Ei-iE

Jens Kalaene
Jens Kalaene

Equity and inclusion

We defend and promote the principles of equity and equality in education, in education unions and in society. We are fully committed to combating all forms of racism and of bias or discrimination due age, disability, ethnicity or indigeneity, gender, gender identity or sexual orientation, language, marital status, migratory status, political activism, religion, socio-economic status, trade union affiliation, among others. We are committed to addressing these forms of discrimination through an intersectional lens, which enables a deeper understanding of the complexities of lived experiences.

I think Education International has a leadership role to play… If we’re going to have a more civil society, a more inclusive society, then we have to model that by including men but women as well, people of different ethnic groups or religious backgrounds. All of us have to be involved and be at the table and have that kind of respect.

Professor Mary Hatwood Futrell, First elected EI President, 1993–2004

Promoting and advancing gender equality has always been an Education International priority. We believe that education can play a key role in empowering women and girls and can contribute to breaking through the cycle of gender discrimination. The Education International Gender Equality Action Plan highlights three main priorities:

  1. Promoting women’s leadership and participation within education unions;
  2. Taking action to increase intersectional gender equality in and through education;
  3. Promoting and securing women’s economic empowerment.

The unequal and gendered impact of the COVID-19 pandemic risks erasing years of progress on equity and inclusion throughout the world. Together with our member organisations, we mobilise to challenge and help dismantle all structures of inequality in education and beyond. As part of this work, we have called for equity audits to be conducted at all levels of education in order to ensure the pandemic does not define the lives of an entire generation of students.

Our work in this area

  1. News 6 March 2008

    International Women's Day: 8 March 2008 - Activism through art

    2008 is the 100th anniversary of women taking collective action on 8 March. To mark this milestone, Education International commissioned Argentine artist Nora Patrich to create a commemorative poster.

    International Women's Day: 8 March 2008 - Activism through art
  2. News 28 February 2008

    Update from the UN CSW: Unionists at the Asia-Pacific Women's Caucuses

    The lobbying of government delegates is one of the main tasks of the trade union delegation attending the 52nd Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), where caucuses are important spaces for strategizing and putting collective strength behind particular issues.

    Update from the UN CSW: Unionists at the Asia-Pacific Women's Caucuses
  3. News 26 February 2008

    Union women take message of gender equality to the United Nations

    Women representing Global Union Federations are working together to advance gender equality and the decent work agenda during the current session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women.

    Union women take message of gender equality to the United Nations
  4. 26 February 2008

    Address by Jan Eastman at the UN CSW expert panel on "Key policy initiatives on financing for gender equality and the empowerment for women"

    Address by Jan Eastman, EI Deputy General Secretary during the interactive expert panel on "Key policy initiatives on financing for gender equality and the empowerment for women" on 26 February 2008 at the 52nd Session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (UN CSW), New York, 25...

    Address by Jan Eastman at the UN CSW expert panel on "Key policy initiatives on financing for gender equality and the empowerment for women"
  5. 20 February 2008

    Speech by Fred van Leeuwen, EI General Secretary and Chairperson of the Council of Global Unions at the International Conference for Child Rights Organiser and Campaigners, 20-21 February 2008, New Delhi, India

    Some time ago I had a dinner conversation with the Chief Executive Officer of a Dutch Brewery with plants all over South Asia that turned sour. He talked about their booming business in Vietnam and Cambodia, casually mentioning the employment of children by his company, which he believed was as...

    Speech by Fred van Leeuwen, EI General Secretary and Chairperson of the Council of Global Unions at the International Conference for Child Rights Organiser and Campaigners, 20-21 February 2008, New Delhi, India
  6. News 13 February 2008

    EI and Australian teachers welcome official apology to Aborigines

    EI and Australian teachers are wholeheartedly applauding the new federal government’s formal apology to indigenous Aboriginal people for past injustices and human rights violations.

    EI and Australian teachers welcome official apology to Aborigines
  7. News 15 January 2008

    Roma students win in Court of Human Rights

    In a momentous decision for Roma across Europe, the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights has ruled that segregating Roma students into "special" schools for children with learning disabilities is a form of unlawful discrimination. “The court has made clear that racial discrimination has no place in...

    Roma students win in Court of Human Rights
  8. News 13 December 2007

    New international cooperation between teacher unions on child labour

    A visit by the Albanian Teachers’ Union FSASH and Indian organisation MV Foundation to teachers’ unions in Central America marked a new departure in south-south cooperation last month. For the first time ever teachers’ unions and civil society organisations from Europe, Latin America and Asia came together to share experiences...

    New international cooperation between teacher unions on child labour
  9. News 3 December 2007

    Pan-European Survey on the impact of pension reforms on gender: Phase I

    The EI Pan-European Structure is conducting a Pan-European Survey on the impact of pension reforms on gender. The survey will be conducted in two phases, Phase I in Dec 2007 and Phase II in early 2008.

    Pan-European Survey on the impact of pension reforms on gender: Phase I
  10. News 30 November 2007

    52nd Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women: Sign up today!

    EI is finalizing the registration of participants for the 52nd Session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). The session runs from February 25 until March 7, 2008 in New York. The EI delegation will focus its attention on meetings held during the first week.

    52nd Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women: Sign up today!
  11. 28 November 2007

    Spotlight interview with Ambet Yuson (BWI - India) : "We have pulled 15,000 children out of work… and quadrupled our membership"

    India is the country with the largest number of working children in the world. Building and Wood Workers' International (BWI) is attacking this exploitation through community involvement and the building of schools. Ambet Yuson, BWI's regional representative in Asia Pacific, tells us about this trade union strategy that has allowed...

    Spotlight interview with Ambet Yuson (BWI - India) : "We have pulled 15,000 children out of work… and quadrupled our membership"
  12. News 25 November 2007

    EI joins global action to stop Violence Against Women

    EI and the other Global Unions are participating in a global initiative to stop violence against women, running from 25 November (UN Day for Elimination of Violence Against Women) until UN Human Rights Day on 10 December.

    EI joins global action to stop Violence Against Women
  13. News 16 October 2007

    Australia: EI opposes new law which undermines indigenous rights

    In a letter to the Australian Prime Minister on 10 October, EI voiced its concerns about new legislation which undermines the land rights of the Indigenous populations in the country.

    Australia: EI opposes new law which undermines indigenous rights
  14. News 19 September 2007

    EI applauds adoption of Declaration on Rights of Indigenous Peoples

    After two decades of negotiations, the United Nations has finally adopted the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. On 13 September 2007, the UN General Assembly voted to adopt the historic declaration with a large majority (143 in favour, 4 against and 11 abstentions).

    EI applauds adoption of Declaration on Rights of Indigenous Peoples
  15. News 21 July 2007

    UN Director: "Gender-based discrimination in education is more than the issues of access"

    Speaking at the EI Women’s Caucus held today in Berlin, Special Guest Carolyn Hannan, Director of the UN Division for the Advancement of Women, emphasized that the education of women and girls is vital for the transformation of societies, and we must address the growing need to move beyond the...

    UN Director: "Gender-based discrimination in education is more than the issues of access"