UNESCO and the Equitable Education Fund (Thailand) strengthen partnership to advance equitable education across Asia and the Pacific

UNESCO and the Equitable Education Fund (EEF) Thailand signed a new partnership agreement to strengthen regional cooperation on equitable education and support innovative approaches to reduce the number of out-of-school children and youth across ASEAN Member States and partner countries.

Signed with the UNESCO Regional Office in Bangkok and Office for UN Coordination for Asia and the Pacific, the new two-year agreement titled 'Equitable Education in ASEAN+: Stronger Regional Partnership for Practice-Based Knowledge and Policy Advancement' will support regional knowledge exchange, policy development and innovative financing mechanisms to advance inclusive and flexible learning opportunities.

The agreement was signed in the presence of UNESCO Director-General Khaled El-Enany and Chair of EEF's Board of Governance Dr Prasarn Trairatvorakul.

'This renewed strategic partnership reflects a shared vision between UNESCO and EEF (Thailand) to ensure that all learners, especially the most vulnerable and marginalized have access to quality, inclusive and equitable education,' said Soohyun Kim, Regional Director of UNESCO Bangkok. 'Across Asia and the Pacific, millions of children and youth continue to face barriers to education due to poverty, displacement, inequality and other vulnerabilities. Through stronger regional cooperation, innovative financing approaches and flexible learning pathways, we can help countries build more resilient and inclusive education systems that leave no one behind.'

Dr Kraiyos Patrawart, Managing Director of EEF (Thailand), highlighted the importance of collective action in addressing educational inequities across the region.

'Thailand's experience shows that reducing educational inequality requires strong partnerships, flexible learning pathways and sustained investment in the most vulnerable learners,' said Dr Kraiyos Patrawart. 'EEF (Thailand) has worked with partners across sectors to build an ecosystem that helps vulnerable children and youth be identified, supported, and connected to continuous learning opportunities through flexible and inclusive approaches, including the Thailand Zero Dropout Plus policy. Through this collaboration with UNESCO, we hope to further strengthen regional learning and contribute practical knowledge and policy innovations that can benefit children and youth across ASEAN+.'

The new initiative will focus on advancing flexible and inclusive learning systems, particularly for out-of-school children and youth (OOSCY), while promoting innovative financing approaches to improve equitable access to education. Planned activities include the 4th International Conference on Equitable Education in Bangkok in October 2026, the ASEAN+4 Regional Conference on Learning Cities in Ho Chi Minh City in November 2026, and the development of an ASEAN+ Toolkit on flexible and inclusive learning.

The agreement builds on a long-standing partnership between UNESCO and EEF (Thailand) that began in 2018. Since then, UNESCO and EEF (Thailand) has collaborated to support regional and national initiatives on equitable education, including the establishment of the Equitable Education Alliance (EEA), a regional community of practice bringing together 34 organizations across Asia and the Pacific, under the Learning and Education 2030+ Network, the SDG4 coordination platform in Asia-Pacific.

Joint initiatives under the partnership have reached more than 650,000 education stakeholders across Asia-Pacific through regional knowledge-sharing platforms. The collaboration has also supported research and policy development on youth not in employment, education or training (NEET), outlining flexible learning strategies and promising approaches in the region to support marginalized learners.

With the signing of the new agreement, UNESCO and EEF (Thailand) reaffirmed their shared commitment to advancing Sustainable Development Goal 4 and strengthening regional collaboration to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education opportunities for all learners across Asia and the Pacific.