UNESCO MGIEP's Annual Report 2019

ANNUAL REPORT 2019
• Academic Publications and Policy Briefs:
UNESCO MGIEP publishes policy briefs
to present a concise summary or relevant
research interventions to assist researchers,
policy makers and educators in making
informed decisions about education policies
and practice.
• In 2019, two Policy Briefs were
published, including:
o Rethinking Schooling for the 21 st century:
Analysing how far the ideals of SDG 4.7 are
embodied in policies and curricula across
22 Asian countries, this study establishes
benchmarks against which future progress can be
assessed. It also argues forcefully that we must
redefine the purposes of schooling, addressing
the fundamental challenges to efforts to promote
peace, sustainability and global citizenship
through education.
o #YouthWagingPeace: Youth should take
centre on PVE-E: Based on UNESCO MGIEP’s
#YouthWagingPeace (2017), an entirely youthled
guide on Prevention of Violent Extremism
through Education (PVE-E), built on uncensored
voices and reflections of global youth on
PVE-E, the Policy Brief on #YouthWagingPeace
comprises a set of actionable guidelines for
policymakers and other key stakeholders.
• Further, four peer reviewed publications
were released, including:
-Sen and Freire Re-examined. A. Gupta, N.C. Singh
and A.K. Duraiappah (2019). Education for Humanity ,
edited by Carlos Torres, published by Springer
-Libre-Nourish the Brain So the Future Can Flourish,
R. Rautela and N.C Singh (2019). Childhood Education,
95:5 34-43
-Games-based Socio-Emotional Skills Assessment:
A comparison across three cultures Irava, V.Pathak,
A., DeRosier, M. and Singh, N.C., (2019) Journal of
Education Technology Systems Vol. 48(1), 51071, 2019
-On the design of a youth led, issue-based,
crowdsourced Global Monitoring Framework for the
SDGs, Mohanty S.P., Ramaswamy, R., Duraiappah, A.k.,
(219). Sustainability (accepted)
• Distinguished Lectures: UNESCO
MGIEP invites leading intellectuals and
policymakers as part of its Distinguished &
Ahinsa Lectures Series to spark discussions
about how transformative education can
contribute to a peaceful and sustainable
future, inclusive spaces and global citizens.
In 2019, UNESCO MGIEP organised a
Distinguished Lecture in New Delhi, India and
an Ahinsa dialogue in Paris, France.
o In UNESCO MGIEP’s ninth Distinguished
Lecture held at The Auditorium, India
International Centre, New Delhi, India,
Dr. Kimberly Schonert-Reichl, Applied
Developmental Psychologist and a Professor in
the Human Development, Learning, and Culture
area in the Department of Educational and
Counselling Psychology, and Special Education
in the Faculty of Education at the University of
British Columbia (UBC), discussed how children’s
social and emotional well-being can be cultivated
through evidence-based programs and practical
approaches. The lecture was attended by almost
two-hundred participants, including teachers,
educators, students / researchers and academics
of early childhood education, practitioners
of social and emotional learning (SEL) and
psychologists, amongst others.
o In celebration of the 150 th birth anniversary
of Mahatma Gandhi, the Institute organised
a unique intervention by creating a life size
hologram of Gandhi at UNESCO Headquarters,
Paris, France on October 1, 2019. The hologram
conducted conversation with scientists and policy
makers and engaged in a dialogue on what
constitutes true education, the role of teachers,
and how education should be made relevant
and fun. Gandhi’s hologram exchanged views
with Gregoire Borst, Professor of Developmental
Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience of
Education, CNRS and Vera El Khoury Lacoeuilhe,
Member of Advisory Board of UNESCO MGIEP’s
TECH 2019. Anantha Duraiappah, Director,
UNESCO MGIEP, moderated the discussion
about the importance of Gandhi’s philosophy
of education for human flourishing. The event
attracted various stakeholders, including
youth, educators, academics, policy-makers,
and delegates from several member states of
UNESCO. The talk was livestreamed and saw
participation by over 10,000 viewers.
• The Blue DOT: THE Blue DOT features
articles showcasing UNESCO MGIEP’s
activities and areas of interest. The magazine’s
overarching theme is the relationship
between education, peace, sustainable
development and global citizenship. THE Blue
DOT’s role is to engage with readers on these
issues in a fun and interactive manner. The
magazine is designed to address audiences
across generations and walks of life, thereby
taking the discourse on education for
peace, sustainable development and global
citizenship beyond academia, civil society
organisations and governments, to the actual
stakeholders. THE Blue DOT is published
biannually and the e-publications are available
for download / reading:
https://mgiep.unesco.org/the-bluedot
- In 2019, the tenth issue of the publication
was released officially at the first World Youth
Conference on Kindness for the SDGs by the
President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind. The
tenth issue focused on Social and Emotional
Learning and included expert perspectives
and youth voices on SEL and the importance of
introducing these skills in our education systems.
- The year also saw the launch of Issue Eleven,
focused on the power of Kindness – as the
force that will help us achieve the Sustainable
Development Goals.