Third Global Report on Adult Learning and Education (GRALE 3)

The third Global Report on Adult Learning and Education (GRALE 3) came at a time of great transformation. Rapid technological change, longer life-expectancy and mass migration are presenting individuals, communities, governments and employers with unprecedented opportunities and challenges. Meanwhile, global leaders have agreed on a holistic new vision for the future: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Against this backdrop, GRALE 3 serves three objectives:

• First, GRALE 3 monitors global progress in adult learning and education (ALE). Based on survey data and reports from 139 countries, it finds that since 2009, when countries adopted the Belém Framework for Action, progress has been mixed. Its findings represent the first global review of ALE since UNESCO Member States adopted the 2015 Recommendation on Adult Learning and Education.
• Second, it makes a powerful case for governments, employers and individuals to invest in ALE. Bringing together the latest evidence, case studies and research, it shows how ALE can promote sustainable development, healthier societies, better jobs and more active citizenship.
• Third, GRALE 3 equips policy-makers and practitioners for the road ahead. It shows how ALE can be part of broader, holistic efforts to respond to global challenges and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. It highlights principles and recommendations for countries to consider ahead of and during the 2017 Mid-Term Review of CONFINTEA VI.

GRALE 3 is the result of a collaborative effort led by the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL). Alongside a distinguished team of editors and authors, UIL’s partners included UNESCO National Commissions and Field Offices, colleagues from UNESCO Headquarters and the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, and a team of ‘critical friends’ from the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Labour Organization (ILO), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the Global Education Monitoring Report.