Remarks by H.E. Mr. Abdulla Shahid, President of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly

27 June 2022

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am honored to join you at this Pre-Summit convened ahead of the ‘Transforming Education Summit’ in September.

Three years into the pandemic has taught us a great deal about our education system. 

It demonstrated the resilience of our teachers and students, and the flexibility and resourcefulness of our educational institutions. 

At the same time, the pandemic also highlighted the challenges faced by an imperiled global education system. 

While online-learning has become an integral component of the right to education, great disparities exist in terms of access to digital tools and resources. 

The pandemic has compounded conflicts, environmental challenges, and economic crises, all of which have repercussions on our education systems. 

As we speak, more than 100 million additional children and young people have fallen below the minimum reading proficiency level.

And 23 countries – accounting for more than 400 million schoolchildren – are still affected by full or partial closure of schools.

An effective recovery from the pandemic requires investment in teachers, in digital learning, and in systems that are fit for the future.  

Excellencies,

We are in a state of global education emergency that demands robust and urgent action. Action that is inclusive and equitable for the world’s children and youth. 

I welcome the objectives of this pre-Summit, which aims to drive country commitments as well as global movement for education.

This is especially important as we craft a post-Covid agenda. 

It is imperative that we do this with a forward-looking view, geared towards equipping the next generation with the knowledge and skillsets they will need to not only solve current challenges, but also those of the future. That will help them prepare for tomorrow’s jobs and help them keep pace with a world that is ever-changing and defined by constant innovation. 

This will require upgraded curriculums, that reflect the importance of new digital trends to our economies and means of communication. And it will require investing in building up the capacity of our teachers, so that they are familiar with those trends, and can better impart that knowledge to students. 

Of course, this requires a profound and transformative change in our approach to education. This will be no easy feat. However, it can be done, if we embrace a spirit of cooperation.  

In a world that is increasingly interlinked, working together is the only smart solution. We must learn from each other, drawing inspiration from and building upon the success of our peers. 

Excellencies, 

Today’s network-wide coalition ushers in positive momentum. 

Through this growing support, I am confident that the Transforming Education Summit will galvanize action towards SDG4, on providing our communities with quality education. 

Going forward, we must generate synergies across our efforts on education, in a manner mutually benefitting students, teachers, parents, and all stakeholders. We must continue to keep in mind that education is an overlapping issue, that cuts across many of the Sustainable Development Goals.

We must ensure the outcomes of the upcoming High-Level Political Forum in July, which will review SDG4, are fed and leveraged into the discussions of the Summit in September.  

By achieving an inclusive, sustainable and resilient education system we can ensure our children and youth and specially girls get ahead of the learning curve and are given the best learning opportunities.

Together, we can create a new social contract for inclusive and resilient education for all.

I wish you all fruitful discussions and look forward to the outcomes of this summit.

I thank you.