The number of children and young people worldwide who are not attending school has risen for the seventh year running, reaching the 273 million mark. The main reasons for this trend are population growth, crises and shrinking education budgets. This is the key finding of UNESCO’s Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report 2026 – the global benchmark publication on the state of education.
Currently, one in six school-age children worldwide is excluded from education, and only two in three young people complete secondary education. Nevertheless, many countries are making significant progress, which shows how important the national context is when setting targets and measures.
The Austrian Commission for UNESCO, the Austrian Foundation for Development Research, and the Faculty of Philosophy and Education of the University of Vienna cordially invite you to the national presentation of the UNESCO-Global Education Monitoring Report 2026 “Access and equity“.
Manos Antoninis, Director of the UNESCO Global Education Monitoring Report, will give insights into the report’s findings. In a subsequent panel discussion, Christoph Wiederkehr, Federal Minister of Education, and national experts will analyse questions relating to access and equity on a global and national level and address current challenges in the education system.
LANGUAGE: The event will be held in English and translated into Austrian Sign Language (ÖGS).