Special News--May 2024
Collaborating for SDG 4Quality Education and Lifelong Learning for All
Rewrite the Future---Education for Children in Conflict-Affected CountriesSave the Children (2006) page 23“Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education
and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.”
Sustainable Development Goal 4------------------Overview
In this Update (#95), we focus on education--the "great equalizer"--as envisioned in Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4). We share just a few of the myriad of materials related to SDG 4 that describe collaborative efforts and activities along with the problems and progress in realizing its 10 Targets. These materials will hopefully stimulate your further study into the importance of collaborating for "inclusive, equitable, and quality" education and life-long learning for all people. See the global update on SDG 4 from Our World In Data (July 2023).
Specifically, we feature these "Four Resource Areas for SDG 4."
Area 1--SDG 4 Overview. SDG 4 and its 10 Targets (2015-2030) and the UN SDG Report (2023)
Area 2--New Webinars. Reducing Global Inequalities Through Education: Psychological Contributions--Psychology Day at the United Nations (25 April 2024, archive) and Countering Global Intellectual Inequality--Georgetown University Global Dialogues (25 April 2024, archive)
Area 3--UN Resources. Unpacking SDG 4: Education 2030 (guide) UNESCO (2017) and Education for Global Citizenship (summary document-agenda)--UN DPI/ NGO Conference (2016)
Area 4--Humanitarian and Migration Settings. Education in Crisis (article)--Red Cross Red Crescent magazine (December 2016) and Education, Trainings, and Recreational Activities (website section, see related resources and guides)--International Organization for Migration
Please note--The last thing we want to do by profiling SDG 4 or any SDG is to prop up "coblahberrating" in any of its forms. What we mean by this incisive neologism is "pretending to be effectively co-laboring together (collaborating) for true changes when in fact what we are really doing and reinforcing is a blah-blah-blah-blabbering." At best it helps us look and feel useful and important and at worse it helps to window dress our involvement so as to facilitate revenue streams for ourselves and organizations etc.
School Days!
This is a picture of my (Kelly) first truly cross-cultural trip. It was in August 1975 into the Sierra Nevada mountains in Puebla, Mexico.
I was part of a small team from a Catholic organization in Mexico City focusing on agriculture and education. This is the best copy of a picture I took and it continues to hang in my office as a reminder of these special Nahuatl children and others like them around the world. You cannot believe how excited they were to attend this temporary "school" (for just a few days) which we set up outside with a couple benches in a village which at that time had no electricity, running water, or telecom.
I saw first hand, while still in my teens, how important it was to learn from the community and others and to get into the trenches with people. I later built my doctoral dissertation in community psychology and mission (1984--40 years ago!) around this initial and the subsequent experiences with the people in this region.
We conclude the Update with some personal perspectives on being "people of faith-hope-love" in the Christian tradition who embrace "common ground for the common good." This inclusive approach encourages active learning and collaboration with a diversity of colleagues on behalf of wellbeing for all people and the planet.
Making It Personal--Suggested Applications
Review the materials in this Update. Do any of the photos, for example, stir up thoughts, feelings, or memories for you?
Choose one or more items to delve into. SDG 4 with its 10 Targets is a good place to start.
Share this Update with your friends, colleagues, organization(s), and network(s). Discuss practical applications for your life and work.
See these Global Integration Updates:
Warm greetings,
Kelly and Michèle
MCAresources@gmail.com
Featured Resources
Collaborating for SDG 4
Quality Education and Lifelong Learning for All
Rewrite the Future---Education for Children in Conflict-Affected Countries
Save the Children (2006) page 36
"Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory...Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms...Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children." Excerpts from Article 26—Universal Declaration of Human Rights
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Four Resource Areas for SDG 4
Transforming Our World
Area 1--SDG 4 Overview
SDG 4 and its 10 Targets (2015-2030). "Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.
4.1 By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes
4.2 By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education so that they are ready for primary education
4.3 By 2030, ensure equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education, including university
4.4 By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship
4.5 By 2030, eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access to all levels of education and vocational training for the vulnerable, including persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples and children in vulnerable situations
4.6 By 2030, ensure that all youth and a substantial proportion of adults, both men and women, achieve literacy and numeracy
4.7 By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development
4.a Build and upgrade education facilities that are child, disability and gender sensitive and provide safe, non-violent, inclusive and effective learning environments for all
4.b By 2020, substantially expand globally the number of scholarships available to developing countries, in particular least developed countries, small island developing States and African countries, for enrolment in higher education, including vocational training and information and communications technology, technical, engineering and scientific programmes, in developed countries and other developing countries
4.c By 2030, substantially increase the supply of qualified teachers, including through international cooperation for teacher training in developing countries, especially least developed countries and small island developing States” (excerpted from the UN's Transforming Our World--The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development)
UN SDG Report (2023). Note especially the section on SDG 4. “[This Report] provides a powerful call to action, presenting a candid assessment of the SDGs based on the latest data and estimates. While highlighting the existing gaps and urging the world to redouble its efforts, the report also emphasizes the immense potential for success through strong political will and the utilization of available technologies, resources, and knowledge. Together, the global community can reignite progress towards achieving the SDGs and create a brighter future for all. According to the report, the impacts of the climate crisis, the war in Ukraine, a weak global economy, and the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have revealed weaknesses and hindered progress towards the Goals. The report further warns that while lack of progress is universal, it is the world’s poorest and most vulnerable who are experiencing the worst effects of these unprecedented global challenges. It also points out areas that need urgent action to rescue the SDGs and deliver meaningful progress for people and the planet by 2030.”
Note--Also see the global update on SDG 4 from Our World In Data (July 2023).
Area 2--New Webinars
Reducing Global Inequalities Through Education: Psychological Contributions--Psychology Day at the United Nations (25 April 2024, archive). “Education is a human right and, as noted by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), it is also “one of the most powerful and proven vehicles for sustainable development.” Over the past 20 years, there have been remarkable advances in education globally. For example, there have been increases in literacy attainment and girls are enrolled in school at higher rates than at any other time. Despite these laudable successes, educational disparities continue to be significant between urban and rural communities. In some areas of the world, close to half of the girls are out-of-school. Additionally, the access to education of children living in conflict affected areas is perilously limited, while millions of children lack essential literacy and numeracy skills. Further, the COVID-19 pandemic unfortunately disproportionally affected communities and has exacerbated school refusal...The 2024 Psychology Day program features experts from diverse regions who will offer concrete strategies to promote the specific sustainable development goal targets through the lens of psychological science and practice. The event will feature psychologists with expertise in the areas of educational psychology, developmental psychology, health psychology, and clinical/counseling psychology, as well as allied psychologists to take part in the discussion, and provide their perspectives on working with individuals and communities across different regions of the globe.” (Excerpts from the Concept Note by Kim Baranowski)
Countering Global Intellectual Inequality--Georgetown University Global Dialogues (25 April 2024, archive). “The global challenges we face—from climate change and pandemics to rampant nationalism, security competition, and war—demand the full intellectual resources of global humanity. But the structures of knowledge production and dissemination remain heavily weighted against the Global South. While the relative decline of the United States and Europe has shifted the economic and political balance of power on a global scale, the West continues to generate the dominant narratives that shape the incipient global public sphere...How does global intellectual inequality today differ from that of an earlier, colonial era? What obstacles stand in the way of a less unequal global public sphere—one in which voices from the Global South are heard more loudly and clearly around the common challenges facing humanity? What are creative ways to overcome those obstacles in practice?”
Area 3--UN Resources
Unpacking SDG 4: Education 2030 (guide) UNESCO (2017). "This is an initial overview-guide (37 pages) to support four broad areas. "A broad scope ensuring lifelong learning opportunities for all...to ensure universal pre-primary and secondary education leading to effective and relevant learning outcomes for all children, youth and adults as a foundation for lifelong and life-wide learning...[and] equal opportunity in access to further learning opportunities for youth and adults throughout life. Renewed focus on equity, inclusion and gender equality...which aims to eliminate gender disparities and ensure more equitable access to all levels of education and vocational training for vulnerable populations including persons with disabilities and indigenous peoples. Renewed focus on effective learning...and the acquisition of relevant knowledge, skills and competencies. New focus on relevance of learning...both in terms of vocational and technical skills for decent work (Target 4.4), as well as for ‘global citizenship’ in a plural, interdependent, and interconnected world (Target 4.7).” (pages 10-11)
Education for Global Citizenship (summary document--Gyeongju Action Plan)--UN DPI/ NGO Conference (2016) “In order to achieve Agenda 2030, we affirm: The importance of Sustainable Development Goal 4...‘Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship…’ In the spirit of global citizenship, in which our primary identity is that of human beings, all people, regardless of circumstances, ‘should have access to life-long learning opportunities that help them acquire the knowledge and skills needed to exploit opportunities and to participate fully in society’...It is unacceptable that diverse group memberships and identities have been used to deny the right to learn or otherwise marginalize individuals...In addition to literacy and numeracy, education must advance the cause of global citizenship which: promotes integrated development of the whole person emotionally, ethically, intellectually, physically, socially, and spiritually; imbued with an understanding of our roles, rights and responsibilities for the common good in service to humanity and the advancement of a culture of peace, non-violence, freedom, justice, and equality;” (excerpt)
Area 4--Humanitarian and Migration Settings
Education in Crisis (article)--Red Cross Red Crescent magazine (December 2016). "With more people on the move than ever before, conflicts lasting years and chronic violence on the rise in many areas, millions of children are deprived of even a basic education. From the sprawling rows of tents of the Dadaab refugee camps in eastern Kenya, to the slopes of Mount Olympus in Greece and the cramped apartments in long-time refugee settlements in Lebanon and Syria, the world’s approximately 65 million displaced people are spread far and wide [as of the end of 2022 some 108 million people re forcibly displaced--UNHCR]. Underlying their dire circumstances and their difficult living conditions is a less visible but silently growing crisis. As conflicts become ever more protracted and chronic violence in some places becomes a permanent fact of life, more and more children enter adulthood deprived of a meaningful education.”
Education, Trainings, and Recreational Activities (website section, see the related resources and guides)--International Organization for Migration. "Education, trainings and recreational activities can greatly contribute to beneficiaries’ wellbeing, self-perception and sense of belonging. In fact, participation to such activities may offer them stable routines while receiving assistance and provide opportunities for social interaction and self-expression."
Personal Reflections
Being People of Faith-Hope-Love
As people of faith who practice Christian spirituality, we are committed to responsibly engage with others in the challenges facing our world, locally through globally, while holding firmly to our belief that we are in God's hands. We pray that God's purposes "will be done on earth as they are in heaven;" acknowledge that prayer, repentance, and relationship with God are key to human-planetary wellbeing; and live in hope for the time when God through Jesus Christ will decisively intervene in human history with equity--righteousness and justice--to restore all things. And in the meantime, we seek to embrace lifestyles of integrity that prioritize a deep, practical love for truth, peace, and people--and this includes being willing to acknowledge, resist, and confront evil in its many forms (starting with ourselves, etc.)
We do not want to further problematize our world's plight by focusing primarily on the negative. Rather we want to also promote the many examples of the good going forward, as people of integrity find common ground for the common good.
Finally, we want to highlight that the despair and disillusion that result from seemingly intractable problems like climate, conflicts, poverty, and corruption can also be quite positive. They can embody a crucial existential message about reality that can be "revisited"--explored and heeded--rather than simply "resisted." They can point us to Someone who is bigger than ourselves, the SDGs, humanity, and our world--the knowable, Eternal One who is both in and beyond space-time and who loves us all dearly.
The above thoughts build upon the Personal Reflections in Perils, Paralysis, Hope: Sustainable Development-Sustainable Destruction? (Global Integration Update, October 2022).
Member Care Associates
MCAresources@gmail.com
Member Care Associates Inc. (MCA) is a non-profit, Christian organization working internationally from Geneva and the USA. MCA's involvement in Global Integration focuses on the wellbeing and effectiveness of personnel and their organizations across sectors (e.g., mission, humanitarian, peace, health, and development sectors) as well as global mental health and integrity/anti-corruption, all with a view towards collaboratively supporting sustainable development for all people and the planet. Our services include consultation, training, research, resource development, and publications.
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