Stefania Giannini is Assistant Director-General for Education, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Multilingual Education: A Key to Quality and Inclusive Learning

Young women attending class in Dire Dawa, Ethiopia, 2023. UNICEF Ethiopia
Stefania Giannini, Assistant Director-General for Education, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). UNESCO

The potential of multilingual education is enormous, but realizing its full benefits requires a commitment to lifelong learning and a deeper appreciation of the value of linguistic diversity.

Championing Education for People, Prosperity, Planet and Peace

Grade four student, Phonsivilay Primary School, Meun District, Laos. December 2018. Global Partnership for Education (GPE)/Kelley Lynch (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
Students take an exam outside at Mpanda Girls' Secondary School, Mpanda District, Katavi Region, Tanzania. August 2019. GPE/Kelley Lynch (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Leaving no one behind is not a numbers game, but one that calls for re-evaluating and reimagining what education means and provides. This year’s International Day celebrates precisely how learning can empower people, foster peace, build shared prosperity and protect a fragile planet.