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Gmail - ICAE Members update January 2023

Makiko Kondo <mkondo54@gmail.com>

ICAE Members update January 2023
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ICAE <policy@icae.global>: ICAE <policy@icae.global>
To: jssace.intl@gmail.com

2023

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2:23

ICAE Members UPDATE - June 2023
Dear ICAE members,
Our ICAE Newsletter includes a variety of updates and events for you. Thisissue focuses especially on the CONFINTEA VII Follow-up as well as on
the forthcoming High Level Political Forum.
1. Reflections by ICAE EC Members on CONFINTEA VII Regional Followup meetings
Report of the Regional CONFINTEA VII follow-up conference for North
America - Tom Sork
Caribbean Reflections on the CONFINTEA VII - Shermaine Barrett
Post Confintea VII main activities and challenges in the Arab region Elarbi Imad
Latin American developments - Timothy Ireland
Updates from the European Nordic countries - Cecilia Palm
2. HLPF 2023
Registration and meeting up in NY
Voluntary National Reviews
EASG Side event on 11 July
We hope you will enjoy the read :)https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ik=6c5c5c1964&view=pt&search=all&permthid=thread-f:1769515000770245584%7Cmsg-f:1769515000770245584&simpl=… 1/9

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Your ICAE Team

1. Reflections by ICAE EC Members on
CONFINTEA VII - Regional Follow up
Meetings
During the past few months, the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL)
has already organized several regional follow-up meetings on CONFINTEA VII,building upon the signiﬁcant platform it provided in 2022 for policymakers,
educators, and practitioners to shape the future of adult education.
In this newsletter, you will ﬁnd contributions from ICAE Vice-Presidents andExecutive Committee members, offering personal accounts, reﬂections andoutlooks from the Conﬁntea VII follow-up meetings and activities.

Report of the Regional CONFINTEA VII follow-up
conference for North America
On June 2, 2023, ICAE members in Canada and the US participated in a 2hour virtual follow-up conference to CONFINTEA VII. The event was apartnership between the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL), theCanadian Commission for UNESCO, and ICAE. Facilitated by Daniel Baril,
Executive Director of the L'Institut de coopération pour l'éducation des adultes(ICÉA) in Montreal and Chair of the UIL Governing Board, the agenda included
background on CONFINTEA VII in Morocco and the resulting Marrakech
Framework for Action (MFA) and presentations about several ALE initiatives inAlberta, Québec and Nova Scotia. This portion of the program focused on
Canadian initiatives because the US is not a UNESCO member state, although
there is now a recent report out of Paris that the US would be rejoining
UNESCO in July.
Tom Sork, ICAE VP for North America, emphasized the central role of civilsociety organizations in ALE provision and the need to ensure that this sector is
included in UIL and government discussions about policy, funding priorities, andall aspects of implementing and monitoring the MFA.
Nicolas Jonas from UIL summarized the main outcomes of CONFINTEA VII
and reported on progress toward developing a new process for monitoring
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actions and outcomes related to the MFA. Referred to in the programme as a“new generation” of the Global Report on Adult Learning and Education(GRALE), this process envisions a more robust data collection process that will
require a good deal of “capacity building” globally to prepare data collection andreporting systems that capture the diversity of ALE policies, provision andoutcomes. Mr. Jonas indicated that GRALE 6 would be released in 2026 and
GRALE 7 in 2030, the target year for achieving the UN’s Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) from the 2030 Agenda.
Although the concept note for the event focused on developing “feasible action
points to implement and meet the commitments made in the MFA,” there wasno time alloted for discussion. However, following the event, the CanadianCommission for UNESCO circulated to attendees a link to a UIL follow-up
survey asking for “your country’s plans for the implementation of the Marrakech
Framework for Action” including to:
improve adult learning and education system organization (to include
policy, legislation, governance, human and financial resources as well as
research),enhance participation and inclusion in adult learning and education, andimprove adult learning and education quality in relation to:
Teachers' competencies and professional development.
Relevant curricula and learning materials that incorporate developing
fields of learning such as education for climate action and for citizenship.
Addressing the digital gap and ensure an inclusive digital transition.
Evaluation to guide policies and practice to further promote inclusion,quality, and relevance of ALE.

This event was a promising start, but only that on the way to more robust,
inclusive discussions about country, regional and global responses tocommitments made in the MFA.

Tom Sork
ICAE Vice-President for North America

Caribbean Reﬂections on the CONFINTEA VII
The CONFINTEA VII Follow-up meeting for the Caribbean Region was held
over 2 days, June 1 and 2. Prior to the meeting I wrote to the UNESCO
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Kingston ofﬁce to secure the participation of my organization the JamaicanCouncil for Adult Education (JACAE). I was later contacted by Susanna HessKalcher, the DVV Regional Director for Central America and the Caribbean tosay she was asked to make a presentation about stakeholder‘s perspective on
the MFA in the Caribbean. I shared with her the major area of concern from ourperspective.
Three days before the actual meeting I was contacted by Jonas to seek myparticipation as a speaker to which I consented. I was able to consent because
JACAE had already held a forum to discuss the Marakech Framework from a
Jamaican and Caribbean perspective. This would provide the basis for mycontribution at the meeting. I later became aware that I was slated to moderate
the programme for day 1 when I was sent a draft of the programme. The day
before the meetings I wrote to Jonas requesting the ﬁnal draft of the
programme as a way of conﬁrming what was expected of me. That was sent tome on the morning of Day 1 of the meeting and the time for the meeting wasclearly stated (10:00 – 12:00 GMT-4).
When I entered the Zoom room at 9:40 thinking I was 20 mins early I noted thatthe meeting was in progress. I quickly reached out to the Kingston Ofﬁce only
to be told that the meeting had started 1 hour earlier. I believe this resulted fromthe difference in times among Caribbean Countries. I was however given theopportunity to take over the moderation on the meeting. I also made mypresentation which was well received.
It is important to note that the other two speakers who were scheduled topresent on the status of things in their countries did not show.
Despite the obvious lack of proper organization, the discussion that ﬁlled thetime slots of those absentee presenters was robust and engaging.
I did not participate in the activities of Day 2.

Shermaine Barrett
ICAE Vice-President for the Caribbean Region

Post Conﬁntea VII main activities and challenges
in the Arab region
As post Conﬁntea VII activity, a special meeting was held in Lebanon in
December 2022.The meeting got together experts and civil society activists inadult education from Yemen, Morocco, Iraq, Lebanon, Egypt, Palestine, Sudan
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and Jordan. It was organized by AHAED, The UNESCO, DVV, the UNESCO
Institute for Lifelong Learning. The main objective of the event was to discuss
the outlines of a strategic plan that may activate the Marrakesh Framework for
Action aiming to implement the principles of partnerships and interconnectionsin the ﬁeld of Adult Learning and Education. As a follow up, other virtual and inperson meetings were organized by AHAED to present the Marrakesh
framework for Action and discuss ways as how to implement it across the Arabregions. During the meetings, participants debated some challenges such as
the funding of adult education activities and how to sustain them incollaboration with the CSOs and Governmental Departments. As arecommendation from AHAED and partners, more advocacy from the CSOs isbadly needed to get the Governments and donors heavily involved in promoting
quality adult education. In addition, setting up partnerships, networks andspecial committees has been strongly suggested by many of the experts and
CSOs activists so as to enlist Governments to adopt their public policies interms of promoting adult education. To implement the Framework on the
ground, the following have been proposed:
1. Holding regular follow up meetings
2. Capacity building for adult education facilitators
3. Revisiting the concepts and terminology in terms of adult learning andeducation
4. Establishing special committees to share experiences and Best Practices
The Arab Network for Literacy and Adult Education also hosted a number ofvirtual and in person activities across the Arab region. The network presented
the Marrakesh Framework at the Arab League and worked closely with the
UNESCO, Egypt, the Egyptian Literacy and Adult Education Agency and otherNGOs to raise awareness regarding the importance of promoting adulteducation. Furthermore, the network delivered presentations at the COP 27
and contributed to advocating for quality adult learning and empowering thecapacities of women in the ﬁeld of adult education.
Elarbi Imad
ICAE Special Advisor for the Arab Region

Latin American developments on CONFINTEA VII
It seems that Latin America will be one of the last regions to hold its
CONFINTEA follow-up meeting. Nonetheless, the Latin American Platform of
Networks in Youth and Adult Education (which includes CEAAL, ALER,REPEM, Fé y Alegria, CLADE and ICAE) continues with its series of events
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which seek to highlight both the recommendations of the Marrakech Frameworkof Action and good practices of ALE in the region.
In March the DVVI Office in Bogotá organised the VI Andean Meeting on Youthand Adult education in which CLADE and ICAE participated, discussing theneed to make the challenges faced by adult education in the region more
visible and to consider the implementation of the Marrakech Framework of
Action in the Region.
On 26th April the Platform organised an online discussion on Public Policy inYouth and Adult Education in Latin America and the Caribbean at which Chile
presented its current experience. That was followed on 15th June by a Virtual
Dialogue in which five inspiring experiences of inclusive public policy in youth
and adult education were presented, with cases from Argentina, Peru, Ecuador,
Brazil and Chile. This will be followed on 21st June by the launching of the
REPEM (Popular Education Network among Women in Latin America and the
Caribbean) Campaign for Non-sexist and Integral Education. Then on 28th
June, the UNESCO Chair in youth and adult education will hold anInter/national Dialogue on Adult Learning and Education whose focus will be
the implementation of the Marrakech Framework of Action as public policy. A
brief presentation of the MAM will be followed by comments from therepresentatives of the Brazilian Ministry of Education, the State forums of EJA
and from the Regional Platform (CEAAL and CLADE).
Finally it is important to announce that CEAAL, an important partner of ICAE in
the Region, has just published a book “Educational Justice for Young People
and Adults: Challenges for Latin America and the Caribbean” (Justiça educativa
para personas jóvenes y adultas: desafios para América Latina y el Caribe),
which sets out to respond to the questions posed by the contemporary context
of crisis and the priorities and recommendations included in the MAM,
examining the multifaceted Latin American and Caribbean context and thediverse dimensions of the contemporary civilizational crisis.
Timothy Ireland
ICAE Vice-President for Latin America

Updates from the European Nordic countries
The Swedish members set up a webinar about the results of Confintea VII in
the autumn 2022. Participants were a representative from the Swedish Unesco
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commission, the moderator from Studieförbunden i samverkan and myself.
We also participated in a meeting organised by the Swedish Unesco
commission – about Transforming Education Summit – trying to add Confintea
VII as a topic.
Representatives of popular education ALE in the Nordic countries were
informed about Confintea VII during a videomeeting in 2022, and at thephysical meeting that I have already written to you about.
The Swedish government changed after the elections in September 2022, andwe have heard very little about Confintea VII follow-up from the new Education
minister.
I believe that the situation in the other Nordic countries is similar to our’s, that is
low activity in the government. Perhaps with the exception of Finland, where
the ALE organisations have had excellent connections with the ministry. Thatmight change, however, as they announced a new government yesterday as aresult of recent elections.

ICAE Executive Committee Member
Cecilia Palm

2. High Level Political Forum 2023
ICAE is proud to announce its continued active participation in the High-Level
Political Forum (HLPF) 2023, as we have been in previous years.
The High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) will be heldfrom Monday, 10 July, to Wednesday, 19 July 2023, under the auspices of
the Economic and Social Council. The HLPF is the main United Nations
platform on sustainable development and it has a central role in the follow-up
and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development andthe Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the global level.
This years theme will be "Accelerating the recovery from the coronavirus
disease (COVID-19) and the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for
Sustainable Development at all levels”. The HLPF in 2023 will review indepth Goals 6 on clean water and sanitation, 7 on affordable and clean energy,
9 on industry, innovation and infrastructure, 11 on sustainable cities andhttps://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ik=6c5c5c1964&view=pt&search=all&permthid=thread-f:1769515000770245584%7Cmsg-f:1769515000770245584&simpl=… 7/9

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communities, and 17 on partnerships for the Goals. SDG4 on Quality Educationis reviewed every 4 years and is not under review this year, but education has
several interlinks with the entire agenda, so it is still very important to addressand contribute to the forum.
Registration and meeting in NY: The registration for the HLPF 2023 will closeon June 25th, 2023. Please confirm your attendance by replying to this email.
This will enable us to coordinate actions and meet you in person in NY :)Voluntary National Reviews
As part of its follow-up and review mechanisms, the 2030 Agenda for
Sustainable Development encourages member States to conduct regular andinclusive reviews of progress at the national and sub-national levels, which arecountry-led and country-driven (paragraph 79). The VNR countries are
expected to submit comprehensive written reports that will be made available inthe VNR database. Following 41 countries will present their VNRs at the HLPF
2023:
Bahrain, Barbados, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brunei
Darussalam, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Canada, Central African
Republic, Comoros, Chile, Croatia, Democratic Republic of theCongo, European Union, Fiji, France, Guyana, Iceland, Ireland, Kuwait, Liech
tenstein, Lithuania, Maldives, Mongolia, Poland, Portugal, R
omania, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovakia, St Kitts & Nevis, Syrian
Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, United Republic of
Tanzania, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, Zambia
For more details, please click here.

EASG – HLPF 2023 Side event"Unmasking Transformative Education: A Critical
Journey towards SDG 4"
Tuesday 11th July at 13:15-14:30 NY Time,
Conference Room C
Save the date! We are excited to invite you to the EASG - HLPF 2023 Side
Event, titled "Unmasking Transformative Education: A Critical Journey towards
SDG 4". Join us on Tuesday, July 11th, from 13:15 to 14:30 NY Time.

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This engaging event will delve into the crucial role of transformative educationin achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4. Stay tuned for more details,
including esteemed speakers and registration information. Get ready for an
insightful discussion and meaningful exploration of education's transformative
power. More information will follow soon!
Please do not hesitate to contact us at anytime in case you do have any
further questions.
Your ICAE Team

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