UNESCO CAPACITY BUILDING WORKSHOP

 UNESCO World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development 2027 — What You Need to Know Before You Apply

Nairobi is set to host one of UNESCO's biggest education gatherings of the decade, and the buzz around it has already spread across Instagram and opportunity pages. If you've seen the flyer, here's the real story, pulled straight from UNESCO's own website, so you know exactly what it is and how to engage with it the right way.

What Is It?

The UNESCO World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) 2027 will hold from 13–15 January 2027 in Nairobi, Kenya, hosted by UNESCO and the Government of Kenya, with support from Japan, Germany, and the Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development.

The theme is "Learning in Action. Shaping Our Future." It marks the halfway point of UNESCO's ESD for 2030 framework, so the conference will take stock of progress made, spotlight challenges, and set direction for education's role in tackling climate change, biodiversity loss, inequality, and conflict over the next five years. Expect ministerial dialogue, plenary sessions, youth-led discussions, and thematic sessions on green skills, digital transformation, and social-emotional learning — with some sessions livestreamed for global audiences.

Who Is It For?

The conference is designed for a wide mix of education stakeholders, including:

-Teachers, school leaders, and university lecturers

-Researchers and professors

-Education policymakers and government representatives

-Youth leaders and student advocates

-Civil society organisations, NGOs, and development partners

-Indigenous communities and education practitioners

Eligibility by country: The conference is open to participants from all countries — there is no regional or national restriction on who can engage with it.

Deadline

There are two separate timelines to keep straight:

-Call for Proposals (for organisations) — open now, closing 31 August 2026. This is for organisations wanting to co-organise thematic sessions on sustainability, climate action, education, equity, or innovation.

-General registration to attend — UNESCO's official page states registration "will open soon." No fixed date has been published yet.

If you're an individual hoping to attend rather than co-organise a session, there's nothing to submit yet — the smart move is to watch for the registration announcement rather than applying through a third-party link.

Application Link

Go straight to the source: https://www.unesco.org/en/sustainable-development/education/2027-conference

For questions, UNESCO's official contact is ESDworldconference@unesco.org.