© UNESCO
On 24/25 May 2012, the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) celebrated the 60th anniversary of its creation and presence in Hamburg, Germany. Founded as the “UNESCO Institute for Education” (UIE) in the aftermath of World War Two to rebuild the grounds for peace in Europe through cooperation in education, it played a pioneering role in putting literacy, adult education and lifelong learning on the policy map, first in Europe, and then globally. Today, the Institute is the key reference for global lifelong learning policy and practice: it coordinated UNESCO’s Literacy Initiative for Empowerment (LIFE) in 35 countries until 2012, it encourages the sharing of best practices, produces the Global Report on Adult Learning and Education (GRALE) and shepherds the International Conference on Adult Education – CONFINTEA – of which the most recent one was held in Belém, Brazil in 2009.
Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, joined UIL in person on 24 May to celebrate its 60th anniversary. The festivities included an official reception by the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, two public events in cooperation with the University of Hamburg, as well as several side meetings with UIL’s international partners.
The anniversary celebrations highlighted the successful work of the Institute in the past 60 years and the key role of lifelong learning for our societies in the future. As Arne Carlsen, the Director of UIL so clearly coined it: “We need to move forward, from "education for all" towards "lifelong learning for all". "
Pictures and supporting documents can be downloaded here.
See also: UNESCO website.
