UNESCO Opens Global Course on AI and the Rule of Law

Outside SourceUNESCO REF Media Centre · EISSN 3156-55574 min read

UNESCO REF Media Centre | Outside Source

UNESCO Opens Global Online Course on Artificial Intelligence and the Rule of Law

Developed with The Future Society and leading judicial and technical partners, the course equips judges, lawyers and judicial operators worldwide to navigate the opportunities and the risks of artificial intelligence in justice systems.

UNESCO REF Media Centre | Paris, France | 17 September 2021

PARIS, France. Judicial systems worldwide are increasingly adopting artificial intelligence (AI) to support legal practitioners in identifying precedents, to streamline judicial processes, and to assist judges in decisions related to sentencing and recidivism. While these applications hold promise for efficiency and innovation, they also raise profound implications for human rights, particularly where the opacity of AI systems may challenge the principles of open justice, due process and the rule of law.

Global alignmentAlignement mondialThe global commitments this story advances. Open to see how.

The course responds to international commitments on justice, human rights and the ethical governance of technology.

SDG16
SDG 16, Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions (primary)
ProvisionTarget 16.3: the rule of law and equal access to justice for all
How the course respondsPrepares judicial operators to use AI without weakening due process
SDG4
SDG 4, Quality Education
ProvisionTarget 4.4: relevant skills for decent work
How the course respondsFree, multilingual professional learning
SDG9
SDG 9, Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
ProvisionResponsible innovation
How the course respondsResponsible adoption of AI in public institutions
UDHR
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
ProvisionArticle 10: a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal
How the course respondsPlaces open justice at the centre of AI adoption

A global training initiative

Une initiative mondiale de formation

To strengthen capacity in this critical area, UNESCO, in partnership with The Future Society (TFS), has launched a joint online training programme on Artificial Intelligence and the Rule of Law. The course was formally introduced on 6 December 2021 at The Athens Roundtable, the premier international multi-stakeholder forum on AI, legal systems, regulatory compliance and governance.

Voices of the partners

La parole aux partenaires

Marielza Oliveira, Director in the Communication and Information Sector of UNESCO, emphasised that the societal and human rights impacts of AI demand collective action.

“The online course on AI and the Rule of Law is an effort in this direction, with 21 speakers from 14 countries sharing their unique knowledge and experience.”

Marielza Oliveira, Director, Communication and Information Sector, UNESCO

Nicolas Miailhe, President and Founder of The Future Society, highlighted the strategic importance of the programme.

“The course aims to build capacity across judicial stakeholders worldwide so they can be better equipped to navigate AI’s opportunities as well as manage the risks. This is crucial for the responsible adoption of AI.”

Nicolas Miailhe, President and Founder, The Future Society

Benes Aldana, President of the National Judicial College of the United States, underlined the urgency of early engagement.

“The legitimacy of judicial decisions in democratic societies depends on public acceptance of their fairness. It is important for the judiciary to begin early on to build capacity to deal with these rapidly evolving technologies. The Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) is a valuable resource in training judicial operators globally.”

Benes Aldana, President, National Judicial College, United States

Structure of the course

Structure du cours

Developed in collaboration with Cetic.br and NIC.br, the National Judicial College (NJC) and IEEE SA, the course engages participants in a timely global dialogue on the application of AI in justice systems. Structured around six introductory modules, it explores:

Why AI matters for justice.
How AI can be responsibly adopted within judicial systems worldwide.
What AI means for human rights.
The evolving role of judicial operators in the age of AI.

Access and certification

Accès et certification

The programme is offered in English, French, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Arabic and Portuguese, ensuring broad accessibility. Hosted by the National Judicial College, the course commenced on 14 March 2022 and runs for six weeks, after which it remains available online for self-directed learning. Participants who complete all six modules receive a Certificate of Course Completion.

The initiative is supported by the Open Society Foundations and the UNESCO Multi-Donor Programme on Freedom of Expression and Safety of Journalists (MDP), underscoring a shared commitment to advancing judicial capacity, safeguarding human rights and ensuring the responsible integration of AI into justice systems worldwide.

ENDS

Notes to editorsNotes aux rédactions

About this story. This story reports an announcement made by UNESCO. The UNESCO REF Media Centre carries it in its Outside Source section for the information of its readers. It reflects the position of its original publisher and does not represent the position of UNESCO REF.

About UNESCO REF. The Read and Earn Federation for UNESCO (UNESCO REF) is a multidimensional and multisectoral development institution, established in 2009 under the UNESCO Provisions Framework in Nigeria. It works to strengthen human and institutional capacity across Nigeria and Africa through education, research and professional development, in alignment with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Media enquiries. UNESCO REF Media Centre, [email protected]

SourcesSources

UNESCO Designates Eight New Global Geoparks

Outside SourceUNESCO REF Media Centre · EISSN 3156-55572 min read

UNESCO REF Media Centre | Outside Source

UNESCO Expands the Global Geoparks Network with Eight New Designations

The UNESCO Executive Board has designated eight new UNESCO Global Geoparks, bringing the Network to 177 sites in 46 countries, with Luxembourg and Sweden joining for the first time.

UNESCO REF Media Centre | Paris, France | 8 September 2021

PARIS, France, 8 September 2021. The UNESCO Executive Board has approved the designation of eight new UNESCO Global Geoparks, bringing the total number of sites in the Global Geoparks Network to 177 across 46 countries. With this expansion, Luxembourg and Sweden join the Network for the first time, entering the global community of geoparks.

Global alignmentAlignement mondialThe global commitments this story advances. Open to see how.

UNESCO Global Geoparks join the conservation of the Earth’s heritage to education and local sustainable development.

SDG15
SDG 15, Life on Land (primary)
ProvisionConservation of terrestrial ecosystems and natural heritage
How geoparks respondProtect geological heritage of international significance
SDG11
SDG 11, Sustainable Cities and Communities
ProvisionTarget 11.4: protect the world’s cultural and natural heritage
How geoparks respondJoin heritage to the life of local communities
SDG4
SDG 4, Quality Education
ProvisionEducation for sustainable development
How geoparks respondPublic education in the Earth sciences
SDG8
SDG 8, Decent Work
ProvisionSustainable tourism that creates jobs
How geoparks respondLocal empowerment through sustainable tourism

A label of international significance

Un label d’importance internationale

The UNESCO Global Geopark label, unanimously ratified by Member States in 2015, recognises geological heritage of international significance. These sites display an extraordinary geological diversity that underpins the biological and cultural richness of their regions.

By combining the conservation of unique geological heritage with public education and sustainable development, geoparks serve as catalysts for the empowerment of local communities and for global knowledge exchange.

A network the size of a nation

Un réseau à l’échelle d’une nation

With the latest designations, the Network now covers a surface area of 370,662 square kilometres, comparable to the size of Japan, reinforcing its role as a truly global initiative.

The new designations

Les nouvelles désignations

This year’s designations include two geoparks in Latin America and six in Europe. While COVID-19 restrictions prevented the evaluation of new applications from Asia, Africa and the Arab region, several projects are under way to extend the Network into these regions in the near future.

ENDS

Notes to editorsNotes aux rédactions

Media enquiries. UNESCO REF Media Centre, [email protected]

SourcesSources

UNESCO Report: Boys at Risk of Not Completing School

Boys Face a Significant Risk of Not Completing Their Education, Warns UNESCO Report

The DispatchUNESCO REF Media Centre · EISSN 3156-55573 min read

UNESCO REF Media Centre | Outside Source

UNESCO’s global report on boys’ disengagement from education finds that while girls face greater barriers to entry, boys are increasingly falling behind in secondary and tertiary education in most regions of the world.

UNESCO REF Media Centre | September 2022

September 2022. A global report by UNESCO, Leave no child behind: global report on boys’ disengagement from education, warns that boys in many parts of the world face a significant risk of not completing their education. While girls continue to face greater barriers to entering school and make up the majority of out-of-school children at primary level, the report finds that boys face mounting challenges at later stages of education.

Global alignmentAlignement mondialThe global commitments this story advances. Open to see how.

SDG4
SDG 4, Quality Education (primary)
ProvisionTarget 4.1: complete primary and secondary education; Target 4.5: eliminate gender disparities
RelevanceBoys’ completion of secondary and tertiary education
SDG8
SDG 8, Decent Work
ProvisionTarget 8.7: end child labour in all its forms
RelevanceChild labour drives boys’ dropout
SDG5
SDG 5, Gender Equality
ProvisionGender equality for all learners
RelevanceAddresses disadvantage wherever it falls
ILO
ILO Convention 138
ProvisionMinimum age for admission to employment
RelevanceAlign working age with compulsory schooling

The report challenges a narrow reading of gender equality in education. Its message is that equity requires attention to disadvantage wherever it falls: to the girls still denied entry to the classroom, and to the boys who enter it but leave too soon. It draws on data from across the world to show where, and why, boys are falling behind.

Key findings

Principales conclusions

Indicator	Finding
Tertiary enrolment worldwide	88 men enrolled for every 100 women
Upper-secondary enrolment	Fewer boys than girls enrolled in 73 countries; the reverse in 48
Child labour, 2020	160 million children, of whom 97 million were boys
Reading at age 10	Boys read less well than girls in 57 countries with data
Minimum working age	In 31 per cent of 146 countries, below 15 or not clearly defined

Young men are under-represented in higher education in every region except sub-Saharan Africa. The report identifies East Asia and the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Arab States as regions where boys face some of the highest risks of dropping out.

Why boys disengage

Pourquoi les garçons décrochent

The report traces boys’ disengagement to poverty, child labour and other pressures that pull them away from learning. Child labour is a decisive factor: where boys are expected to work, school becomes secondary, grade repetition rises and dropout follows. Warning signs often appear as early as the end of primary school.

Recommendations

Recommandations

Prevent boys from dropping out, acting on early warning signs at the end of primary school.
Make learning environments safe and inclusive.
Invest in better data and evidence on disengagement.
Build and finance equitable education systems.
Promote integrated, coordinated approaches that improve education for all learners.
Align the minimum working age with the end of compulsory education.

Why it matters for Nigeria

Les enjeux pour le Nigéria

For Nigeria, the report’s findings resonate strongly. The country has an estimated 20 million out-of-school children and youth, and according to the National Bureau of Statistics, 24.7 million children aged 5 to 17 were in child labour in 2022. The report’s call to align the minimum working age with compulsory schooling speaks directly to the link between child labour and school dropout that UNESCO REF has highlighted in its own advocacy.

ENDS

Notes to editorsNotes aux rédactions

About this article. This article summarises a report published by UNESCO. The findings are UNESCO’s own.

About UNESCO REF. The Read and Earn Federation for UNESCO (UNESCO REF) works to strengthen human and institutional capacity across Nigeria and Africa through education, research and professional development, in alignment with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Media enquiries. UNESCO REF Media Centre, [email protected]

SourcesSources

UNESCO World Conference on Higher Education, Barcelona

Outside SourceUNESCO REF Media Centre · EISSN 3156-55575 min read

UNESCO REF Media Centre | Outside Source

UNESCO World Conference in Barcelona to Shape the Future of Higher Education

The third UNESCO World Conference on Higher Education, held in Barcelona from 18 to 20 May 2022, sets out to chart a renewed global vision and roadmap for higher education for the coming decade.

UNESCO REF Media Centre | Paris, France | 7 September 2021

PARIS, France, 7 September 2021. Faced with the challenge of growing student populations, the third UNESCO World Conference on Higher Education will take place from 18 to 20 May 2022 in Barcelona, Spain, to chart a renewed vision for higher education in the next decade.

Global alignmentAlignement mondialThe global commitments this story advances. Open to see how.

The Conference addresses the global commitments on access, equity and quality in tertiary education.

SDG4
SDG 4, Quality Education (primary)
ProvisionTarget 4.3: equal access to affordable and quality tertiary education, including university
How the Conference respondsA global roadmap for higher education to 2030
SDG10
SDG 10, Reduced Inequalities
ProvisionReducing inequality within and among countries
How the Conference respondsAddresses the enrolment gap facing sub-Saharan Africa
SDG17
SDG 17, Partnerships for the Goals
ProvisionInternational cooperation in science and knowledge
How the Conference respondsPromotes academic mobility and inter-university cooperation
GC
Global Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education, 2019
ProvisionRecognition of qualifications across borders
How the Conference respondsCalls on Member States to pursue ratification

There are 235 million students enrolled in higher education worldwide, a number that has more than doubled in the last twenty years and will likely double again over the coming decade. Faced with such growing demand, how can quality higher education be ensured and adapted to contemporary challenges such as sustainable development? How can international academic mobility be supported? What lessons can be learned from the COVID-19 pandemic? These questions will be at the heart of the World Conference.

More than 1,500 participants are expected from universities, governments, multilateral agencies, the private sector and civil society, to share their experience and ideas with a view to drawing a common global roadmap for the coming decade. The Conference will be opened by the Director-General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay; the Spanish Minister of Universities, Joan Subirats; the President of the Generalitat of Catalonia, Pere Aragonès; and the Mayor of Barcelona, Ada Colau.

Democratising access

Démocratiser l’accès

Despite a remarkable 200 per cent increase in enrolment over twenty years in regions such as sub-Saharan Africa, Central Asia, and South and South-East Asia, disparities persist. Between 40 and 50 per cent of an age group are enrolled in higher education in East and South-East Asia, and in Latin America and the Caribbean. In Central and South Asia, however, only 25 per cent are enrolled, and the figure falls to 9 per cent in sub-Saharan Africa.

Expanding access to education is necessary, but it carries major logistical and budgetary implications for governments, particularly in developing countries. In many places there has been a trend towards higher tuition fees and other indirect costs, placing a burden on the finances of students and their families.

Increasing student mobility

Accroître la mobilité étudiante

Six million students are studying abroad, and this number is expected to rise to 8 million by 2025. International frameworks are needed to support this mobility, which is not only an academic asset for students but also a source of knowledge sharing and mutual understanding.

At the Barcelona Conference, UNESCO will call on its Member States to pursue ratification of the Global Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education, the first United Nations treaty to strengthen inter-university cooperation and cross-border academic research. Fourteen States have already ratified the text, and only seven more ratifications are required for it to enter into force.

Learning from the pandemic

Tirer les leçons de la pandémie

The COVID-19 pandemic challenged higher education systems, resulting in learning losses and increased inequalities. It has also shown that higher education systems with significant public funding are more resilient in the face of a global crisis, and better able to ensure continuity of provision and the inclusion of the largest number of students. The Conference will draw on the lessons of the past two years to design systems that are both stronger and more resilient.

Ten themes for 2030

Dix thèmes pour 2030

To develop the roadmap for higher education to 2030, the Conference will focus on the following themes:

The impact of COVID-19 on higher education.
Higher education and the Sustainable Development Goals.
Inclusion.
Quality and relevance of programmes.
Academic mobility.
Governance.
Financing.
Data and knowledge production.
International cooperation.
The futures of higher education.

The International Science Council, the International Association of Universities (IAU), the Global University Network for Innovation (GUNi) and the Catalan Association of Public Universities (ACUP) are among the partners of the Conference.

ENDS

Notes to editorsNotes aux rédactions

Media enquiries. UNESCO REF Media Centre, [email protected]

SourcesSources

(+234) 807 527 3789

Monthly Archives: September 2021

UNESCO Opens Global Course on AI and the Rule of Law

UNESCO Opens Global Online Course on Artificial Intelligence and the Rule of Law

A global training initiative

Voices of the partners

Structure of the course

Access and certification

UNESCO Designates Eight New Global Geoparks

UNESCO Expands the Global Geoparks Network with Eight New Designations

A label of international significance

A network the size of a nation

The new designations

UNESCO Report: Boys at Risk of Not Completing School

Boys Face a Significant Risk of Not Completing Their Education, Warns UNESCO Report

Key findings

Why boys disengage

Recommendations

Why it matters for Nigeria

UNESCO World Conference on Higher Education, Barcelona

UNESCO World Conference in Barcelona to Shape the Future of Higher Education

Democratising access

Increasing student mobility

Learning from the pandemic

Ten themes for 2030

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