As ministers and education leaders prepare to convene for the World Summit on Teachers (WST) on 28-29 August, the global teaching profession faces an unprecedented recruitment and retention crisis. The world needs 50 million more teachers by 2030 across early childhood, primary and secondary education, yet qualified educators are fleeing classrooms due to systematic government failures.
The WST, convened by UNESCO and hosted by the Government of Chile, brings together ministers, UN agencies, teacher unions, civil society organisations and education experts to address the shortage and advance implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 4 - inclusive and equitable quality education for all.
Building on this commitment to transformation, Education International arrives in Santiago with a clear framework for addressing the global teacher shortage that centers on concrete solutions and immediate action.
Teacher voices from across all continents will bring firsthand accounts of public education systems under pressure. Their unified message: structural transformation is essential, not cosmetic fixes.
Post about the Summit
Here are sample messages that you can share on your social media:
📢I am joining colleagues at the UNESCO World Summit on Teachers to call on governments to address the global teacher shortage of 50 million and commit to fully funding public education.
👩🏼🏫👩🏽🏫👩🏿🏫The World Summit on Teachers is an unprecedented opportunity to move from words to action!!! Governments MUST commit to fully funding public education and investing in teachers.
At COP30 and every day, education unions are committed to advancing climate education and climate justice
Ahead of the 30th Conference of the Parties (COP 30), which will take place in Brazil in November 2025, education unionists came together to discuss the priorities of the global education union movement for this event, as well as the way forward beyond COP30.
2025 World Teachers’ Day: Together for Teachers, Together for the Future
Demonstrations, calls for increased investment in quality, inclusive education systems and educators, poems, dances, and more. On October 5th, 2025, education unions celebrated World Teachers’ Day, around the globe.
Mongolia: Amid ongoing educators’ sit-ins, trade union brings their demands to the Government
The peaceful sit-ins by teachers and education support personnel
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Human-centred AI: EI's global conference charts the future of education
While tech companies race to embed Artificial Intelligence (AI) in schools and campuses worldwide, the voices of educators have been largely sidelined. Education International's conference, Shaping Our Future: Education Unions Leading for a Human-Centred AI, puts educators back at the centre. The 4-5 December Brussels conference will bring together union...
Achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4
29 August 2025
Historic Santiago Consensus puts teachers at heart of education transformation
World Summit on Teachers delivers comprehensive framework demanding sustainable investment in teaching profession
Ministers, teacher unions and education leaders meeting at the World Summit on Teachers in Chile have adopted the Santiago Consensus
, a comprehensive framework that commits governments to address the global shortage of 50 million teachers through concrete policy action.
