The world will celebrate the International Day of Education on 24 January 2020, a day proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly to honor education and its entrality to human well-being and sustainable development. The 2020 celebration will position education and the learning it enables as humanity’s greatest renewable resource and reaffirm the role of education as a fundamental right, a public good and an enabler of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It will frame ‘inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning for all’ as a goal in and of itself, as well as a necessary means to accelerate progress to meet the targets of all 17 Sustainable Development Goals. As the UN organization mandated to lead on education in the 2030 Agenda, UNESCO will draw on its convening power and engage with education and development partners to celebrate the Day around the world by focusing on the many ways learning can empower people, preserve the planet, build shared prosperity and foster peace.The 2020 theme ‘Learning for people, planet, prosperity and peace’, highlights the integrated nature of education, its humanistic aims, as well as its centrality to our collective development ambitions. It also gives stakeholders and partners flexibility to tailor the celebration for diverse audiences, a variety of contexts and for priority themes.

A humanistic approach to education implies an integrated approach to the multiple individual and collective purposes of education. Education is at the heart of both personal and community development. Its mission is to help all people develop their talents fully and to realize their creative potentials, including responsibility for their own lives and the capacity to contribute to society. Education is also a powerful catalyst – for combating poverty and inequality, improving health and well-being, and overcoming discrimination. It is the key to achieving gender equality and is vital for peacebuilding and reconciliation. Education initiatives have a proven potential to help marginalized populations gain access to justice that contributes to peaceful societies.