The right to education is a fundamental human right that is pivotal for achieving personal and societal development. Despite national commitments and global support measures, millions around the world still face barriers to accessing quality education due to systemic inequalities exacerbated by trends in areas such as privatisation, digitalisation and the prevalence of crises.

As the world strives towards inclusive and equitable quality education for all, as outlined in Sustainable Development Goal 4, how can inequalities and structural challenges across these fields be addressed more systematically? The aim of this research topic is to shed light on the complex trends maintaining inequalities, while reflecting on on-going dilemmas, debates and responses.

Building on recent insights from the Geneva Human Rights Dialogue on the right to education (https://www.unesco.ch/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Summary-of-right-to-Education-discussions_16102024.pdf), we seek informed and argued opinion pieces that reflect on its outcomes and recommendations. We are particularly interested in opinion pieces that expand and deepen arguments in relation to the four themes explored in the Dialogue. These are privatisation, digitalisation, crisis situations and more general thought pieces on strengthening the use of human rights mechanisms to address inequalities related to the right to education.

The Research Topic will be presented at key UN events in the 2nd half of 2025 dedicated to the right to education. The research will also inform UNESCO’s Initiative on the evolving right to education, which seeks to investigate how the right to education, as enshrined in international normative framework, could be further reinforced to meet evolving global needs.