Stefania Giannini, Assistant-Director General Education, UNESCO

In this episode of EWF Conversations, EWF Programme Director Fabrizio Trifirò talks Stefania Giannini, Assistant Director-General for Education at UNESCO and former Italian Minister of Education. Stefania reflects on UNESCO’s origins and its enduring mission to advance peace through education. Marking International Education Day, the discussion highlights the importance of placing young people at the centre of education policy and keeping education high on the global political agenda. Stefania reflects on the critical challenges for achieving SDG4 targets related to access, quality, and relevance, and emphasises the urgent need for increased investment in education, particularly to address the global teacher shortage. Stefania also reflects on the role of multilateral cooperation, the implications of AI for teaching and learning, and the need to rethink global education priorities beyond SDG4 toward a renewed, future-oriented global education narrative.