Global Schools attends the UNESCO World Summit on Teachers in Santiago, Chile

From August 28-29, the Global Schools Program participated in the UNESCO World Summit on Teachers in Santiago, Chile. The Summit was hosted by the government of Chile and UNESCO, with the aim to elevate and fund the teaching profession as well as address the global teacher shortage. 

The discussions centered primarily on addressing the international teacher shortfall. In order to achieve the 2030 agenda, 44 million more teachers are needed (UNESCO). Furthermore, over the two day summit, panels also addressed funding education, teacher salaries, digital literacy in the new era of AI, and elevating the status of the teaching profession. 

Global Schools Director, Amanda Abrom, represented the Global Schools Program as a speaker in the breakout session “Rethinking Teacher Education as a Lifelong, Collaborative Endeavour in a Digital Era.” Her intervention centered on the work of the Global Schools Program, particularly the Global Schools Advocates Program. Global Schools works with educators and schools worldwide to build community and emphasize innovative teaching practices to transform education. She also highlighted the importance of intergenerational dialogues as seen through the Ages of Globalization’s UN at Your Doorstep live sessions. 

The Summit concluded with the launch of the Santiago Consensus, which aims to “reverse the global shortage of teachers and empower the profession to transform education” (Santiago Consensus, UNESCO, 2025). Furthermore, it centers the following priority actions:

1. Teacher policies and strategies to strengthen the profession

2. Teacher education and professional development from a lifelong learning perspective

3. Social dialogue and teacher participation in decision making and policy making

4. Sustainable financing of the teaching profession

5. The future of the teaching profession

6. Inclusion, equity and gender equality

To read the full document, please click here: https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/unesco-world-summit-teachers-leaders-commit-reinventing-and-supporting-teaching-profession

Global Schools looks forward to contributing to the follow-up discussions and implementation of the consensus through its work with teachers and schools worldwide.