The German Commission for UNESCO (DUK) welcomes the UN Education and Training Agenda for 2016 - 2030

The challenges facing all countries are specified as the removal of inequality, the need to drive forward inclusion, to firmly establish education and training for sustainable development, and to ensure the quality of education and training.

From 2016, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) will take on the leadership, coordination and monitoring of the global Education and Training agenda of the United Nations (UN) for 2016 - 2030 which was adopted in September 2015.

Within the global Education and Training agenda for 2016 - 2030, the United Nations have taken the necessary steps based on the insights gained from the "Education and Training for All" programme which has been running for the last 25 years.

Progress has been made in the programme's priority areas of access to education and training and primary education. However, the global illiteracy rate remains extremely high and the disadvantaged groups within education and training continue to be disadvantaged.

The UN Education and Training Agenda 2016-2030 is a component of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) of August 2015. One of the responsibilities of the 38th session of the UNESCO General Conference on 4 November 2015 will be to decide on a "Framework for Action" for the implementation of the UN Education and Training Agenda and to determine indicators.

In their resolution for the implementation of UN education and training goals in Germany, the German Commission for UNESCO (DUK) welcomes the priority given to quality of education and training, equality, inclusion, and opportunity for life-long learning within the Education and Training agenda.

The DUK also welcomes the change of perspective which applies to all countries: In future, industrial countries such as Germany will cease to act merely as donor countries for the implementation of development policy related to education and training goals, but instead will also have a mandate going forward for national education and training policy within their own countries.

The DUK continues to regard the close alignment of policies relating to education and training, family and integration as an essential element, as is the case within vocational education and training. The situation regarding the refugees must also be taken into account.

As a member of the DUK expert committee for education and training, the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) were actively involved in the preparation of the draft resolution and in particular were able to contribute from the perspective of vocational education and training to the position taken by the German Commission for UNESCO (DUK).