The high-level event “Towards International Partnerships for Sustainable Financing of Education,” held under the French G7 Presidency and co-organized by France, UNESCO, and the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), took place on March 13, 2026.

The discussions were opened by Ms. Eléonore Caroit, Minister Delegate to the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, responsible for Francophonie, International Partnerships, and French Nationals Abroad, alongside UNESCO Director-General Khaled El-Enani.

At a time of declining global development financing and a worsening education crisis—250 million children and youth aged 6 to 18 were still out of school in 2023, and an additional 6 million children risk losing access to education in 2026 according to UNICEF - the event focused on identifying sustainable, shared solutions to finance the education sector through renewed and modernized partnerships.

Two roundtables were held: (i) «From Commitment to Capacity: Strengthening Domestic Resource Mobilization for Education»; (ii) «Aligning Efforts in Education Financing: Priority Financing Mechanisms and the Role of Partnerships».

The discussions brought together several Ministers of Education, who are also members of the High-Level Steering Committee for SDG 4, as well as Ministers of Development and senior officials from partner and donor countries, high-level representatives of international organizations and financial institutions - including UNESCO - leading philanthropic organizations, and major civil society actors working in the sector.

Beyond reaffirming the key role of education in achieving all Sustainable Development Goals, six strategic areas for action were identified:

• Position education as a structured investment opportunity
• Anchor education within macro-fiscal frameworks (expenditure, debt, financing trajectories)
• Improve the efficiency and equity of spending to ensure lasting impact
• Strengthen alignment across financing sources (domestic resources, ODA, concessional finance, philanthropy, private capital)
• Share risks through guarantees, blended finance, and other catalytic instruments
• Align all financing with national systems to ensure long-term institutionalization

These strategic priorities will be complemented by concrete, actionable recommendations developed by GPE in consultation with development banks - including the French Development Agency - as well as multilateral institutions, civil society, philanthropic organizations, and the private sector.

This process will involve key partners such as the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the OECD, UNESCO-IIEP, and others, and will be tailored to country contexts in close collaboration with partner countries.

These recommendations will be submitted to G7 member states as part of the development track and will contribute to preparations for the Global Education Summit, to be held on June 9 in Rome and co-hosted by Italy, Nigeria, and GPE. The Summit aims to mobilize the investments and commitments needed to improve education outcomes for 750 million children worldwide.

France, UNESCO, and the Global Partnership for Education, together with partner countries, aim to secure broad support and concrete commitments from key stakeholders to implement impactful, on-the-ground actions where the future of our societies is shaped.