UNESCO is a specialised agency of the United Nations whose mission is to promote world peace and security through international cooperation in education, science, culture and communication. One of its priority areas is the future of education and peace education. UNESCO’s current educational priorities include digital learning and AI in education, as well as education for sustainable development and peace education – issues which our Alliance partner, ECSWE, also regards as pressing challenges for schools. In view of these areas of common ground, UNESCO expressed an interest in organising a structured meeting and engaging in dialogue with representatives of Steiner-Waldorf education, and invited our alliance partner, ECSWE, and its national representatives of Steiner-Waldorf education to visit UNESCO headquarters in Paris on 29 May 2026.

The current education policy of Waldorf schools and UNESCO
The pressing economic, geopolitical, environmental and health challenges of our time make it difficult for children and young people to feel enthusiastic about their own development and to look to the future with hope. Education systems play an important role in empowering children and young people to live and learn by providing them with a safe environment in which to develop. The importance of teachers and their crucial role in the educational success of children and young people was highlighted in the keynote presentations by Margareta Van Raemdonck (ECSWE), Cecilia Barbieri (UNESCO) and Matthew Thomas (UNESCO).

The ECSWE team, national representatives of Steiner-Waldorf education from 19 countries, and UNESCO representatives took part in this important event. The meeting provided an opportunity to deepen and further expand the successful cooperation that has taken place so far.

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