The Comparative and International Education Society (CIES) Board of Directors calls for a reversal of the recent decision on the part of the United States to withdraw from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) at the end of 2018.
As a US-based academic society dedicated to promoting comparative and international education and related areas of inquiry CIES has long recognized the important roles that UNESCO plays in shaping and improving educational policies and practice worldwide. For over six decades CIES members – presently 3000 researchers, practitioners, policymakers and students – have benefitted from the valuable UNESCO resources for research, teaching, planning and reform efforts. The CIES Board also recognizes the essential work that UNESCO does to improve educational opportunity and outcomes, alleviate poverty, and implement the UN’s 2030 agenda for sustainable development.
We urge our members to take a strong stand in support of international cooperation and international engagement in the area of education. We affirm previous CIES statements and membership resolutions that recognize UNESCO as an essential international organization and we urge the United States to restore its membership in UNESCO.
Approved by the CIES Board of Directors on December 2, 2017