UNESCO regional center joins global literacy conference in Mexico

The UNESCO Regional Center for Quality and Excellence in Education, hosted by Saudi Arabia, participated in the global conference marking the 60th anniversary of International Literacy Day 2026. The event was organized by UNESCO in partnership with the Mexican government in Chiapas on September 8 and 9, under the theme "Literacy for Human, Planet, and Prosperity."

The center was represented by Dr. Fatimah bint Ibrahim Al-Ruwais, Assistant Director General, as part of a high-level international delegation. Al-Ruwais spoke in a session on building an inclusive, just, and sustainable world, where she discussed the evolution of literacy to include digital and data skills, artificial intelligence, critical thinking, problem-solving, as well as environmental literacy and future-readiness.

Al-Ruwais outlined the center's efforts in developing frameworks, standards, and tools to enhance lifelong learning quality, building the capacities of teachers and facilitators, supporting inclusive digital learning, and impact measurement. She also proposed establishing a "Global Laboratory for Future Literacy Skills" to develop a shared competency framework, with a focus on fragile environments affected by climate change.

The center also participated in the annual meeting of the Global Alliance for Literacy, reaffirming its support for the Alliance's 2026–2030 action plan and the importance of leveraging data, digital transformation, and artificial intelligence to expand learning opportunities, while ensuring privacy and human oversight.

Strengthening international cooperation in education

On the sidelines of the conference, Dr. Al-Ruwais held meetings with ministers and officials from Mexico, Mali, Gabon, and Madagascar to discuss cooperation in quality education, innovation, responsible digital transformation, artificial intelligence, literacy, multilingual education, learning assessment, and capacity building. The talks also addressed empowering women, youth, and vulnerable groups, and expanding learning opportunities in rural and remote communities.

The center affirmed its readiness to continue collaborating with countries and partners in capacity building, quality assurance, research, indicator development, digital and environmental learning, and multilingual education, to promote inclusive, equitable, and quality education and support lifelong learning.