored the special relationship between UNESCO and India, which, she said,  is entering into a new phase with “an ever sharper focus on the power of education,” as a means of overcoming growing inequalities and achieving sustainable societies.

To this end, the Institute “can make a decisive contribution” said the Director-General. “I am convinced the Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development is a model platform for the innovation that all societies need today, to foster new skills for new times. The future will be built here and on the benches of schools,” Ms Bokova concluded.

The UNESCO MGIEP was founded in November 2012, with the aim of mobilising youth to promote and foster greater understanding of peace, sustainable development and global citizenship through formal and non-formal teaching and learning. It is the first such UNESCO institute in India and the first in the Asia-Pacific region.