Bridging the Arab States Education Strategy to SDG 4

    The UNESCO Multisectoral Regional Office in Beirut, Lebanon, has worked closely with the UIS on establishing benchmarks for the Arab region. This process began with preparatory meetings (end of 2020) followed by the TCG 7th Meeting (October 2021).

    In early 2021, UNESCO Beirut held a consultation with regional stakeholders and a series of one-to-one meetings with representatives of Ministries of Education from across the region. Member States of the Arab region confirmed their commitment to the benchmarking process. Proposed benchmarks for the region were shared for Member States feedback.

    The benchmarking process in the Arab region is built on a consultative process with all stakeholders and ownership of Member States. In order to achieve this, UNESCO Beirut worked closely with regional organizations such as the Arab Bureau of Education for the Gulf States (ABEGS), a member of the SDG 4 steering committee, and with the Regional Center for Educational Planning (RCEP), a UNESCO Category-II centre in the region. In addition, UNESCO Beirut has ensured effective communication and consultation with sister agencies and partner international organisations.

    UNESCO Beirut aimed to facilitate agreement by all Member States in the region for the regional benchmark by July 2021, which would also contribute in establishing national level benchmarks by the end of 2021.

    The region reviewed the proposed benchmarks and moved to the next step of incorporating inputs and adopting benchmarks at a high level ministerial meeting in July 2021.

    Partners and implementing entities

    The main actors in this process are Member States, more specifically, SDG 4 National Focal Points from each Member State.

    UNESCO Beirut is also in close coordination with the SDG 4 working group members comprised of Arab regional representation at SDG-Education 2030 Global Steering Committee, Regional Organizations, UN/Multilateral Agencies, Non-Governmental Organizations, UNESCO Category II Centers, Regional Technical Resource Country, and UNESCO field/cluster offices in the region.

    Benchmarks for SDG 4 Indicators: Methodological note