UNESCO Capacity Development for Education Programme

Description What is done in the programme or project and why, what results are pursued, who benefits from the activities and who are involved in the implementation.

UNESCO, created in 1945, is the UN organization responsible for education, science and culture. UNESCO's mandate is to build peace and sustainable development, deminish poverty and confirm human rights through education, culture and freedom of expression. Supporting education of girls and women, developing vocational and technical education and contributing to freedom of expression, media development and access to information are the thematic focus for the Finnish funding to UNESCO. Educating girls and women promotes gender equality, human rights and sustainable development. UNESCO's TVET policies and programmes support the member states' capacity for developing vocational and technical education, promote poverty reduction and improve youth transitions between education and work life, and prevent social exclusion and radicalization. Freedom of expression and pluralistic and independent media are critical for building healthy democracies and societies. The Finnish funding to the Education sector of UNESCO is channelled through the Capacity Development for Education Programme. CapED's objective is to translate global advocacy for education into concrete action, in particular in countries most at risk of not achieving the global education goals. CapED’s focus is on Least Developed Countries (LDCs), and particular emphasis is placed on fragile countries in emergency situations or recovering from conflict or disasters. The programme strengthens Member States’ capacities for policy formulation and planning focusing on promoting the equal right to quality education and opportunity for life-long learning. The funding for CapED for 2023-2024 is 1 200 000 € in total.