Guest Blog by Christy Rhodes, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Adult Education, East Carolina University
President, Coalition of Lifelong Learning Organizations (COLLO)

With its acceptance as the 194^th member of UNESCO in July 2023, the United States is poised to engage officially with governmental and civil society partners from around the globe. As officials reestablish the U.S. position in UNESCO after a six-year absence, and in observance of International Literacy Day on September 8, U.S. adult educators will want to catch up with the latest news from the global adult learning and education community.

The 2022 Marrakech Framework for Action

UNESCO’s Institute for Lifelong Learning sponsors the International Conference on Adult Education, known as CONFINTEA, every 12 years to “agree on strategies and priority actions to further develop adult learning and education (ALE) concepts, policies and practices in all world regions. It reviews ALE from a global perspective, and agrees on principles for the future development of ALE in UNESCO Member States.” At CONFINTEA VII in July 2022, more than 140 UNESCO delegates convened to ratify the Marrakech Framework for Action (MFA). Non-voting delegates from U.S. government and civil society attended presentations on varied topics related to the progress made since CONFINTEA VI (2009) in the areas of ALE policy, governance, financing, participation, and quality. In addition, delegations were tasked with updating the Belém Framework developed at CONFINTEA VI to establish a roadmap for the global ALE community for the next 12 years.

The goals of the Marrakech Framework are grounded in a commitment to meet the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. The MFA goals include

• Promoting ALE within a lifelong learning perspective in formal and nonformal learning environments
• Enlisting ALE in efforts to resolve pressing societal issues such as climate change, inequities in access to education, and civic discord and eroding public trust
• Preparing learners to meet the increasingly complex demands of the modern workplace
• Eliminating disparities in participation in formal ALE

While recognizing the important role that civil society organizations play in ALE, the MFA focuses on actions governments should take to achieve these goals. In addition to calling for increased funding, the MFA recommends the establishment of international frameworks and governance arrangements, support for quality programming and instruction, a concerted effort to promote diverse and inclusive learner participation, and the expansion of learning domains from literacy and numeracy to digital, health, civic, and other literacies.

Next Steps for the U.S. ALE Community

Since CONFINTEA VII, the international ALE community has been planning the implementation and monitoring of the Marrakech Framework. Global government and civil society representatives are collaborating on efforts to educate practitioners about the goals and recommendations of the MFA, and also to learn about local priorities and innovations in educational programming. Now that the United States is once again a UNESCO member, the U.S. adult education community will have the opportunity to engage in similar efforts and to share successes and challenges nationwide and on the world stage. In preparation, the U.S. adult literacy education community can

1. Embrace an “umbrella” definition of adult education

ALE is a multi-faceted field of practitioners who recognize the unique nature of the adult learning process. Adult educators are basic skills teachers, military trainers, community health educators, librarians, and more. All of these adult education practitioners can strengthen their outreach and effectiveness by focusing on commonalities and the important roles that each of them plays in enabling adults to engage in learning throughout the lifespan. As the MFA notes, adult education is best served when it operates as part of a larger lifelong learning conceptual framework.

On the practical side, this focus could include national-level discussions about what adult education is and who adult educators are within the national community. Adopting this broader “umbrella” definition of adult education will begin to align the terminology used in the United States with that employed by the international ALE community. In addition, this broadened perspective would promote awareness of who is and is not invited to these discussions. The U.S. ALE community would benefit from regularly including those involved in technology and digital literacy development, community health education, or sustainability education, for example. Decision makers should also be sure to include these diverse voices, focusing on including community-based organizations, which are often referred to as “civil society” in international conversations.

2. Expand adult education curricula to include global issues and topics

Throughout CONFINTEA VII, speakers noted the potential of ALE to transform individuals and their communities. In alignment with this insight, adult learners in the United States can benefit from literacy and numeracy instruction that includes content about gender equity, climate change, civic engagement, and related topics set forth in the MFA. Incorporation of such topics can be done through the use of existing curricula and materials and will ensure that adult learners understand the role of these issues in their own communities and can use critical thinking to develop their own opinions and become pivotal contributors to possible solutions. In some cases, being familiar with these content areas could also open up new career and training opportunities that could increase adult learners’ roles in solving pressing issues.

3. Stay informed about ALE initiatives happening around the world

It can be challenging just to stay abreast of developments in the U.S. ALE community, let alone monitor those in the global one. However, now that the United States is reentering UNESCO, U.S. adult education practitioners will have opportunities to learn with and from members of the international community and to become local experts on international initiatives and reporting.

One option for doing so is reading the Global Report on Adult Learning and Education (GRALE), published every 3-4 years by UNESCO’s Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL). Building on survey data, policy analysis, and case studies, each GRALE report provides policy recommendations, examples of effective practice, and evidence of the role of adult education in addressing global challenges and the Sustainable Development Goals. GRALE 5, published in 2022, provides an overview of the state of adult education in UNESCO member states and a topic-specific review of citizenship education.

Another option is to follow the International Council for Adult Education (ICAE), which represents adult educators around the world and works closely with the UIL “to promote learning and education for adults and young people in pursuit of social justice within the framework of human right in all its dimensions.” ICAE has seven regional bodies, including one for North America, that host regional events and provide collaboration opportunities.

While it will not be easy for U.S. practitioners to catch up with the international community, it will undoubtedly be worth the effort. The issues that the U.S. ALE community faces are similar to many of those faced by other countries. Reentering UNESCO offers the opportunity to examine these issues and potential solutions through different lenses. It also allows U.S. practitioners to share successes on a global scale, within the larger context of the international conversation.

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Read the complete CONFINTEA VII Marrakech Framework for Action here.

Read more about International Literacy Day here.