Blog by Evelyne Para, SI Representative at UNESCO, Paris.
“There is an urgent need to invest more in education, science, and culture,” was the message supported by UNESCO at the International Conference on Financing for Development, held in Seville (Spain) in early July 2025.
Leaders from numerous governments, representatives of financial and commercial institutions, businesses, civil society, and the United Nations system emphasised the need to unite to foster stronger international cooperation.
I had the opportunity to follow online some of the proceedings of this Conference, and here is a brief summary.
UNESCO is Sounding the Alarm
Faced with a marked decline in international aid for education and unequal funding for science and culture, UNESCO is sounding the alarm and calling on donors to renew their commitment to these key development sectors.
“Education, scientific research, and culture are among the most powerful levers for peace and development in our societies. Ensuring sustainable funding is essential today; to undermine it would undermine our common future,” declared Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, at the opening of the conference.
The volume of aid to develop national education systems has stagnated in absolute terms and declined in relative terms since 2015. A new analysis presented by UNESCO indicates that aid to education has sharply declined since 2024, with deeper cuts expected by 2027, marking the largest decline since the 1990s. Overall, aid is expected to fall by more than 25% by 2027.
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development made a promise to leave no one behind. This promise includes ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education, promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all (SDG 4), and advancing gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls (SDG 5).
Yet halfway through the implementation period, achieving this ambitious agenda by 2030 appears challenging. Despite efforts and progress made, 128 million boys and 122 million girls are still out of school worldwide. Educational skills gaps are also immense: globally, 57% of children have not acquired basic skills. Even in high-income countries, one in four children lack basic skills. Girls face more barriers—stereotypes, patriarchal discrimination, and more—in accessing education, and they are more likely than boys not to attend primary school. Ensuring that all girls and boys go to school and learn requires greater investment.
The Price of Inaction
Education is one of the best investments a country can make. Yet, according to a recent UNESCO report, The Price of Inaction, the global private, fiscal, and social costs of children and youth not learning and being left behind in education are hampering economies worldwide.
A fundamental human right for all, education is crucial for individual development and well-being, as well as for social justice and poverty reduction. The cost of not respecting this right is extremely high, representing losses equivalent to several trillion dollars for economies worldwide. Of course, the costs as a percentage of GDP vary across regions. If the right to education is not guaranteed, individuals earn less, on average, than better-educated individuals. Societies with higher average levels of education experience stronger economic growth.
The UNESCO report also considers non-monetary costs, including unwanted teenage pregnancies among young girls, corruption, violence, and crime. The report concludes that investing in quality education is a cost-effective strategy for economic development. If governments fail to invest sustainably in education, they will have fewer economic resources and therefore less money to spend on reducing early school dropout rates and improving basic skills among young people. This locks economies into a cycle of low education and low productivity.
Strategic Recommendations and Joint Declaration
Based on extensive analysis and the contributions of many speakers at the Seville Conference, several key Strategic Recommendations were formulated.
These recommendations aim to reduce early school dropout rates and address the lack of basic cognitive, social, and emotional skills in children. They also support ongoing teacher training so educators can unlock the potential of all learners, support them in their studies and transition to work, and combat prejudices and gender stereotypes through inclusive pedagogical approaches.
It is also important to raise awareness among communities and parents about the value of completing a full cycle of education. Governments are encouraged to provide public funding for several years of free education, allocating at least 4–6% of their GDP to education. These recommendations must, of course, be adapted to the contexts of each community, country, and region.
In Seville, UNESCO welcomed the Joint Declaration, in which States recognise the importance of financing education, acknowledge culture as a driver of development, and call for strengthened scientific cooperation in the face of global challenges.
As with education, the conference also recalled that science is essential for tackling today’s major challenges: ecological transition, biodiversity protection, ocean health, disaster prevention, and resilience to crises. Yet science remains largely underfunded.
Cooperation is equally vital. Sharing infrastructure, data, and scientific knowledge—including that of indigenous peoples—would strengthen the impact of research, particularly in low-income countries. In Seville, UNESCO renewed its call for stronger international educational and scientific cooperation, serving the common good.
