On behalf of the Irish Network for Education Worldwide and the UNESCO Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report, we are delighted to announce the Irish Launch of the 2024/5 GEM Report on leadership in education. The event will take place on 11th April 2025, from 10:30am to 1:00pm, followed by a lunch, at the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland. Refreshments will be served from 10:00am. The event is kindly supported by Irish Aid.
Due to limited seating, early registration is highly recommended. Please confirm if you would like to attend (to [email protected]).
The report will be officially launched in Ireland by Irish Aid and will feature a special address by the Department of Education, presentation of the report’s key findings by the GEM Chief of Education Policy, Anna Cristina D’Addio, a response of a Youth Advocate, and a panel discussion with national and international experts sharing insights and lessons from the report.
The launch offers a unique opportunity for our esteemed guests—including government representatives, parliamentarians, academics, teacher unions, civil society actors, and INEW members—to engage in meaningful discussions on the report’s findings and Ireland’s commitment to achieving SDG 4.
- Time: Friday, 11th April 2025, 10:30am – 1:00pm (arrival from 10:00am, lunch from 1:00-2:00pm)
- Location: Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, 6 Kildare Street, Dublin, D02 E434
Out speaker line-up and agenda include:
10:00 Registration & Refreshments
10:30 Start of Event
- Welcome Remarks
- Opening Address & Launch: Frank McManus, Education Lead, Policy Unit of the Development Cooperation and Africa Division, Irish Aid, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
- Special Address: Laura Watts, Principal Officer, School Leadership and Governance Renewal Project, Department of Education
- Presentation of the Key Findings and Recommendations of the 2024/5 GEM Report: Anna Cristina D’Addio, Chief of Education Policy, GEM Report, UNESCO
- Youth Leader Response: Aisling Maloney, Youth Advisory, Panel Plan International Ireland
- Panel Discussion: National and International Perspectives and Responses
- Panel Chair: Bede Sheppard, Director of Children’s Rights, Human Rights Watch
- Páiric Clerkin, CEO, Irish Primary Principals’ Network (IPPN): Perspectives of Principals and School Leadership
- David O’Sullivan, Assistant General Secretary for Conditions of Employment and Leadership, Irish National Teacher Organisation (INTO): Perspectives of the Teaching Profession
- Amy Folan, Senior Education Adviser, Concern Worldwide and INEW Chairperson: Perspectives of the Development and Humanitarian Aid Sector
- Ruairí McKiernan, CEO, Irish Development Education Association (IDEA): Perspectives of the Development Education and Global Citizenship Education Sector
- Q&A Audience
- Closing Remarks
13:00-14:00 Networking Lunch & Refreshments
*Please note: GEM Report Director Manos Antoninis who was originally announced as a speaker on behalf of UNESCO, has had to withdraw unexpectedly and sends his regrets. We are grateful to Anna Christina D’Addio for stepping in to contribute to the event.
About INEW and the GEM Report
As the Irish Network for Education Worldwide, a network of humanitarian aid and development organisations and education stakeholders in Ireland, we are dedicated to advocating for inclusive, equitable, and safe quality education worldwide, with a commitment to reaching the furthest behind.
In partnership with UNESCO—the UN agency dedicated to advancing education, science, culture, and communication—we are pleased to co-host the launch of the 2024/5 GEM Report in Ireland. Education is central to UNESCO’s mission to build peace, eradicate poverty, and drive sustainable development. The GEM Report, hosted and published by UNESCO, provides crucial evidence and analysis to support policymaking and facilitate the sharing of good practice in achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) on quality education. Irish Aid is a key funder of the GEM Report, which is supported by a group of governments, multilateral agencies, and private foundations.
The 2024/5 GEM Report focuses on Leadership in Education—a theme that resonates both within Ireland and in its global efforts to strengthen SDG 4. Education is a key pillar of Irish Overseas Assistance and a catalyst for achieving all Sustainable Development Goals. Leadership is at the heart of quality education, and we are delighted that the Irish launch of the GEM Report will highlight its impact on learning outcomes, both nationally and internationally.
