UN / EDUCATION SUMMIT OPENING

STORY: UN / EDUCATION SUMMIT OPENING
TRT: 03:29
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTION: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 19 SEPTEMBER 2022, NEW YORK CITY

SHOTLIST:

1. Various shot, UN Headquarters exterior with Transforming Education Summit signage
2. Wide shot, mapped projection inside General Assembly Hall
3. Wide shot, Secretary-General António Guterres at the rostrum
4. SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations:
“Every single person in this room knows education transforms lives, economies and societies. But we also know we must transform education. Because education is in a deep crisis. Instead of being the great enabler, education is fast becoming a great divider. Some 70 percent of 10-year-olds in poor countries are unable to read a basic text. Either they are out of school, or in school but barely learning.”
5. Wide shot, Guterres at the rostrum
6. SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations:
“Education systems take little account of lifelong learning, and teachers are under-trained, undervalued and underpaid. The digital divide penalizes poor students. And the education financing gap yawns wider than ever.”
7. Wide shot, Guterres at the rostrum
8. SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations:
“A new vision for education in the 21st century is taking shape. Above all, quality education must support the development of the individual learner throughout his or her life. It must help people learn how to learn, with a focus on problem-solving and collaboration. It must provide the foundations for learning, from reading, writing and mathematics to scientific, digital, social and emotional skills. It must also develop students’ capacity to adapt to the rapidly changing world of work.”
9. Wide shot, youth activists Vanessa Nakate, Yelizaveta Posivnych, and Somaya Faruqi at the rostrum
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Vanessa Nakate, Climate Justice Activist and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador:
“Today, you are all here to help find solutions that will transform our education systems and make them fit for purpose. Climate action helps girls stay in school, which in turn helps countries tackle the climate crisis. We must make it possible for all children to have access to an education, and we must help them be able to stay in school. Their futures depend upon it.”
11. Wide shot, education activist Malala Yousafzai at the rostrum
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Malala Yousafzai, 2014 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate / Messenger of Peace, United Nations:
“Most of you know what exactly needs to be done. You must not make you must not make small, stingy and short-term pledges. But commit to uphold; but commit to uphold the right to complete education and close the funding gap once and for all. You must use the power you have to take action. Allocate 20 percent of your budgets to education. High income countries, increase aid, cancel debts and set fair global tax system so that low-income countries can spend more on girls.”
13. Wide shot, Yousafzai at the rostrum

STORYLINE:

Addressing Leaders Day at the Transforming Education Summit taking place at UN Headquarters, Secretary-General António Guterres today (19 Sep) said, “instead of being the great enabler, education is fast becoming a great divider,” and called for a “new vision for education in the 21st century.”

Guterres said, “every single person in this room knows education transforms lives, economies and societies. But we also know we must transform education. Because education is in a deep crisis.”

He noted that “some 70 percent of 10-year-olds in poor countries are unable to read a basic text. Either they are out of school, or in school but barely learning.”

The Secretary-General said, “education systems take little account of lifelong learning, and teachers are under-trained, undervalued and underpaid. The digital divide penalizes poor students. And the education financing gap yawns wider than ever.”

He said, “above all, quality education must support the development of the individual learner throughout his or her life. It must help people learn how to learn, with a focus on problem-solving and collaboration. It must provide the foundations for learning, from reading, writing and mathematics to scientific, digital, social and emotional skills. It must also develop students’ capacity to adapt to the rapidly changing world of work.”

Addressing the Youth Segment of the Summit, Climate Justice Activist and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Vanessa Nakate said, “today, you are all here to help find solutions that will transform our education systems and make them fit for purpose.”

Nakate said, “we must make it possible for all children to have access to an education, and we must help them be able to stay in school. Their futures depend upon it.”

For her part, 2014 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and United Nations Messenger of Peace, Malala Yousafzai called on leaders to “not make small, stingy and short-term pledges,” but instead “commit to uphold the right to complete education and close the funding gap once and for all.”

Yousafzai said, “you must use the power you have to take action. Allocate 20 percent of your budgets to education. High income countries, increase aid, cancel debts and set fair global tax system so that low-income countries can spend more on girls.”

The Transforming Education Summit is a key initiative of Our Common Agenda launched by UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, in September 2021. The Summit is taking place during the 77th session of the UN General Assembly and was convened by the Secretary-General with a view to elevating education to the top of the global political agenda and to mobilize action, ambition, solidarity and solutions to recover pandemic-related learning losses and sow the seeds to transform education in a rapidly changing world.