About the Conference
4th International Conference on Equitable Education
‘Designing Tomorrow’s Equity: Equitable Solutions for
Out-of-School Children and Youth by 2030 and Beyond’
23-24 October 2026, IMPACT Forum, Nonthaburi, Thailand
CONCEPT NOTE
The International Conference on Equitable Education, also known as the All for Education (AFE) Conference, provides a platform for policymakers, education practitioners, experts, and other stakeholders to come together regularly to exchange best practices, innovations, and knowledge and research aimed at promoting equity-based education for underprivileged children and youth across Asia and the Pacific and beyond.
The 4th International Conference on Equitable Education, themed ‘Designing Tomorrow’s Equity: Equitable Solutions for Out-of-School Children and Youth by 2030 and Beyond’ will be convened on 23-24 October 2026 at the IMPACT Forum, Nonthaburi Province, Thailand.
Background
As the 2030 deadline for the Sustainable Development Goals approaches, the global education community faces a critical reality: 273 million children, adolescents and youth remain out of school, and many more fail to complete basic education and master foundational skills. Insights from the ‘UNESCO 2026 Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report – Countdown to 2030’ highlight that progress on access has not translated into equitable outcomes. One in three young people globally still does not complete secondary education. In Asia and the Pacific, especially in Eastern and South-Eastern Asia, completion rates have improved the most;[1] however, significant gaps remain in upper secondary education, with 77 million out-of-school children and youth at this level.[2]
[1] UNESCO. 2026. Global Education Monitoring Report 2026: Access and equity - Countdown to 2030. Paris, UNESCO.
[2] UNESCO Institute for Statistics. 2026. UIS Data Browser: SDG 4 monitoring. Montreal, UIS.
The report recommended that the challenge is not only expanding access but ensuring that education systems are designed with equity at their core. This requires policies and legislation that remove barriers, support progression and completion, and better align data, financing, and practice.
The International Conference on Equitable Education is convened by the UNESCO Regional Office in Bangkok and Office for UN Coordination for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCO Bangkok) and the Equitable Education Fund (EEF) of Thailand within the framework of the Equitable Education Alliance (EEA) under the Learning and Education 2030 (LE2030+) Networking Group of the UN Regional Collaborative Platform for Asia and the Pacific. The Conference promotes equity in education and is held alongside the 7th Princess Maha Chakri Award (PMCA) Forum recognizing outstanding teachers from 14 countries. Since the first Conference (2020), it has focused on key equity themes relevant to education, critical to building more inclusive and resilient education systems. The 2nd Conference (2022) focused on strategies for out-of-school children and youth, emerging trends in digital learning, and recovery programmes. The 3rd Conference (2024) explored skills development and lifelong learning pathways for youth and adolescents in the Asia-Pacific region.
The 4th Conference will focus on designing equitable solutions for out-of-school children and youth by 2030 and beyond, placing equity at the core of education systems. It is aligned with the SDG 4 High-Level Steering Committee's 2026–2027 strategic theme on building resilient education systems — where equity and inclusion serve as cross-cutting imperatives to shape both policy and implementation to ensure no learner is left behind. As a flagship regional convening, the Conference will contribute directly to the SDG 4 Roadmap for Asia and the Pacific, accelerating progress across the region, and to the sub-regional agenda of the ASEAN Working Group on Out-of-School Children and Youth.
Objectives and Expected Outcomes
The 2026 Conference aims to:
- Generate actionable, equity-oriented policy and programming recommendations to reduce the number of out-of-school children and youth by 2030, integrating preventive and responsive measures and focusing on targeted flexible learning interventions that address structural barriers and promote equity across diverse learner groups.
- Strengthen regional networking and multi-stakeholder dialogue on equity in education across Asia and the Pacific, drawing on evidence from the 2026 GEM Report and promising practices, to support the alignment of policy, data and financing.
- Contribute to the Post-2030 Education Agenda by strengthening evidence-informed policy dialogue, advancing a shared understanding of emerging trends and future challenges in education across the Asia-Pacific region, and ensuring that regional perspectives, priorities, and innovations inform the development of the Global Education Futures Outlook: Beyond 2030, with a view to promoting more inclusive, resilient, and sustainable education systems.
The participants will gain:
- A deeper understanding of the drivers of exclusion, alongside practical intervention strategies, both preventive and responsive, to support re-entry, retention and completion, particularly through flexible learning pathways.
- Practical insights on leveraging data systems, including early warning mechanisms and emerging technologies such as AI, to improve identification, prevention and timely support for at-risk learners.
- Knowledge of equitable financing and innovative investment approaches, including linkages with social protection systems and collaboration across sectors, ministries and the private sector to strengthen education responses.
- Enhanced capacity to learn from what works and what does not, as a central pillar to help design more equitable and forward-looking education systems beyond 2030.
An Outcome Document on Equitable Education by 2030 and Beyond will be produced based on the practical challenges and solutions shared at the Conference, with key policy recommendations and actionable guidelines. The Outcome Document will feed into SDG 4 global and regional coordination led by UNESCO in particular the 7th Asia-Pacific Meeting on Education or APMED7 (February 2027) and the Global Education Meeting co-hosted by UNESCO and Thailand (March 2027). The foresight exercise on education beyond 2030 as one of the pre-conference sessions will also inform subsequent dialogues in 2027.
Organization of Sessions
The two-day Conference will feature three plenary sessions with leading experts, complemented by four 75-minute parallel sessions designed to explore practical case studies in depth. Each parallel session will highlight real-world experiences and insights from experts on the design and implementation of equitable solutions. Ahead of the main conference, closed-door pre-conference sessions will run across two tracks: a foresight exercise on education beyond 2030, and a country consultation on the Toolkit on Flexible and Inclusive Learning for South-East Asia.
There will be a dialogue time in each session, and participants will be encouraged to share experiences and recommendations.
Building on the 2026 GEM Report's call to "design education policies with an equity orientation and evaluate their results", this Conference will convene policymakers, practitioners, youth and the EEA members to share experiences and identify scalable initiatives to design equitable prevention and solutions for the OOSCY challenge, structured around four interlinked key pillars:
- Flexible learning pathways: Many learners are excluded due to rigid education systems that do not accommodate their realities, including work, migration, or crisis contexts. Flexible, alternative and blended learning pathways in formal and non-formal education settings are essential to re-engage learners and support completion.[3]
- Data and Early Warning Systems: Improved use of data is critical to identify at-risk learners and prevent dropout. Early warning systems including AI-integrated approach, learning analytics and better integration of administrative and survey data can help target interventions more effectively and reduce exclusion. [4]
- Equitable and Sustainable Financing Policies: While countries increasingly recognize the need for targeted funding, only one in five countries was identified as having a sufficiently strong equity intention in their financing mechanisms.[5] In Asia-Pacific, only 29 out of 44 countries met spending benchmarks, allocating at least 4% of GDP to total government expenditure to education.[6] More equitable allocation models and incentives are needed to ensure resources reach those most in need.
- Strengthening Multisectoral Collaboration for OOSCY Solutions with a Focus on Equity: Addressing the complex barriers faced by OOSCY requires coordinated action across sectors and stakeholders. Strengthening partnerships among governments, civil society, the private sector, development partners, and young people will foster innovation, leverage complementary strengths, and accelerate progress towards inclusive and equitable education for all.
[3] UNESCO Bangkok and Equitable Education Fund of Thailand. 2026. Flexible Learning Strategies that work: Promising approaches and recommendations for youth not in employment, education, or training (NEET) in South-East Asia. Bangkok, UNESCO.
[4] UNESCO. 2026. Global Education Monitoring Report 2026: Access and equity - Countdown to 2030. Paris, UNESCO.
[5] Ibid.
[6] Inter-agency Task Force on Financing for Development. 2025. Closing the Global SDG 4 Financing Gap: Accelerating sustainable financing solutions for education. Policy Brief. New York, UN DESA.
Expected Participants
- 150 onsite participants
- 3,000 online participants
Participants will include representatives from:
- Government agencies, NGOs, and education service providers, including academia, policymakers, practitioners;
- Equitable Education Alliance (EEA) members, a community of organizations similarly aiming to improve equity and gaps in education within the region and beyond (EEA Membership is open to all organizations committed to equity in education);
- Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD);
- The general public, including students and youth participants
Organizers, Date and Venue
Co-organized by UNESCO Regional Office in Bangkok and Office for UN Coordination for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCO Bangkok), and the Equitable Education Fund of Thailand (EEF Thailand) as co-chairs of the Equitable Education Alliance (EEA), together with the Ministry of Education, Thailand (TBC).
- Dates: 23 and 24 October 2026, immediately following the 7th Princess Maha Chakri Award Forum (21 and 22 October 2026).
- Format: Hybrid Conference
- Venue: IMPACT Forum, Nonthaburi Province, Thailand
- Registration:www.afe2026.eef.or.th
- Language: English, Thai and Thai Sign Language
AFE Conference Planning Group
- UNESCO Regional Office in Bangkok and Office for UN Coordination for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCO Bangkok) in consultation with the Equitable Education Alliance (EEA) members
- Equitable Education Fund of Thailand (EEF Thailand)
- Princess Maha Chakri Award Foundation
- Office of the Education Council, Ministry of Education, Thiland


