A GEM of an Event

The event, which took place at Wellington’s National Library, included speeches from the Minister of Education, Hon Erica Stanford, the Paris-based Director of GEM Reports, Manos Antoninis, New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO Education Commissioner, Professor Gail Gillon and President of the Commonwealth of Learning, Professor Peter Scott.

GEM reports are editorially independent reports, hosted and published by UNESCO, which help to monitor and report on progress towards meeting Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4.

SDG 4 is a commitment to ensure everyone has access to quality education and aims to promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.

Two recent GEM reports – both with strong links and critically relevant to New Zealand - were showcased at the event, the 2024 GEM Report: Leadership in Education, as well as the 2024 Pacific regional report: Technology in Education – a tool on whose terms.

Learn more about the reports here.

The event, which was hosted by New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO Chair, Liz Longworth, was attended by a diverse and engaged audience, all with an interest in education, but representing a wide variety of organisations and groups from across New Zealand.

Director of the GEM reports, Manos Antoninis, provided a fantastic overview of the two reports, their findings and recommendations, during his presentation.

The reports’ themes, leadership in education and technology, were central to the keynote address given by Minister Stanford, as well as our Education Commissioner Gail Gillion and Peter Scott’s presentations.

A full recording of the event is available on our Knowledge Hub.