24.9.2026
Austrian Commission for UNESCO, Georg-Coch-Platz 2, 1010 Vienna

Austrian Launch of the 2026 GEM Report
Countdown to 2030: Access and equity

25.9.2026
Department of Education, University of Vienna & ÖFSE,
Sensengasse 3+3a, 1090 Vienna

International Conference on inequity in education

As the 2030 deadline for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) approaches, interest in whether they will be achieved – or missed – is intensifying. SDG 4 focuses on education and states: “Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.” Yet current forecasts are sobering: on a global scale, none of the SDG 4 targets is expected to be met by 2030. The Global Education Monitoring Report (GEM) – an annual publication by an independent team of UNESCO-based experts assessing progress toward SDG 4 – will devote its 2026 edition to a comprehensive stocktaking of one of the most critical targets: access to and equity in education. 

Conveners: Department of Education, University of Vienna, Austrian Commission for UNESCO, Austrian Foundation for Development Research

Call for Abstracts!

For this conference, we adopt a broad understanding of equity and access, welcoming both scientific and practice-oriented contributions from a wide range of perspectives.

Please send your abstracts to Monica Schatara: monica.schatara@univie.ac.at by April 30, 2026.

> Programme (pdf)