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Add to Preferred SourcesNearly 40 global leaders gathered at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Headquarters in Paris on 10 July 2026 for the Transforming Education Summit +4 (TES+4), reaffirming their commitment to Sustainable Development Goal 4 amid a deepening global education financing crisis, according to a press release by UNESCO. The meeting marked four years since the 2022 UN Transforming Education Summit, which elevated education to the top of the global political agenda. Participants included UNESCO Director-General Khaled El-Enany, South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa, and UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed. Ministers, youth representatives, UN agencies, financial institutions, civil society, academia, and the private sector also attended. The Summit sought to accelerate action toward SDG 4 while shaping the education agenda beyond 2030.
Financing and resilience at the core
Through the twin lenses of resilience and transformation, TES+4 reviewed progress across inclusive digital transformation, greening education, the teaching profession, skills development, and education in crisis situations. The opening plenary on sustainable financing stressed the need for predictable, equitable, and long-term investment. Speakers called for a shift from fragmented, short-term funding toward country-led financing strategies. Particular attention was given to debt sustainability, including debt swaps for education. UNESCO released a Debt and Education package to help countries navigate constrained fiscal space.
Crisis, teachers, and inclusion
The session on education in crisis drew lessons from South Sudan, Ukraine, and Libya, emphasizing teachers, partnerships, and pre-crisis preparedness. On the teaching profession, participants discussed the 2024 Recommendations of the UN Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel and the Santiago Consensus adopted at the 2025 World Summit on Teachers. Cambodia presented reforms strengthening teacher training and AI guidance, while the Arab Bureau of Education for the Gulf States advanced regional dialogue. Discussions on inclusion and gender equality featured Thailand, Uruguay, and Mauritania. Priorities included embedding inclusion, strengthening accountability, and scaling proven solutions.
Digital, climate, and lifelong learning
On inclusive digital transformation, Egypt shared its public digital platforms, the Philippines announced joining the Gateways to Public Digital Learning Initiative, and the United Arab Emirates presented the AI-powered NOVA project. The environmental and climate change education session featured Saint Kitts and Nevis, the Kingdom of Tonga, the Seychelles, and Uzbekistan under the Greening Education Partnership.
“Resilience, financing and the post-2030 agenda are not parallel tracks, they converge on one destination: education systems that anticipate disruption, adapt with equity, and transform with purpose, catalyzing the skills revolution needed for tomorrow’s economies,” said Cyril Ramaphosa.
Country examples on skills ranged from South Africa and Armenia to Saudi Arabia and Oman. Priorities included foundational learning, industry alignment, and flexible lifelong pathways.
Toward the post-2030 agenda
TES+4 marked a pivotal step in building momentum for the post-2030 education agenda as UNESCO and the SDG 4 High-Level Steering Committee launched global consultations on the future of education. Youth and students are central to the process, ensuring their aspirations shape the next agenda. Closing the Summit, H.E. Mr Prasert Jantararuangtong, Thailand’s Minister of Education, announced that the Kingdom of Thailand will host the 2027 Global Education Meeting in Bangkok from 31 March to 2 April. The event will convene governments, youth, educators, and development partners. It will serve as a strategic platform in the final stretch to 2030.