The Buenos AiresDeclaration enshrines agreements on educational priorities

for Latin America and the Caribbean with a view to 2030

• Aware of the fact that inequality is the greatest challenge for socioeconomic development in the region, the Ministers of Education of Latin America and the Caribbean stated in their declaration that the Education 2030 Agenda shall contribute to eliminating poverty, reducing inequalities and caring for the environment, through inclusive, quality education and lifelong learning.
• The authorities agreed on the necessary regional coordination mechanisms to achieve the educational goals. They recognized the urgent need to carry out further changes, which would entail a new outlook on education, learning, teaching, policies and actions in the region.

1.02.2017 –On 25 January 2017, within the framework of the Meeting of Ministers of Education of Latin America and the Caribbean “E2030: Education and Skills for the 21st century”, the highest education authorities of Latin America and the Caribbean adopted the Buenos Aires Declaration. The meeting was organized by the Argentine education authorities and the Regional Bureau for Education in Latin America and the Caribbean (OREALC/UNESCO Santiago) and chaired by Argentina’s Minister of Education and Sports, Esteban Bullrich.

In the document, made public on 1 February 2017, the Ministers acknowledge progress in the region’s education systems and –based on the Lima (2014) and Incheon (2015) Declarations-, they reaffirm education as an essential right for realizing other rights, a catalyst of sustainable development and an instrument for fulfilling the other sustainable development goals by 2030.

In the agreed declaration, the authorities confirm their commitment to education and lifelong learning, from early childhood through to higher and adult education. Furthermore, the document highlights multiculturalism and multilingualism as characteristics of the region and urges the States to develop their own approaches that reinforce the diversity of their peoples, thus promoting more inclusive societies. This vision includes the development of better responses to ensure the rights and meet the needs of migrants and refugees.

Likewise, the authorities committed to strengthening evaluation and monitoring mechanisms under Sustainable Development Goal No. 4 (“Ensure inclusive, equitable and quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all”), considering each country’s context and circumstances, with a special focus on the school environment.