Global Platform for Gender Equality in and through Education

  • N Network/Convening/Conference

A Active

Key Information

The Global Platform for Gender Equality in and through Education is a four-year, multi-stakeholder initiative (2023–2026) co-led by UNESCO and UNICEF to advance gender equality and girls and women's empowerment in and through education. Bringing together governments, partners, civil society, youth activists and leaders, the Platform promotes transformative leadership, accountability, innovation, and financing to address persistent gender gaps in education systems worldwide. It focuses particularly on the most marginalised populations, aiming to ensure that all learners can access and complete quality education.

The Global Platform seeks to strengthen accountability by equipping stakeholders with robust data and evidence, catalyse action through gender-transformative policies and practices, and promote learning by documenting and sharing high-impact solutions. Key activities include annual convenings to review progress on global commitments, advocacy and capacity development for gender-transformative education systems, and operation of a Global Accountability Dashboard to monitor progress and share evidence. Emphasizing South-South cooperation, it supports civil society and youth engagement to sustain momentum for change.

With 251 million children and youth still out of school and 99 million young people illiterate - over half of them women - the Platform brings together countries that, while confronting major gender disparities, are also demonstrating strong leadership and scalable actions on gender equality in and through education, as well as global donors committed to advancing equality and driving systemic progress across education systems worldwide.

Lead Implementing Organization(s)

Location(s)

Global

Activity URL

https://www.unesco.org/sdg4education2030/en/global-initiatives/gender-equality-platform

Government Affiliation

Unknown

Years

2022 - 2026

Partner(s)

Handicap International SDG4 Youth & Student Network Graça Machel Trust Governments of Canada, France, Germany, Namibia, Norway, UK List not exhaustive

Ministry Affiliation

N/A

Funder(s)

Not applicable or unknown

COVID-19 Response

Unknown

Geographic Scope

Global / regional

Meets gender-transformative education criteria from the TES  

Yes

Areas of Work Back to Top

Education areas

Attainment
  • Post-secondary
  • Primary completion
  • Primary enrollment
  • Primary to secondary transition
  • Secondary completion
  • Secondary Enrollment
Other
  • Early childhood development
  • Other
  • Remote Learning
  • Transition from school to work
Other skills
  • Financial literacy
  • Life skills/sexuality education
  • Rights/empowerment education
  • Social and emotional learning
  • Vocational training
Quality
  • Curricula/lesson plans
  • School facilities
  • School quality
  • School-related gender-based violence
  • School violence
  • Teacher training
Skills
  • Civics education
  • Literacy
  • Numeracy
  • Other academic performance-related
  • STEM

Cross-cutting areas

  • Adolescent pregnancy/childbearing
  • Community sensitization
  • Digital literacy
  • Early/child marriage
  • Emergencies and protracted crises
  • Empowerment
  • Gender equality
  • Masculinities/boys
  • Mentorship
  • Sexual harassment & coercion
  • Social and gender norms and beliefs
  • Violence (at home, in relationships)
  • WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene)

Program participants

Target Audience(s)

Boys (both in school and out of school), Community leaders, Fathers, Girls (both in school and out of school), Mothers, Other community members - female, Other community members - male, Other family members, Policymakers, School administrators, Teachers - female, Teachers - male, Youth

Age

Not applicable or unknown

School Enrolment Status

Not applicable or unknown

School Level

  • Pre-school
  • Lower primary
  • Upper primary
  • Lower secondary
  • Upper secondary
  • Vocational
  • Tertiary

Other populations reached

Not applicable or unknown

Participants include

Not applicable or unknown

Program Approaches Back to Top

Program Goals Back to Top

Education goals

  • Curricula, teaching and learning materials are free of gender-bias and stereotypes
  • Education sector plans, budgets, policies, and data systems are more gender-equitable
  • Gender parity and non-discrimination are promoted at all subjects/education levels
  • Improved academic skills (literacy and numeracy)
  • Improved critical thinking
  • Improved social and emotional learning/skills and mindsets
  • Increased grade attainment
  • Increased school completion (general)
  • Increased school enrolment (general)
  • Increased years of schooling
  • Reduced absenteeism
  • Reduced grade repetition
  • Teachers and learners have the knowledge and skills to promote gender equality

Cross-cutting goals

  • Changed social norms
  • Improved critical consciousness
  • Improved financial literacy and savings
  • Improved health - other
  • Improved maternal, newborn, and/or child health (MNCH)
  • Improved mental health
  • Improved nutrition
  • Improved sexual and reproductive health
  • Improved understanding of sexual harassment, coercion, and consent
  • Increased advocacy/civic engagement
  • Increased agency and empowerment
  • Increased employment/job-related skills
  • Increased knowledge of rights
  • More equal power in relationships
  • More equitable gender attitudes and norms
  • Other
  • Reduced adolescent pregnancy/childbearing
  • Reduced child marriage
  • Reduced intimate partner violence
  • Reduced poverty/increase household well-being
  • Reduced school-related gender-based violence (SRGBV)
  • Reduced STI/HIV/AIDS
  • Reduced violence against children in the home